TV Negotiations

TV Negotiations

We continue to face increased costs from programming providers as they pay exorbitant fees for rights to sports content and new programming/shows. The renewal of contracts with CBS, A&E Networks, The NFL Network and FOX all contributed greatly to the change in rate.
 
Click here to read a special message for our television customers.
 

For more information, visit TVonMySide.com or check out these videos:
Big Network Fees
Our Challenge

We Need Your Help in the Fight against Rising Costs

Retransmission consent fees are the payments that all cable and satellite providers make to local TV station broadcasters to carry their signals. Broadcast TV stations collect these fees from TV providers like us and our customers each month – even though they offer the same programming free with an antenna.

The laws governing retransmission fees are part of the 1992 Cable Act.  It was written at a time when competition among TV providers was limited and the internet was still in its infancy. This law states that TV providers cannot pick and choose which stations to offer, nor can they decide to not provide a local broadcast TV station. 

TV stations are abusing these outdated rules to boost their profits by creating dual revenue streams: retransmission fees from their viewers and advertising revenue. As advertising profits have been declining due to lower ratings for their shows, stations are raising retransmission fees to offset these losses. When TV stations don’t get TV providers to meet their demands for increased retransmission fees, they threaten to remove their stations from viewers.

Unfortunately, we have no leverage in these negotiations under current federal laws and regulations, which Congress has passed and the FCC has implemented to benefit the big media broadcast companies.

We need your help in the fight against increasing programming costs! Below you can download a template letter. Please write to the leaders at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and your state representatives to let them know how you feel about rising cable costs.

Federal Communications Commission:

Click here to download the template letter to send to the FCC.
Click here for current contact information for the FCC.

Minnesota Members of Congress:

Click here to download the template letter to send to your representatives.
Click here to see the full list of representatives and their contact information.

Television Rate Increase FAQ