US Senators urge CBS/TWC dispute resolution
August 19, 2013
By Colin Mann
US Democrat Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have sent a letter to Glenn Britt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Cable, and Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corp, urging both parties to resolve the dispute that has blocked consumers across the country from receiving programming they have paid to access.
“Millions of customers in the Los Angeles area and throughout the country have subscribed to receive the programming CBS networks create and Time Warner Cable distributes, but are unable to access it because of this standoff,” the California Senators wrote in their letter. “The status quo is unfair to the millions of your customers who are caught in the middle of your dispute, and we strongly encourage both sides to resolve it immediately.”
Britt and Moonves earlier in August moved the negotiations into the public arena with their own respective open letters. Moonves responded forcefully to Britt’s letter offering to provide CBS stations to subscribers on an à la carte basis, suggesting that TWC was engaging in “public posturing”. He dismissed the offer as “grandstanding” and nothing more than an attempt to muddy the water and confuse the public discussion.
In their letter, the Senators wrote:
“August 12, 2013
Glenn Britt
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Time Warner Cable
Leslie Moonves
President and Chief Executive Officer
CBS Corporation
Dear Mr. Britt and Mr. Moonves:
It has now been 11 days since retransmission consent negotiations between your two corporations reached an impasse.
Millions of customers in the Los Angeles area and throughout the country have subscribed to receive the programming CBS networks create and Time Warner Cable distributes, but are unable to access it because of this standoff.
The status quo is unfair to the millions of your customers who are caught in the middle of your dispute, and we strongly encourage both sides to resolve it immediately.
Sincerely,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator”