MSG HD - c'mon FIOS

Question

Kathleen:
Hello.  
I have seen lots of requests for the addtion of estoteric HD channels.  This is not one of those.
I think it would be a great idea for FIOS and subscribers to add MSG, MSG II, and MSG + channels to the HD lineup.
MSG features the NY Rangers, NJ Devils, NY Knicks and NJ Nets (I think).  These are programming with millions of viewers and it would be a SOUND BUSINESS DECISION to upgrade MSG on FIOS.  MSG HD is pretty standard on TWC and other cable carriers.  Time to get with the program, pun intended.

Answer 1

Yeah, you must be new to these boards, because this has been going on for years. At last, there is no way for MSG and Cablevision to delay this any more. Their request for an emergency stay was denied by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the petition for rewiew was denied by the FCC. The FCC in its ruling did give them 15 days from the date of the order, so MSG has until the day after Thanksgiving to supply the HD feed. We can assume from the silence that the carriage agreement has already been done, since that was mandated to be done by the end of October.
The only thing that's left is how long it will take Verizon to get the feed and get it going into their system. I personally believe that after all Verizon has gone through to get it, getting the feed up and running will be a top priority. It also doesn't hurt that it's regional, and they don't have to go through rolling it out to all the VHO's like a national channel. Cablevision has made a statement that it is "considering all its options", but I think the only options are to provide the feed and shut up, or to provide the feed and appeal. Since the court and FCC have both turned them down, they are required to provide the feed. Since there's no more delay tactics left, an appeal that they'll most certainly lose would probably be a complete waste of time and resources.