Breezeline notifies customers of monthly increases; says FCC decision led to ending WTAE offering

Mar. 14—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Breezeline cable customers have been warned of rate increases while at the same time noticing the elimination of WTAE-TV programming.

Ed Solecki, of Johnstown, said he's watched the WTAE-TV Channel 4 news, weather and especially the Pittsburgh sports for decades. He was stunned to see it was dropped from Breezeline's cable lineup this month.

"You pay your bill and you get your programs," he said, "but it's not right to pay it with an increase and get a reduction in programs."

The cable provider's officials said the cost increase and its decision to eliminate WTAE-TV stem from two different sets of circumstances, which are out of its control.

Breezeline has informed customers of an increase in the monthly cost for services starting this month.

Increases of about $10 for local broadcast packages and cable network packages are primarily due to the escalating fees charged by cable networks, broadcast stations and the "extraordinary" costs of live TV sports rights, Breezeline spokesman Andrew Walton said.

"We understand customers' frustration with TV costs," Walton said. "While we will continue to negotiate on behalf of our customers, we do not own the TV programming or control the costs. TV network owners remain steadfast in their demands for higher fees. The increases are affecting TV customers nationwide, not just Breezeline customers."

In recent years, he said, broadcast TV stations have charged fees to cable providers across the United States to retransmit their signals at rates increasing by 24% annually.

The cost of sports programming on TV has reached unprecedented heights, Walton said, more than doubling in the last 10 years.

"As broadcast and cable networks pay billions of dollars to secure the rights to air live games, this leads to much higher costs for customers," he said.

Regarding WTAE-TV, Breezeline's decision to stop carrying the station starting March 5 stems from a recent Federal Communications Commission decision, he said.

The FCC in November granted a petition of WATM — an ABC station licensed to Altoona, and WWCP-TV — a Fox station licensed to Johnstown, to protect their exclusive rights to distribute network and syndicated programming in the Johnstown viewing area.

According to the FCC, an out-of-market broadcast station — in this case, WTAE (ABC Pittsburgh) — may be exempt from network exclusivity rules if it is "significantly viewed" in the local community.

However, the FCC concluded that WTAE-TV is not significantly viewed in Johnstown, Ebensburg, Boswell and Friedens.

The FCC's protection of Johnstown's local stations from duplicative programming aired by the out-of-market WTAE-TV means Breezeline would have been required to block a majority of WTAE-TV's programming to keep it on customers' cable lineups.

"Because WATM gained nonduplication protection, we would have been required to block 90% of the Pittsburgh ABC affiliate in the Johnstown market, which led to the decision to drop the station," Walton said.

Russ O'Reilly is a reporter for The Tribune- Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @RussellOReilly.