Statement Regarding Bristlecone Broadcasting (Syracuse) Negotiations

Bristlecone has chosen to remove its programming from FiOS on January 3 at 12:01 a.m. It’s an irresponsible and unnecessary negotiation tactic that punishes its loyal viewers. Verizon remains committed to negotiating in good faith, and on behalf of our customers, their viewers, we call on Bristlecone to return the programming while we negotiate.  Bristlecone is demanding shockingly higher fees than any other broadcaster, with no regard to how arbitrary increases may impact our shared customers. Giving in to Bristlecone’s unreasonable rate increases would likely impact the cost to our customers. Content costs have risen cumulatively 20-30 percent overall since 2010, which is simply unsustainable. We work diligently with programmers to strike fair deals that minimize the impact to our customers.