A recent Op-Ed from Ms. Tosha Miller, who identifies herself as the President of the New York City Black Chamber of Commerce (or “NYCBCC”), can only be characterized as a “hit job” on me and the YES Network (“YES”). It is critical and appropriate for the record to be set straight. As such, the question that must be asked is why she wrote the Op-Ed or was another entity actually behind it?
The New York City Black Chamber of Commerce, according to IRS public records, is a 501(c)(3) charity with receipts of less than $50,000 in 2023 and according to New York public records, in 2021 had less than $25,000 in receipts.
It appears that the only employees of NYCBCC may be Ms. Miller and possibly a relative of hers, Mildred Miller. NYCBCC lists its office at a location in Manhattan and the IRS and New York public records reflect a mailing address for a single/two-family house in Brooklyn. Because the organization has less than $50,000 in cash receipts, under the law, the New York City Black Chamber of Commerce is not obligated to disclose from whom it receives money.
Ms. Miller on her LinkedIn page states that she has been running NYCBCC since 2011 and another 501(c)(3) (JTAM) since 2008. Records show that in 2011 the IRS revoked JTAM’s tax-exempt status.
The Op-Ed suggests YES received “preferential treatment” from the Federal Communications Commission in its carriage dispute with Comcast this past March.
This is not only incorrect, but also, why would Ms. Miller out of the blue write this? Well, my research indicates there may in fact be a connection with Ms. Miller and Comcast. In her LinkedIn page she posted a very positive story about Comcast by its Chairman Emeritus for Comcast Business, Bill Stemper. Since NYCBCC does not disclose its receipts, we do not know if Comcast contributes to NYCBCC.
Moreover, we have checked with New York City and State Chambers of Commerce and business leaders, and most are unaware of Ms. Miller or NYCBCC.
In reality, her Op-Ed actually pertains to Comcast’s carriage dispute with the YES Network. Comcast, whose cable and broadband businesses continue to underperform, attempts to make up for its short comings by taking advantage of independent networks such as YES and its customers. Just last week, Comcast had to raise prices on its streaming platform Peacock by reason of its underwhelming market performance, having already lost billions of dollars since launching Peacock.
The YES – Comcast dispute is simple. Comcast is part owner of YES’ competitor SNY. YES, as it has done with all of its other cable, telco, and satellite providers, simply reiterates that it should be made available and distributed the same way Comcast treats SNY. If SNY is on basic cable, YES should be on basic cable. But Comcast does not want this. It wants to treat SNY better than YES. SNY would remain on basic cable yet YES would be relegated to a higher, more expensive cable tier. That means SNY would reach a bigger audience then YES, and SNY’s customers and Mets’ fans would pay less than YES’ customers and Yankees’ fans. When you ask Comcast to explain why this is fair, they are dismissive and show no regard for YES and Yankees’ fans. Instead, Comcast often uses its corporate muscle to Comcast’s advantage against independent programmers. For example, just recently Comcast used its relationships with a major law firm to block YES’ ability to retain the law firm even though there was no conflict.
Comcast attempts to undercut independent networks like YES, but similar to its preferential treatment of SNY, Comcast insists that its underperforming assets like MSNBC, CNBC and the E! Network should remain on basic cable.
Are Ms. Miller and NYCBCC part of Comcast’s campaign against YES? Maybe, as we know Comcast Rise has awarded support to entities with missions similar to NYCBCC. Did Comcast contribute to NYCBCC? We are owed an answer to this by both NYCBCC and Comcast.
In summary, no favoritism was shown to YES. If you own a network, you cannot discriminate against a competitor by coercing it so that it agrees to inferior terms. President Trump, FCC Chair Carr, the Governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut agreed with this position, as did many state legislators and local officials.
Comcast still has not explained publicly to anyone why SNY should be distributed more broadly than YES and why Yankees’ fans should pay Comcast more than Mets’ fans. Comcast operates only through government licenses and authority. As such, Comcast should start acting as if it cares about the public, instead of covering for its own failures by hurting customers and competitors and benefiting itself.
