Sinclair Broadcast Group called Buckeye Cablevision’s complaint against...

Sinclair Broadcast Group called Buckeye Cablevision’s complaint against it “frivolous.” A letter from Buckeye supplementing the complaint seeks to “short-circuit the well-established process for resolving retransmission consent disputes, and seeks expedited treatment of its complaint,” Sinclair said in a response (http://bit.ly/1k7p83U). Buckeye alleged that Sinclair failed to negotiate in good faith a retransmission consent agreement with Buckeye (CD Feb 21 p20). The supplement letter asked the FCC to take enforcement action against Sinclair (http://bit.ly/1c5NMPV). The companies haven’t been able to reach agreement, resulting in a blackout of programming from WNWO-TV, Toledo, since last week. The FCC has made clear that multichannel video programming distributors and broadcasters alike “will not be required to engage in an unending procession of extended retransmission consent negotiations,” Sinclair said. “When Buckeye failed to respond, it was not bad faith for SBG to advise the public that the parties are so far apart that negotiations had ended and that the station involved will not be carried for the foreseeable future.”