FCC Orders Time Warner To Reinstate NFL Network

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

The FCC has ordered Time Warner Cable to reinstate NFL Network on Adelphia and Comcast systems that it took control of earlier this week. The order, which came Thursday, will “remain in effect until the NFL’s petition is resolved on the merits,” the FCC’s order said. The order also calls on Time Warner to respond to the NFL’s petition by August 15. The NFL then has until August 20 to file a response. Time Warner Cable in a statement said the company “is currently reviewing the FCC’s order regarding the NFL Network. This order was issued without offering us the opportunity to respond to the NFL Network’s allegations. We believe the FCC’s decision is wrong and we are considering our options.” The NFL said in statement, “We appreciate the FCC’s speedy action in response to our petition, and are gratified that the Commission has acted to protect the interests of cable consumers -– and NFL fans -– throughout the country. We look forward to continuing discussions with Time Warner regarding long-term carriage of the NFL Network, and are happy that in the interim our fans will have access to [the network] as a result of this ruling.”

Time Warner Launches Web Site In NFL Network Dispute

BACKGROUND: The NFL accused Time Warner of violating federal rules by dropping the network without giving adequate notice, according to a filing at the FCC earlier this week. In making its order to have Time Warner reinstate the network, the FCC said it was not making a “final decision on the merits of the NFL’s petition, [but] we believe that the equities here favor directing Time Warner to reinstate carriage of the NFL Network on all of its newly acquired systems on the same terms under which it was carried prior to August 1, 2006. We also conclude, that in light of the balance of the equities here, NFL has established a sufficient prospect of success on the merits to justify this relief.”

KEEP IT REAL: Meanwhile, Time Warner Cable has launched a Web site asking consumers to pressure NFL Network for carriage on a sports tier. The site www.nflgetreal.com states, “We want to carry the NFL Network as soon as possible — but in a way that serves all of our customers. ... The NFL is out of step with the public. We’re concerned that the NFL’s rising costs make it unaffordable. They cannot control their costs and they stick fans with the tab. They even want non-fans to pay for NFL Network. In markets that already have the NFL Network, they are asking for a 350[%] increase for adding eight regular season games — games that were available to our customers last year — out of 267. This is a poor value proposition.”