Final answer:
The must-carry/retransmission rules (option a) require cable companies to either carry all local broadcast channels or negotiate and pay a fee for specific channels. This regulation is managed by the FCC to ensure local broadcasting is available on cable services.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rule that requires a cable company to either carry all local broadcast channels or pay a fee for carrying specific broadcast channels is known as the Must-carry/retransmission rules. This regulation is part of the oversight by The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which ensures that certain local broadcast programming is available through cable systems.
Under these rules, cable operators either provide 'must-carry', which means they carry all the local broadcast channels in their package without compensation, or they engage in 'retransmission consent agreements' where they negotiate a fee to carry specific broadcast channels.
Cable companies often specialize in different types of programming, purchasing broadcasting rights for the stations their viewers want, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has allowed for greater ownership of cable stations by networks. Despite the fewer restrictions on the content that cable networks can carry compared to traditional broadcast media, the must-carry/retransmission consent remains a significant rule for regulating the relationship between cable companies and local broadcast channels to ensure that local content is accessible via cable services.