In the latest piece from live streamers run by Big Tech and media conglomerates, their registered lobbyist Bryce Harlow claims that putting streamers on an even regulatory playing field with traditional cable and satellite providers will hurt Americans. They hide behind the all-too-familiar and unfounded arguments that modernized regulations will limit consumer choice and burden live streaming platforms, all while taking content from local news stations to line their wallets.
To be clear: regulatory symmetry is not “throwing a curveball at streamers.” Modernized regulations will simply guarantee fair treatment for all live TV providers and allow local broadcasters to negotiate directly for the content that is being distributed on streaming platforms at a rapidly growing rate.
To-date the FCC has ignored the “total transformation” of the video marketplace, as stated in a filing this week by the National Association of Broadcasters: “the Commission also fails to address, let alone answer, the fundamental question of how radio and TV broadcasters burdened by highly asymmetric regulations – and facing unprecedented competition for audiences and advertising revenues from much larger competitors – will be able to continue providing valued programming services, including news, increasingly expensive sports programming, weather, and emergency information, free to the public in local communities across the nation.”
In April, FCC Commissioner Carr called attention to the fact that America’s broadcasters “are facing unprecedented headwinds and competition, including from their largely unregulated Big Tech competitors.”
The Coalition for Local News, representing over 600 local broadcast stations across the country, embedded in the communities they serve, is calling attention to the need for fair compensation and fair competition. Policymakers are failing to preserve localism and will be doing a disservice to Americans who rely on local journalism if they fall victim to Big Tech’s lip service. Modernizing the rules or even providing a forum for industry players to comment on the state of the market will only support the communities lawmakers have sworn to serve.
So, when Big Tech says that local news is thriving and available on all platforms, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Just as Big Tech distributed local news on their platforms without compensating local newspapers, driving many to extinction, the companies behind live streaming can’t be trusted to speak on behalf of local news.
Modernizing the regulatory framework to reflect the growing market share of live streamers in the marketplace will only level the playing field for all involved – allowing local news, the most trusted source of information, to thrive in a fair competitive ecosystem across platforms offered today.