TalkingApes

Time Warner threatens court action over NFL channel – Yahoo News

WASHINGTON Reuters – Time Warner Cable has threatened to go to court to overturn a decision forcing the No. 2 U.S. cable company to reinstate the NFL Network on some of its systems, according to a filing obtained on Monday.

Give me a break.

“Given the extraordinary nature of the injunction and the immediate harm it will cause if not lifted immediately, Time Warner will have no choice but to obtain judicial relief to protect its interest and those of its customers…” the company said in its appeal to the FCC.

Time Warner Cable had argued that the FCC acted without a chance to respond, exceeded its authority by requiring the channel be restored and that the order “inflicts severe, immediate and irreparable harm” on the company and customers.

Yes! Please protect us from watching the NFL Network!! Thank you, Time Warner!!

“The Commission’s obligation is first and foremost to the consumer — not to the private interests of Time Warner or NFL Network — and because of this we again find continued carriage to be in the public interest,” said FCC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher.

At least the FCC has this one right. What a line of BS from TW.

A spokesman for the channel disputed that rate and said the fight was about whether it would be relegated to a sports package or available more broadly.

“No other provider in the country carries us on a sports tier and we refuse to have Time Warner do so,” said NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky. “We have not had any subsequent conversations but would hope that we can soon.

As I noted in this post, Time Warner wants to profit by making the NFL Network only available on a special package, and only available as an addon to the digital tier, which itself runs about $70.00. The NFL Network wants it available on the basic level of cable, which in our area runs about $50.00, and is not digital.

technorati tags: time-warner, fcc, court, nfl-network, cable