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As the new president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Kyle McSlarrow didn't have much of a honeymoon. On March 1, McSlarrow's first day on the job, Senate Commerce [...]

WASHINGTON -- A decade ago, five U.S. Supreme Court justices agreed behind closed doors to strike down a new federal law that required mandatory cable carriage of local TV stations. [...]

WASHINGTON -- The Biography Channel is currently seen in about 25 million pay-TV homes. Whether the channel can double or triple distribution in coming years could depend on the outcome [...]

Rep. W.J. (Billy) Tauzin (R-La.), in the following interview with Multi-channel News Washington editor Ted Hearn, warned the cable industry that election -year politics could energize Congress to extend the [...]

By Ted Hearn Kathy Payne's computer crashed a few days before Christmas. As a top content negotiator for Cox Communications, she was busy wrapping up a number of deals that [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- The cost of cable television's most popular programming packages rose a combined 122% from 1995 to 2008, according to a Federal Communications Commission report released on [...]

by Ted Hearn Genachowski Nod Is Still Expected Washington-- President Barack Obama last Thursday named Federal Communications Commission Democrat Michael Copps as acting chairman, replacing Kevin Martin two days after [...]

by Ted Hearn Senate May Consider Bill to Set June 12 Deadline This Week Washington-- The Obama White House last week closed in on its goal of postponing the Feb. [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- An Obama transition adviser on communications policy says the economic stimulus package will not be the vehicle for addressing all of the new administration's concerns about [...]

by Ted Hearn Rockefeller Measure Would Move Deadline, Add Coupon Funds Washington-- Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) last week assembled a bill designed to delay the Feb. 17 [...]

By Ted Hearn NCTA President Kyle McSlarrow Before President-elect Barack Obama is even sworn in, the young former Illinois senator is already making waves in the TV industry. First, he's [...]

by Ted Hearn, Washington News Editor It seems as if the only people in America unprepared for the Feb. 17 transition to digital television are advisers to President-elect Barack Obama. [...]

by Ted Hearn Julius Genachowski, Obama's Presumed Nominee for FCC Chairman, Gets High Marks from Cable Industry Washington-- If President-elect Barack Obama officially names his friend and technology adviser Julius [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- An administrative law judge is apparently defying an order by a Federal Communications Commission official that terminated his control over NFL Network's complaint to gain access [...]

by Ted Hearn Calls for Rollback Of Feb. 17 Deadline For Digital-TV Shift Washington-- In a jolt few saw coming, President-elect Barack Obama wants to delay the Feb. 17 transition [...]

by Ted Hearn Must-Carry Status Sought for Ion JV Washington-- Robert L. Johnson made a fortune in getting cable operators to pay to distribute his BET channel. Now, he wants [...]

by Ted Hearn The cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg,Fla., can't stop cable operator Bright House Networks from moving public-access channels to a digital tier and demanding rent for set-top [...]

by Linda Haugsted, Ted Hearn and R. Thomas Umstead NBC's Digital Universe Goes on Display at CES NBC Universal is stepping up its presence at January's International Consumer Electronics Show [...]

by Ted Hearn West Virginia's Rockefeller to Chair Senate Commerce Panel Washington-- Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), an outspoken critic of violent and indecent television programming, last Monday was named chairman [...]

by Ted Hearn No Network Shifts Until After Feb. 17 The cable industry is responding to those who say the industry is using TV stations' switch to digital this February [...]

by Ted Hearn Congress Approves Analog-TV Extension for Emergencies Washington-- Congress sent President Bush last Wednesday a compromise bill that would permit analog-TV stations to beam emergency and other information [...]

