Cable, satellite TV and other video providers are seeking government intervention in ongoing disputes over the fees that they are charged by TV networks to carry local channels.
They want the government to force the networks to keep TV signals activated during contract talks or disputes.
A stand off between Cablevision and ABC led to a blackout last weekend, which meant some viewers missed the beginning of the Academy Awards.
Fourteen companies, including Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish, Verizon and also a consumer group asked the Federal Communications Commission this week to step in.
Absent was Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator. Comcast could become a broadcaster if its plan to take control of NBC Universal is approved.
