Cable companies blocking advertisements from Telecoms

AT&T and the trade group USTelecom complained recently to the FCC that cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner are refusing to air commercials produced by telecommunications companies promoting video competition. AT&T claims that the cable companies' refusal to air their advertisements on video competition constitute a suppression of public debate.

Time Warner responded to this allegation with a statement that Time Warner is under no obligation to broadcast advertisements for a competitor's product. Comcast also admitted to refusing to air the advertisements; however, Comcast said they rejected the ads because they believed the ads to be misleading.

As the video competition debate continues to heat up, expect to see several issues such as this develop.