Markey Pushes for Resolution to Dish/CBS Blackout

Senate Commerce Member Ed Markey, D-Mass., is pushing Dish Network and CBS to settle a blackout (see 1711210024) before the airing of Sunday's New England Patriots/Miami Dolphins NFL matchup. He said the contract dispute "will make a lot of fans frustrated when they tune into the Patriots on Sunday and see nothing but a blank screen." CBS in a statement Wednesday said "pulling content providers off the air is DISH's way of doing things" and that it and Dish remain far apart on contractual terms. It said it hasn't been part of a blackout since the last expiration of its Dish agreement, in November 2014. Dish didn't comment. "To be clear, CBS blacked out its own viewers," Dish said in a statement, adding that it's awaiting CBS' response to its latest offer, which it gave the network before it pulled its signal from Dish. "The channels could come back today if CBS would allow it," it said.