RBR+TVBR INFOCUS
On July 25, influential Louisiana Republican House Member Steve Scalise introduced a bill that was referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet. California Democrat Anna Eshoo signed on as a co-sponsor of this legislation, which would largely require “good faith requirements” when negotiating a new retransmission consent agreement.
The bill was dead on arrival, with no co-sponsors or mention of the “Modern Television Act of 2019” until today. That’s because Jim Schwartzel, President of a small TV broadcasting company in Southwest Florida, says AT&T is support of the legislation.
If so, he has one question for the owner of DirecTV: Is AT&T being truthful?
Schwartzel has every reason to ask, as DirecTV has lacked a retrans consent agreement with his TV station since late January.
