The Federal Communications Commission has voted along party lines to proceed with its proposal to require cable and satellite pay TV providers to provide rebates to consumers for programming blacked out during retransmission consent-related disputes.
Democrats billed the move as a consumer-focused effort to preserve viewers’ access to programming they have paid for through their cable or satellite subscription, while Republicans called it a form of rate regulation and of using the FCC’s authority to regulate customer-service issues in a marketplace where viewers have plenty of video alternatives — notably streaming services — if they are unhappy with the way cable operators or broadcasters do business.
