U.S. retrans consent payments up 271% in '09 says cable group

PITTSBURGH – American conventional television stations are gouging cable companies with dramatic increases in retransmission consent payments, reported the American Cable Association today. The group’s survey found a 271% rise on overall retrans payments so far this year, “resulting in higher cable bills for consumers and injuring operators' ability to provide advanced services actually in demand,” read’s the ACA’s release upon presenting its report to the FCC. (Ed note: True, we don’t do too much American news, but given the fight in Canada for a fee-for-carriage for Canadian broadcasters and all the talk about the American retransmission consent regime, we...