Senate Minority Leader Lott (R-Miss.) and Sen. Craig (R- Ida.) as...

Senate Minority Leader Lott (R-Miss.) and Sen. Craig (R- Ida.) asked FCC Chmn. Powell for his thoughts on cable must- carry rules, particularly as broadcasters began to develop “multicasts” as they transitioned to DTV. In Oct. 11 letter to Powell, they cited Jan. 2001 FCC ruling that limited cable must-carry requirements to primary DTV signal from broadcaster. “We are concerned that this rulemaking will have an increasingly disproportionate effect on local and independent broadcasters, a group that includes many religious and multilingual broadcasters,” letter said: “We are worried that unless these local and independent broadcasters are permitted to continue to broadcast in the full 6 MHz of spectrum, then the constructive and positive programming which they offer will be highly diluted as a percentage of the total channels available on digital cable systems.” Letter said must-carry rules were “beneficial policy” that had been key in fostering availability of local, family-friendly and spiritual programming. It asked for Powell’s thoughts on any action that would ensure that objectives of current must-carry policies were “carried forward” as DTV transition continued.