Cable Industry

After the coffee. Before trying to make a cameo on TLC's 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.' The Skinny: Is it just me or are perfect games starting to lose their luster? There have been three this season alone. I may have to learn to throw a knuckleball and give it a shot. Thursday's headlines include Apple's efforts to get into the TV business, Michael J. Fox plans a comeback and Mitt Romney gives PBS reason to worry. Daily Dose: Dish Network appears to be nearing a deal  with Sinclair Broadcast Group to keep Sinclair's 70 TV stations in almost 50 markets served by the satellite broadcaster.

The pay television business, already under the microscope from the Department of Justice, will be the subject of a congressional hearing as well. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the powerful House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, has called for a meeting of media leaders to examine the future of video and whether the current regulations for media companies, specifically cable operators, have become out of date. The hearing has been scheduled for June 27. No witnesses have been named yet. “Since the passage of the 1992 Cable Act there has been a sea change in the way that consumers gain access to video content," Walden said in announcing the hearing.

After the coffee. Before watching "Goodfellas" again. The Skinny: The first time I went to a concert as a teen they searched you for any illegal recording equipment that could be used for bootlegs. When I saw Van Halen on Saturday the whole audience was recording the show on their phones. My, how times change. Wednesday's headlines include the Justice Department probing the cable industry, the broadcast networks wrapping up ad sales for the fall season and a review of TNT's new version of "Dallas.

In a move that has upset the broadcast industry, the Federal Communications Commission said it would let lapse a rule that required cable operators to carry local television signals in analog. About 12 million cable subscribers across the country could lose access to some of their local TV stations unless they upgrade their equipment or switch to antennas. The FCC said many cable operators are making such equipment available at little or no cost to subscribers. In 2007, when the FCC laid the groundwork for the transition to high-definition television, it required cable operators to also carry local stations in the old analog format.

In a move that has upset the broadcast industry, the Federal Communications Commission said it will let lapse a rule that required cable operators to carry local television signals in analog. Approximately 12 million cable subscribers across the country could lose access to some of their local TV stations unless they upgrade their equipment or switch to antennas. The FCC said many cable operators are making such equipment available at little or no cost to subscribers. In 2007, when the FCC laid the groundwork for the transition to high-definition television, it required cable operators to also carry local stations in the old analog format.

BOSTON -- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said he supports cable and telecommunication companies adopting a usage-based pricing plan for broadband. "Usage-based pricing could be a healthy and beneficial part of the ecosystem," Genachowski said in an appearance at the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn.'s annual convention here. Genachowski, who was interviewed by former FCC Chairman and current NCTA Chief Executive Michael Powell, added that a tiered pricing approach may "increase consumer choice and competition" and "result in lower prices for people who consume less broadband.

BOSTON - A new generation of consumers who have little regard for historical distribution systems will be what drives media companies to rethink their role as gatekeepers to content. "It always seems to be about the kids," said filmmaker Ed Burns who has taken to releasing his movies on non-theatrical platforms, including Apple's iTunes, and on video-on-demand. Speaking at the National Cable Telecommunications Assn. here, Burns said that young people today "are not nostalgic for the way we consumed entertainment.

BOSTON -- The government needs to take a light touch when it comes to regulating the Internet, warned Michael Powell, a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission who is now head of the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn., which is the cable industry's lobbying arm. "Letting politics allocate resources - rather than market economics and entrepreneurs - would kill investment and leave the Internet in the state we find today's...

BOSTON -- Rising programming costs are the biggest headache facing the cable industry, a group of industry analysts said Monday. "That is a very genuine and legitimate concern that imperils the entire ecosystem," said Craig Moffett, vice president and senior analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein Co. Moffett was speaking on a panel at the National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. convention in Boston. Moffett said prices for programming have gotten so high that it is getting tougher for smaller distributors to cover their costs, and warned that further consolidation could be a result.

OK, take a deep breath. Find your happy place. Now try this on for size: $200 monthly cable bills. That's the prediction from market researcher NPD Group, which says cable bills of that wallet-busting magnitude could arrive by 2020 . "As pay-TV costs rise and consumers' spending power stays flat, the traditional affiliate-fee business model for pay-TV companies appears to be unsustainable in the long term," says Keith Nissen, research director...