Word Network Challenges Comcast Arguments in Carriage Fight
Christian programmer The Word Network's viewership is growing as religious network audiences wane in general, so when Comcast decided to curb TWN carriage while expanding poorly performing affiliated networks, it becomes obvious discrimination, TWN said in an FCC docket 17-166…
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filing posted Tuesday. It responded to Comcast's reply earlier this month (see 1708080031) to TWN's carriage complaint. It said a straightforward reading of the Comcast/NBCUniversal order and its conditions clearly show the nondiscrimination condition is "additive" to program carriage rules, and thus the programmer has shown MVPD discrimination by reducing TWN distribution in a way it would never apply to its affiliated programmers. It said Comcast never showed that digital distribution rights aren't a form of affiliation, and disputed Comcast's assertion that TWN can't bring Comcast/NBCU condition violation complaints under program carriage complaint procedures, saying the NBCU order doesn't require these complaints be brought under any specific procedure. Comcast didn't comment.