Protect Television Viewers from Blackouts and Unfair Price Increases by Reforming Outdated Broadcast Television Laws

Since 2005, millions of consumers in over 75 U.S. television markets have been subjected to blackouts of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, CW and/or MyNetwork TV programming as the owners of these broadcast stations have sought to force cable and satellite customers to pay billions of dollars to continue watching their channels. By holding popular TV shows, sporting events and local news and weather information hostage, station owners are taking advantage of an outdated marketplace created by the government nearly 20 years ago to unfairly drive up prices. In doing so, the broadcasters are making cable and satellite service unaffordable for more and more Americans. We urge the Obama Administration to initiate a process to update this outdated regime.