Court Tosses Maine a la Carte Cable TV Law

Maine's governor and attorney general are permanently enjoined from enforcing the state's cable TV a la carte law, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen of Bangor said in a final judgment and order Monday (in Pacer, docket 19-cv-00410). That follows the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in February affirming the lower court's preliminary injunction stopping Maine from enforcing the law on First Amendment grounds (see 2102240057). The plaintiffs -- Comcast and a variety of programmers -- and the defendants filed a joint stipulated final judgment (in Pacer), in which they agreed the Maine law is preempted by federal law and violates the First Amendment.