FCC asked to intercede in Mediacom-Sinclair carriage dispute

Mediacom, the cable TV operator, has asked the FCC to intercede in its retransmission consent dispute with Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The cable operator, who failed to get a court injunction, wants the commission to order that Sinclair’s stations stay on its system while it tries to negotiate a deal.

Industry reports said that Sinclair wanted Mediacom to pay more than $1 million to carry 22 stations in 12 states. Sinclair said it planned to pull the stations from Mediacom systems at midnight on Nov. 30 if it’s not paid what it wants.

Mediacom has argued that Sinclair is not negotiating in good faith, partially because of a deal it said Sinclair had with satellite TV providers.