This morning, the Iowa Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Mediacom Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: MCCC) and Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI). In the letter, Senators Grassley and Harkin and Congressmen Boswell, Braley, King, Latham and Loebsack directed the parties as follows:
Given that negotiations stand at an impasse, binding arbitration would seem to present the parties with an alternate mechanism for resolving this dispute. We therefore urge that you consider the clear guidance of the Federal Communications Commission in agreeing to a process to bring the parties to an agreement without further harming Iowa consumers.
“We are prepared to submit our dispute with Sinclair to an impartial arbitrator as early as this afternoon so that the signals are restored immediately,” said Rocco B. Commisso, Mediacom Chairman and CEO. “Not only did we offer binding arbitration to Sinclair over a month ago, but we also agreed to pay Sinclair for interim carriage while the dispute is settled so that disruptions to Iowa’s consumers are minimized. To date, we still have not received a response from Sinclair.”
In his letter to the Iowa Congressional Delegation, Mr. Commisso expressed his gratitude to the Senators and Congressmen for their continued efforts to resolve this dispute and protect Iowa consumers. A copy of Mr. Commisso’s response to the Iowa Delegation’s letter can be found at www.mediacomcc.com
Mediacom Communications is the nation’s 8th largest cable television company and one of the leading cable operators focused on serving the smaller cities and towns in the United States. Mediacom Communications offers a wide array of broadband products and services, including traditional video services, digital television, video-on-demand, digital video recorders, high-definition television, high-speed Internet access and phone service.
