DB has it exactly right. They pay a lot for those exclusive rights. That you cannot get the local feed from your hometown everywhere is a pure, glorious capitalism.
The FCC can only enforce what Congress legislates. I know satellite technicians, and I know for a fact the Directv has the ability to deliver the signal from every local station they carry to any customer they serve.
Those exclusive contracts are only exclusive through federal legislation. Right now, I receive both my local CBS channel and the CBS east coast and west coats network feeds. (I know, don't ask about CBS.) I still choose to view my local channel for local events. Otherwise, it's rare I even watch CBS, no matter where the signal originates.
I just think it should be my right to choose with whom I do business, as a consumer, absent any federal mandates dictating who gets to provideme with my service.