Pennsylvania Wire Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:10:06 GMTE-mail | PrintComcast sends NFL cease-and-desist note
NEW YORK (AP) Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the NFL Network demanding the channel's representatives stop encouraging fans to leave the cable provider.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, the outspoken chairman of the league's NFL Network committee, has urged customers of Comcast and other large cable providers who don't carry the network on a basic tier to switch to satellite or other cable services that do.
The channel's iwantnflnetwork.com Web site includes a box titled ``MAKE THE SWITCH.'' Above a field to enter a zip code, the text reads, ``Switch to a TV provider that will bring you NFL Network, not hold you hostage.''
The letter, dated Monday, contends that such actions violate the contract between the network and Comcast.
``The legal arguments are without merit, and Comcast subscribers who are dropping that service do not need encouragement from us,'' said NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky, who added that network executives had not yet received the letter.
The two sides have gone to court over their agreement. The NFL Network sued Comcast after the cable provider decided to move the channel from its basic digital tier to a premium sports tier that customers must pay extra to receive.
In May, Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Bernard J. Fried ruled in favor of Comcast. The network has appealed.
The letter requests that the network confirm in writing by the close of business Friday that it has halted its efforts to influence customers. Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury said she didn't want to speculate what the company would do if its demy they have made little progress, casting a cloud over the summit, which is to begin Monday with a dinner in Washington and continue with talks in Annapolis on Tuesday, according to Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh.
Olmert offered an optimistic view of peace prospects with the Palestinians, but he tempered it with a serious condition.
``I very much hope we can reach this agreement in the course of 2008,'' Olmert said, the closest he has come to setting a firm timetable for a deal, as the Palestinians have requested. In the past, he had said only that he hoped to make serious progress before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009.
However, Olmert also signaled that carrying out any peace deal would have to wait until Abbas regains control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas. The militant Islamic group, which is committed to Israel's destruction, violently overran Gaza in June and remains firmly in control there.
Olmert said an accord must be based on the U.S.-backed ``road map,'' which requires the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups.
``There will be no implementation of the (peace) agreement before the road map commitments are fully implemented. These commitments apply to Gaza as well,'' he said. ``The Palestinians take for granted that Gaza is supposed to be part of the Palestinian state. So naturally, if it's part of the Palestinian state that must fight terror, that includes the Gaza Strip.''
Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin, said he was referring to the requirement of the Palestinians to fight terror, beyond stopping daily rocket attacks from Gaza, but she would not elaborate further. In the TV interview, Livni said implementation of agreements with the Palestinians ``would be dependent on a war on terrorism.''
Abu Rdeneh would not comment on Olmert's statement.
Olmert's one-day trip to Egypt came ahead of a meeting in Cairo Friday of the Arab League, where key Arab governments will decide whether to attend the conference.
Arab participation, particularly by governments that do not have relations with Israel, is considered critical for the summit's success. Arab countries have been reluctant to commit, seeking assurances that Israel is serious about addressing the core issues of its conflict with the Palestinians, including conflicting claims to the holy city of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and millions of their descendants.
Egypt plays an important leadership role in the Arab world, and Mubarak's views could influence the outcome of this week's Arab League meeting.
Mubarak said the conference would be a ``beginning for serious negotiations'' but should ensure the talks ``include all the issues of the final situation within a time limit'' with a mechanism to monitor progress.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors. )
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