FCC Commissioner Martin proposes Class A & Low Power TV stations to be a must-carry by cable systems

Federal Communications Commission Kevin J. Martin has proposed that Class A TV & Low-Power TV stations enjoy the same must-carry opportunities granted to full-power TV stations by all cable system operators in the USA. This is an important issue for the Hispanic Market, since there are many Class A & Low-Power TV stations serving our Hispanic Consumer base and they encounter many obstacle and escalated costs in expanding the coverage and reach.

According to Eduardo Caballero, an expert on the US Hispanic Market, radio and television, currently Hispanic focused Class A and Low-power TV stations must pay large amounts of fees to cable system, like in the case of Miami Class A & Low Power TV stations pay between $1 to $1.8 million dollars a year to the cable operators to be included in their local cable system. This puts an incredible cost burden on minority broadcasters and Hispanic focused TV station to operate competitively in a markets place.

Additionally, according to Mr. Caballero, cable system pay international programmers and possibly some channels a fee per subscriber so they can carry these programs and channels on their cable systems. A practice that seems to work against our Industry. A practice that does not take into account that these cable system are sending the money outside of our country and not supporting our own Industry.

Carlos Barb – President of CaribeVision feels very strongly that FCC Commissioner Martin proposal of the must-carry for Class A & Low-power TV stations is very important for our Industry, since he wrote a letter to the commissioners adding his support. To view Letter scroll down below:

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Chairman Kevin J. Martin
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

Re: Class A Low Power Television Stations

Dear Chairman Martin:

I am writing to thank you for your leadership on the issue of allowing Class A television stations to seek full power status and obtain cable television carriage rights currently enjoyed by full power television stations. Your proposal would allow Class A television stations, which provide valuable service to under-served audiences, a chance to survive in a highly competitive media environment.

I am the President of CaribeVisión Holdings, Inc., which, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates both full power television stations and Class A low power television broadcast stations in Puerto Rico, Miami, and New York. CaribeVisión provides Spanish language programming to its viewers. While CaribeVisión’s full power stations enjoy cable and satellite carriage rights, its Class A low power television stations are forced to compete without such rights or pay exorbitant fees for carriage under the commercial leased access rules currently in effect.

As you know, Class A television stations are unique in their obligation to originate local content. CaribeVisión’s Class A television stations go further still, meeting all of the children’s programming and other programming obligations currently imposed on full power television stations. CaribeVisión, however, is not alone in this regard. As you know, Class A television stations throughout the country are a rich source of diverse and localized programming – much of which cannot be found on “big-four” network-affiliated stations. And yet, despite providing programming that matches or exceeds that provided by full power stations, Class A television stations are frequently denied cable carriage granted to full power stations.

The Commission and the courts have recognized that cable carriage is necessary for broadcast channels to survive. Like all broadcast television stations, CaribeVisión’s stations must have access to cable and satellite homes to ensure their long-term survival. Allowing Class A television stations to seek full power status will help ensure greater diversity of ownership, greater diversity of programming, and greater local programming – just by providing a change of status to existing broadcasters that already work every day to support such diversity and localism.

I appreciate your efforts on behalf of this issue and urge you to move forward with your proposal to allow Class A television stations to seek full power status.

Sincerely,

Carlos Barba,
President

cc: Commissioner Michael J. Copps
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate
Commissioner Robert M. McDowell