Time Warner Cable offers olive branch in dispute with Fox

Wednesday 30 December, 03:04 PM LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bart Simpson and the Sugar Bowl game are among the possible casualties of a bitter dispute over charges that the owner of the Fox calls to Time Warner Cable in New York , Los Angeles and other markets. However, as we approach the deadline of midnight Thursday, Time Warner Cable offered an olive branch that could leave _por ahora_ Fox and some of its cable television channels in their programming . The CEO of Time Warner Cable, Glenn Britt said on Wednesday that the cable operator will access a compulsory arbitration and any necessary interim step to keeping the lines of Fox while discussions continue. "Consumers should not be held hostage during these negotiations. That is wrong, "Britt said in an interview Wednesday. Britt found this provision in a letter to Sen. John Kerry, who had urged both parties not to disrupt the televised football enthusiasts" during the Collegiate bowls season. A copy of the letter from Britt was sent to News Corp. CEO Chase Carey. Fox said the offer would meet later on Wednesday. If no agreement is reached, programs that could disappear in the scheduling of Time Warner Cable include "The Simpsons" and several football matches, including the Sugar Bowl on Friday, the Cotton Bowl on Saturday and the final games of the NFL regular season on Sunday. The cable television system of Bright House Networks also faces a deadline set by the owner of Fox, News Corp. In Florida, two television viewers on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against News Corp. seeking a court order to ensure that the transmission of Fox the Sugar Bowl between Florida and Cincinnati remain in the system of Bright House cable. Judge Maura Smith, in Orlando, did not issue an immediate ruling, saying it would first decide whether a federal judge federal court is the appropriate venue to air the case. Fox contends that it should receive more money for transmitting the signals are relayed to subscribers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House. Time Warner Cable says that the fees required are excessive. The dispute includes signals of 14 stations owned by Fox, including markets like Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin (Texas), Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg and Orlando (Florida). The stations that broadcast Fox programming but owned by other companies are not affected. Average (Not Rated)