Cable Policy
The United States is a nation of cable TV watchers. More than 90 percent of U.S. households subscribes either to cable TV, video-distribution services like AT&T’s U-Verse or satellite services, making cable a valuable source of news, opinion and entertainment.
But with little competition, cable companies can price-gouge consumers by repeatedly raising rates or acting as content gatekeepers. The current "cable cartel" puts independent programmers and small cable operators at a disadvantage — and reduces consumer choice in programming. Program lineups from the big cable companies often do not include independent content or content from diverse sources, and smaller cable operators are at the mercy of large content companies to get access to popular programming.
Free Press promotes policies that put consumers first. We support increasing competition in the cable market to keep rates low, maximizing choices in programming and lowering the barriers to entry for diverse programming and innovative video services.
The Latest Cable Policy Updates
Groups Ask FCC to Require Verizon, SpectrumCo and Cox Communications to Make Agreements Available
WASHINGTON -- On Tuesday, Free Press, the Media Access Project, Public Knowledge and the Greenlining Institute filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission requesting that Verizon, SpectrumCo and Cox Communications make unredacted versions of their joint operating and marketing agreements in their spectrum deals available to parties in the proceeding.
Free Press Pleased That the FCC Will Examine Verizon/Cable Pacts
WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, Verizon Wireless, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks announced that they would provide the Federal Communications Commission with copies of the companies' joint marketing agreements to resell each other’s services.
Free Press Asks FCC to Investigate Verizon-Cable Deal
Big telco and big cable have struck a deal to work together. That could mean working to fix prices, divide the market and give consumers less choice. We've asked the FCC to join the Justice Department in investigating the companies' proposed joint-marketing agreements, but the companies argue the government has no role in ensuring consumers are protected.
Free Press Calls for Careful Review of Verizon-Cable Deals
WASHINGTON -- On Monday, Verizon Wireless filed a statement with the Federal Communications Commission regarding its agreement to purchase prime wireless broadband spectrum licenses from cable operators Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House.
Verizon Deals with Cable Cartel Will Kill Competition
WASHINGTON -- On Friday, Cox Communications announced that it will sell its spectrum to Verizon Wireless, in a deal similar to the one announced by Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks earlier this month.
Like Verizon’s deal with the other companies, the agreement also means Cox will resell Verizon services to its customers as part of a cable-wireless bundle.
