The Communications Act empowers the FCC “to regulate...

The Communications Act empowers the FCC “to regulate all aspects of the retransmission consent regime” and “no provision in the law expressly restricts the commission’s exercise of that authority,” Mediacom said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/1fWWqvj). There are proposed reforms that are consistent with Congress’s clear intent for the FCC to protect consumers from unreasonable retrans costs and service disruptions, it said. The proposals address policies and practices allowing broadcasters to prevent multichannel video programming distributors “from obtaining an alternate source of programming as well as proposals that would more directly limit the circumstances under which a broadcaster could deny an MVPD’s customers access to the broadcasters’ programming as a negotiating tactic,” it said. The filing is on a meeting Monday with staff from the Media Bureau and the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy.