U-Verse Will Get to Restore Univision During Debate

Univision is allowing AT&T's U-Verse to restore its channels during the upcoming Democratic presidential debate.

Univision had pointed out that their current carriage impasse meant the debate would not be available.

AT&T signaled it had made the request.

"We appreciate Univision agreeing to our request earlier today to unblock their channels temporarily during the upcoming Democratic Presidential Debate," said an AT&T spokesperson. "This is the right thing to do for our Spanish-language customers as we continue working toward an agreement with Univision.”

Univision had no comment, but a source speaking on background confirmed taht the Miami debate will be available as part of its commitment to empowering its viewers in a crucial election year.

"We appreciate Univision for their efforts to make their programming available for customers on AT&T’s U-Verse platform ahead of tomorrow’s Democratic debate while a fair carriage deal is still pending," said Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). "There are more that 27.3 million Latinos eligible to vote in the election—nearly half of them are millennials—and we need to be well-informed participants in the political process. It is of the utmost importance that both parties renew negotiations toward an equitable agreement that respects the needs of customers and the immense value of Spanish-language programming."

NHMC has been critical of the impasse, supporting Univision.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.