Bill Seeks to Grant FCC Authority to Stop Blackouts

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House subcommittee on communications and technology, just made Wednesday's upcoming hearing interesting by publishing a discussion draft of a bill intended to eliminate TV blackouts caused by retransmission consent disputes. The bill, nicknamed the Video CHOICE Act (for Consumers Have Options in Choosing Entertainment) would give the Federal Communications Commission explicit authority to intervene in carriage disputes by granting interim carriage of a TV broadcast station during a negotiation impasse. It's no surprise that Eshoo introduced the bill Monday, a week after CBS and Time Warner Cable ended a 32-day negotiation standoff that left more than 3 million consumers without CBS stations in markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. During the blackout Eshoo said she would "carefully examine whether changes to current law are needed to adequately protect consumers and prevent the reoccurrence of blackouts." The goal of the discussion draft is to encourage other lawmakers to start collaborating on the draft, said an Eshoo staffer. Though there are no cosponsors for the bill now because it hasn't been formally introduced, the hope is that Wednesday's hearings will generate some interest. Titled "innovation versus regulation in the video marketplace," Wednesday's hearing was already destined to have at least some discussion of retransmission consent, thanks to scheduled testimony from retrans reform advocate... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]

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More college bookstores offer book rentals

Students heading to college can expect to spend about $662 a year on textbooks and other course materials, according to The National Association of College Stores. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Finding the Right Course

It’s not just trade bookstores that are feeling the pinch from online retailers and other discounters. At the National Association of College Stores’ Campus Market Expo held earlier this month at the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, NACS’s OnCampus Research division... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading scheme axed due to school spending cuts

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 19/09/2011 - 09:39 A primary schools project that has helped thousands of struggling young pupils to read is being axed by the government, according to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). The Reading Recovery Project involves... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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