RT Excluded From Broadcast Networks Of 2 US Providers

RT Excluded From Broadcast Networks of 2 US Providers

RT has been excluded from the broadcast networks of two US providers, Spectrum and Comcast Chicago, the TV channel said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2018) RT has been excluded from the broadcast networks of two US providers, Spectrum and Comcast Chicago, the tv channel said on Monday.

The coverage area of Spectrum, formerly known as Time Warner Cable, and Comcast Chicago includes the US cities of New York, New Jersey, San Diego, Los Angeles and Chicago.

According to RT, cable TV provider Spectrum, a brand of US telecommunications company Charter Communications, refused to extend its contract with RT on September 1, citing the inexpediency of broadcasting television signals amid the development of the internet. Comcast Chicago announced that it would not extend its contract with RT on October 1, citing national security legislation, namely, Sen. John McCain's amendment enabling providers to refuse broadcasting content, which they regard as being controlled or financed by the Russian government without any explanation.

"RT has not managed to confirm the information on Charter Communications 'strategy change' via our sources in the US TV industry. As far as we know, the company has not broken its contracts with other TV channels citing this reason. It is absolutely obvious that discriminatory measures toward RT that seriously hinder our work continue being implemented," RT Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anna Belkina said, commenting on the situation.

RT will continue being broadcast by other US providers.

In November, the US Department of Justice ordered the broadcaster's branch in the United States RT America to register as a "foreign agent" under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). At the same time, many other media outlets, including BBC, China's CCTV, France 24, and Deutsche Welle were not registered as such. Later that month, RT's accreditation to the US Congress was revoked.

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya Information Agency and RT, pointed out that RT's registration as a "foreign agent" put the broadcaster at a disadvantage compared to other foreign media outlets working in the United States.