I can see both sides in the matter
ABC says CV charges $18/m for basic TV which people can get FREE via OTA. That $18 doesn't go back into the pockets of any of the networks.
CV says they pay ABC/Disney $200 million for the rights to broadcast basically everything ESPN/Disney and in the deal ABC is thrown in for free. They don't want to pass down the $40 million dollar increase to its customers.
The real losers are the people. For me, CV is the only cable provider in the area. Fios is not available yet and TW is not on Long Island. I hate all of this monopoly crap and how networks are now holding the viewers hostage. Seriously didn't they learn anything with the music industry and napster?
If it wasn't for my wife and how much she loves Food Network, Bravo, Lifetime, etc I'd cancel all of that crap and download whatever I wanted or watched online without the hassle of a cable provider.
Well, other "networks" that have a few cable channels don't have to give one to CV for free, do they? And, local channels are a main reason many people get cable, since they can't get reception, or because its included in their cable. Look at how many people didn't get satellite before they had local channels.
IIRC under the law, there is a "must carry" rule that says cable companies must carry any ota within a certain distance. This was instituted to protect ota from the monoply that is cable television from putting them off the air, to further their monoply. And because it was obvious the cable companies as a monoply could deal unfairly with ota's.
However, there is nothing in the law that says the cable companies have to pay the ota networks. So if an ota wants money and the cable company doesn't pay then its the ota that is really putting itself off the cable.
Lastly, the cable company is using its monoply against ota's that would be prosecuted if they did the same thing. Clearly, if all the ota's in an area got together and said pay us or you can't carry us, the cable companies would lose scads of customers because the local channels are the most watched and demanded channels. Just ask Direct TV how important they are. But the ota's are prohibited from acting in unison by anti trust laws. The cable companies ar exempt because they have a government granted monoply.