DISH, Sinclair reach tentative deal; CBS 2 returns to lineup

A day after Sinclair Broadcast Group pulled 129 local channels from DISH Network, including CBS 2 in Cedar Rapids, the companies said they had reached an agreement in principle on a new retransmission agreement.

DISH Network, in a news release, said the companies agreed to a short-term contract extension while they work out final details of a long-term agreement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The deal was reached after an emergency meeting Wednesday called by Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler gave DISH and Sinclair until midnight Wednesday to 'file their views.”

'On behalf of more than 5 million consumers nationwide, I am pleased Dish and Sinclair have agreed to end one of the largest blackouts in history and extend their negotiations,” Wheeler said in a statement. 'The FCC will remain vigilant while the negotiations continue.”

Sinclair's decision to pull its stations from DISH affected 79 markets in 36 states and Washington, D.C. DISH responded by filing an amended complaint with the alleging bad faith bargaining on the part of Sinclair.

As part of the agreement in principle, DISH asked the FCC to stay action on its retransmission complaint and request for preliminary injunctive relief.

The dispute involves retransmission consent, in which cable or satellite providers pay for the right to air TV stations.

Wheeler said Congress in 2014 'instructed the FCC to look closely at whether retransmission consent negotiations are being conducted in good faith” and the agency is considering new rules.

'The facts surrounding this dispute inform our findings in that proceeding, but we will not wait to act on behalf of consumers,” Wheeler said.