Ted Hearn, Washington News Editor Memo to: Cablevision chairman Charles F. Dolan Re: FCC chairman Martin's war on ESPN The rumors are that Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin will [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- A House committee staff report released last Tuesday slammed the management practices of Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin, claiming he suppressed information, abused his power, [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin is coming under intense pressure to abandon his dream of bringing cable networks and TV stations under tighter federal regulatory [...]

by Ted Hearn and Kent Gibbons Sponsoring NASCAR Driver Gets Martin 'Porker' Award Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin won the dubious honor of being named Porker of the Month [...]

by Ted Hearn Lawmaker Pair Sees Danger Signs in LIN Retransmission Spat Washington- A pair of House lawmakers is concerned that a cable-operator carriage dispute involving more than a dozen [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington- Cable operators are saying that a special judge is incapable of ruling on a half-dozen program carriage discrimination cases within the 60 days mandated in a [...]

by Linda Moss and Ted Hearn Ion Media Networks, NBC Universal, Telemundo and members of the Association of Public Television Stations are spearheading analog-shutoff tests in markets across the country, [...]

by Ted Hearn FCC Chief Martin Wants to Open TV Channels for Wireless Gadgets Washington-- Over the strong objections of TV stations owners and cable operators, Federal Communications Commission chairman [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Comcast's long-running dispute with the NFL Network remains in limbo as regulators at the Federal Communications Commission are split on how to rule. Comcast distributes the [...]

by Ted Hearn FCC Chief Fails to Obtain Enough Votes to Ensure Passage Washington-- Short on votes, Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin last week dropped a plan designed to [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- The House on Oct. 3 passed a bill requiring the Federal Communications Commission to study parents' access to advanced technologies that are capable of blocking content [...]

by Ted Hearn Largest MSO Challenges Martin's Scheme for Class-A Must-Carry Washington-- Comcast, the country's largest cable operator, is challenging a plan by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin that [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington- The Federal Communications Commission is working on a plan to seek public comment on the cable industry's so-called quiet period that would ban TV stations from [...]

by Ted Hearn Democrats Are Taking Steps to Minimize Consumer Confusion Washington- Capitol Hill Democrats, nervous about the Bush administration's implementation of the digital-television transition, are making moves to minimize [...]

by Ted Hearn MacKinnon Lobbies For TWC Washington- When Time Warner Cable splits off from its Time Warner Inc. corporate parent, cable industry veteran Gail MacKinnon will head the new [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington- Any new online privacy law should include Web services like Google and Yahoo to avoid confusing consumers about their level of protection while surfing the Web, [...]

by Ted Hearn Operators Could Be Forced to Add 555 Low-Power TV Stations Washington- Cable operators could be required to carry hundreds of low-power TV stations for the first time [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Key House Democrats and Republicans are divided on whether millions of consumers will be left in the dark immediately after the digital television transition on Feb. [...]

by Ted Hearn FCC Urged to Hold Off Retrans Talks Until Digital Switch Is Done Washington-- Congress needs to pressure TV-station owners to postpone cable carriage disputes until after the [...]

by Ted Hearn Says Consumers Won't Confuse DTV, Retransmission Consent Washington-- The Federal Communications Commission shouldn't use the digital television transition next February to justify interfering in upcoming carriage negotiations [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Key senators are trying a second time to persuade Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to focus on the transition to digital television instead of his [...]

by Ted Hearn N.C. Market Passes DTV Transition Test Washington-- Wilmington, N.C., last week became the first U.S. city to complete the transition to digital television. By all accounts, the [...]

by Ted Hearn Largest U.S. Cable Operator Sues FCC On Network Management Washington- Comcast last Thursday sued the Federal Communications Commission in a federal appeals court over the agency's recent [...]

By Ted Hearn With November Election, FCC Chief Battles Against Time Washington- Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin isn't expected to go gentle into that good night. Many in the [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington- The Federal Communications Commission has revised its digital-television carriage rules in an effort to accommodate cable systems with limited capacity. The FCC issued the new rules [...]

by Ted Hearn Cable Content Faces Its First-Ever Regulation Bid from FCC Washington-- Under Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin, cable operators have felt the lash of regulation. Cable programmers [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Satellite-TV provider Dish Network is telling the Federal Communications Commission that large cash demands by TV stations could lead to carriage disputes early next year on [...]

by Ted Hearn Industry Trade Groups Claim It Wouldn't Allow Restoration of Withheld Television Signals Washington-- The cable industry thinks broadcasters' so-called quiet period is a lot of noise. Last [...]

by Ted Hearn Washington-- Time Warner Inc. is concerned that banning fleeting indecency on broadcast TV could be used to justify regulating cable television programming for indecency for the first [...]