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Ars Technica reports that nineteen Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have written a letter (PDF) to the new chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), asking him to "close the docket" (end) a proposal regarding set-top boxes.
Tom Wheeler, the previous chair, had made the proposal, which he had touted by saying:
If adopted, consumers would no longer have to pay monthly fees to rent a box. Instead, they would be able to access their pay-TV content via free apps on a variety of devices, including smart TVs, streaming boxes, tablets and smartphones. Consumers would also enjoy a better viewing experience thanks to integrated search and new innovation that will flow from enhanced competitive choice.
The proposal (PDF) advocates that
Consumers should be able to choose how they access the Multichannel Video Programming Distributor's (MVPD's) – cable, satellite or telco companies [sic] – video services to which they subscribe. For example, consumers should be able to have the choice of accessing programming through the MVPD-provided interface on a pay-TV set-top box or app, or through devices such as a tablet or smart TV using a competitive app or software. MVPDs and competitors should be able to differentiate themselves and compete based on the experience they offer users, including the quality of the user interface and additional features like suggested content, integration with home entertainment systems, caller ID and future innovations.
[Continues...]
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, a lobbying group representing the cable television industry, had criticised the proposal, saying (NPRM is short for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking):
Numerous parties have raised serious concerns with the NPRM's proposal, including more than 180 members of Congress, studios, networks, unions, independent and diverse content creators, directors, writers, record labels, small and large service providers, device manufacturers, and nationally-respected advocates of consumer privacy, disability access, diversity, energy efficiency, commerce, intellectual property, innovation, and labor. These parties have demonstrated the many legal, technical, and other failings of the NPRM's proposal.
related stories:
FCC Says It Will "Unlock the Set-Top Box"
After Setback, FCC Chairman Keeps Pushing Set-Top Box and Privacy Rules
Ajit Pai to Become New Head of the FCC
FCC Republican Wants to Let States Block Municipal Broadband
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 27 2017, @01:13AM
Tom Wheeler tried to make the settop box thing too complicated.
The cable companies are already able to obtain boxes at a good price.
The only thing the FCC needed to do was to let the customers buy the boxes already in their houses from the cable company at their current value.
If the only choice is the complicated system or giving up, the giving up is a good idea,
but the right things to do is to fix the choice, not bend to industry pressure and give up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 27 2017, @04:14AM
I'd like to know how much the cableco pays for those cable boxes. I'll bet they get them for less than $100 each. My cableco charges $15 a month rental for each box, they recoup the cost after renting them for about 7 months. After that, it's pure profit. Lets say there's a million cable boxes being rented in one area, L.A. for example. That's an easy $10M profit every year just for a frigging cable box. It looks like D.C. just got bought by Comcast, Cox, and AT&T.
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Friday January 27 2017, @05:29AM
there's nothing expensive in the cable boxes.
my WAG: less than $20 in parts, when bought in quantity. the chassis is probably the most expensive part.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by JeanCroix on Saturday January 28 2017, @02:33PM
Just got bought by them? Oh ho ho ho... where have you been for the last thirty years?
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Friday January 27 2017, @06:30AM
No. We need boxes that aren't designed and crippled by the cable company.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday January 27 2017, @09:34PM
Who is "we"? Don't lump me in the ignorant camp. We don't need boxes, PERIOD. Cable became obsolete when TV went digital. There is absolutely no non-stupid reason (okay, one*) to have cable in the 21st century.
* If you're in a mountainous area, or that part of West Virginia where radio waves are illegal [wikipedia.org], you still need cable.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by tibman on Friday January 27 2017, @03:11PM
No, we need our own boxes. The reason is because there are anti-features that customers currently don't have a choice about. I had my own cable modem, router, switch, and wfi ap and the cable company was constantly pestering me about "upgrading" to their box. Only their box also created a second wifi that was accessible to other people. They can also see how many devices are connected to the network and so on. I changed to a local phone company and have been much happier. Only 20Mb DSL but unlimited usage and they are rolling out fiber (keep fingers crossed!).
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