The Federal Communications Commission's ruling dis-allowing exclusive cable TV contracts with the owners of multi-dwelling unit buildings appears to have withstood an initial court challenge, though it is not out of the woods yet. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week rejected the request from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association to stay the FCC ruling.
A stay would have at least allowed the exclusivity clauses in contracts negotiated before the FCC's ruling against exclusivity to continue. Many such contracts may exist, because it was only in 2003 that the FCC ruled to allow MDU exclusivity. There is still a chance the court could completely overturn the more recent FCC decision, though Light Reading's Cable Digital News reports there are signs the cable TV industry is moving on.
For more:
- read this report at Light Reading's Cable Digital News
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