Orioles file FCC complaint against Comcast

WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Orioles have filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, claiming Comcast is blocking telecasts of Washington Nationals games.

The Orioles' broadcast arm claims Comcast is using a near-monopoly of local cable franchises to keep Nationals games off of regional cable networks, the Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday.

"Such intimidation in the marketplace is in direct violation of this commission's rules," the Orioles' motion states. The complaint requests the FCC order Comcast to carry Nationals games produced by the regional Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

"Comcast is a monopolist in a snit over the fact that they don't control Washington Nationals broadcasts," said David Frederick, the attorney who filed the FCC complaint. "They are discriminating against Washington Nationals fans, and they are discriminating against MASN because they want to expand their monopoly."

"We've always expressed an interest in carrying Nationals games," said Comcast Corp. spokeswoman D'Arcy Rudnay. "We're not carrying MASN because it was a network created in breach of contract with Comcast SportsNet."