Extend Top-Four Prohibition to LPTV, Multicast: NCTA

DOJ and the FCC have repeatedly found that the common ownership of two top-four stations in a market gives the owner anti-competitive leverage in retransmission consent negotiations, NCTA representatives told the offices of Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, it said Friday in docket 18-349. NCTA urged that the commission keep the top-four prohibition as part of the 2018 quadrennial review. It also urged extending the op-four prohibition to low-power stations and multicast streams -- a way broadcasters today circumvent the prohibition, it said.