November 27, 2007

Cable360 Update: My Favorite Kevin Martin

Trade and mainstream press, lobbyists and cable officials prepare for long night at the FCC. Critical meeting still a no go, but seems probable, yet who knows?

By 360 Staff

Well, the record's safe. For now, at least.
Those who bet the September 11, 2007, meeting of the FCC that was delayed by 11 hours couldn't be topped are the winners, but that could change. It's not clear whether today's session has been cancelled or just delayed. Again. In fact, around 4 pm ET today it seemed like the aborted FCC meeting would un-abort.

To recap, not too much after noon ET, FCC chief Kevin Martin decided he didn't have the support needed to really sock it to cable. The 70/70 thing just didn't fly. So, like the kid who takes his ball and bat home if he doesn't like how the game is turning out, Martin decided to call it quits. But it's not crystal clear that he'll be hold a vote later today to require cable companies to submit sub data for review.

Today’s session, a critical one for cable, originally was set to start at 9:30 am ET. That start time was moved to 11 am early this morning. Later the multicast must carry item was dropped from the agenda. Any explanation from the FCC at that time? You must be kidding.

To be fair, K Mart met with trade and other hacks a bit after lunch time. Concerned about nutritional requirements, Martin said he decided he didn't want people to miss lunch while they waited for the meeting to begin, so he decided to close things down. But, as we said, things seem soft. Our guess is that Martin and the commissioners will return later today with a much-shortened agenda.

Oh, and if you think Martin's cable-bashing ways are a thing of the past, we have  a used car we'd like  you to see. It's in mint condition. Really.