Rep. McDermott ‘deeply troubled’ by CBS blocking online content

{mosads}He said the action violates the commission’s 2005 policy statement on net neutrality, which stated that “consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice.”

The FCC enacted mandatory net-neutrality regulations in 2010, but the rules cover Internet service providers, not content producers like CBS.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) made similar complaints about CBS to the FCC on Monday, and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said she plans to review the laws governing video distribution.

Time Warner Cable and CBS were unable to reach an agreement for how much the cable company should pay to carry the network. As a result, millions of Time Warner customers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and other markets lost access to CBS beginning on Friday night.

The dispute also led CBS to block access to its online videos for Time Warner Cable subscribers. The Internet blackout affects subscribers throughout the country, even if they do not subscribe to Time Warner for TV service.

“As soon as CBS is restored on Time Warner Cable systems in affected markets, that content will be accessible again,” CBS said in a statement.

Neil Grace, an FCC spokesman, said the commission is “disappointed” that the companies were unable to reach an agreement. 

“Our primary concern remains with consumers and viewers in the affected markets. We urge all parties involved to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” Grace said.