Court rejects must-carry cable challenge

WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court Monday rejected a challenge to federal law requiring cable TV systems to carry local broadcasters.

SCOTUSBLOG.com said the challenge was brought by the cable industry, which wanted the high court to reconsider its rulings in the 1994 and 1997 Turner Broadcasting cases that produced the "must carry" rule.

The industry had argued growing competition in the communications industry negated the need for local broadcasters to rely on the "must carry" rule, the Web site said.

They also argued in a petition that since the rule was no longer needed, it violated cable systems' First Amendment right to pick their own programs.