The FCC on Wednesday released an order implementing “buying group” provisions in the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019.
This was met with applause from the association that serves as a voice in Washington for small-market and small-in-size MVPDs across the U.S.
ACA Connects President/CEO Matthew M. Polka welcomed the FCC’s decision, which implements TVPA provisions that allow buying groups representing smaller multichannel video programming distributors (many of which are association members) to negotiate retransmission consent agreements with “large” television broadcasters.
The FCC’s action, Polka says, will benefit both the MVPD members of such buying groups and the broadcasters with whom such buying groups negotiate.
“We especially appreciate the FCC’s decision to interpret the key statutory terms ‘large station group’ and ‘qualified MVPD buying group’ in a manner consistent with the statutory text,” Polka says. “This decision, unopposed by any party, will ensure that the provision functions as Congress intended. We appreciate the FCC’s swift action so operators may take advantage of the provision when renegotiating their contracts set to expire at the end of the year.”
