L-A Mayor Urges FCC To Examine 'Real World Problems'

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says that the FCC’s review of the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger should examine “real world problems like the Dodgers dispute,” in which more than 60% of the city’s residents do not have access to watch the hometown team’s games, according to Variety.

“As part of its investigation as to whether the merger and increased concentration will serve the public interest, we ask the Commission to examine these types of programming disputes, determine why the problem has not been resolved already, and then ask Comcast to show that the merger would alleviate, and not exacerbate, problems of this sort,” Garcetti wrote in comments submitted to the FCC on Monday, the deadline for an initial round of public filings on the merger.

Last year, TW Cable bought exclusive rights to the Dodgers that included the launch of a new regional sports network, SportsNet LA. But much of the market has been left without any availability of the channel as distributors like DirecTV have balked. They say that the price TW Cable is asking is too high as it tries to cover the cost it paid for the rights, reportedly $8 billion.

“This is not a healthy situation for the community,” Garcetti wrote. “The Dodgers are a key part of the fabric of this city, and Dodgers games with the legendary Vin Scully in the broadcast booth have traditionally been available to viewers throughout the region at no extra charge. That is not true this year.”

After complaints from lawmakers, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler recently sought information from TW Cable on the dispute and the nature of the negotiations with other distributors.

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