The US Federal Communications Commission has a pair of proposals aimed at dealing with channel blackouts . They follow a recent dispute where millions of Spectrum subscribers abruptly lost access to Disney-owned channels such as ABC and ESPN, even forcing a US Open finalist to watch pirate streams of the event he was playing in.
The proposals were submitted by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who said in a statement, “It’s not right when big companies battle it out and leave viewers without the ability to watch the local news, their favorite show, or the big game... If the screen stays dark, they deserve a refund.” The Disney / Charter beef lasted two weeks, with the two cutting a deal including new terms for offering streaming channels within the cable package that was completed just in time for Monday Night Football.