Another item that was supposed to the on the Dec. 18 agenda was an order that would make it easier to file program-access complaints, and a proposal to prevent cable and broadcast programmers from making channel or tier placement a condition in program carriage deals with cable and satellite operators. What are the prospects for that item?

For the January meeting, I think they are dim.

You have independent operators coming forward saying they are being forced to purchase programming and put in on certain tiers whether consumers want it or not. And you have consumers who have complained about increasingly high cable rates.

said by TKJunkMail :

The FCC caved in to Hollywood and their paid pols on this one. It lets WB, Disney, Viacom, etc demand that cable and sat operators have to buy their programming in bundles and place it on tiers where it is included in a basic or expanded tier instead of a specialty sports tier or specialty movie tier.

This is what keeps content prices high. The current system keeps all the power with the content companies in contract negotiations. The proposed rule(which is now unlikely to proceed) would have allowed the sat & cable companies to gain some leverage in the negotiations.