FCC Caves To Cable Companies Over Set-Top Box Rules

In January , the Federal Communications Commission bring out anambitious proposalthat would free consumer from their plaguy , ungainly and expensive curing - top boxes . The FCC has sincerevised their proposalat the behest of cable’s length companies , but the core head teacher , that cable television ship’s company should make it so third party gimmick can provide its subject , stay the same .

In Light Within of the news , it ’s frustrative that an agency like the FCC that is specifically designed to protect and serve consumers is slimly neuter its insurance to please the ultra rich , super bitchy , customer - hating cable television service company . Nevertheless , the fresh rule are still a whole step in the right direction . rather of being lock into the antiquated cable television boxes that normally be customers over $ 200 a year in rental fees , consumer will have the option to use a cheaper third party option that they can buy without being lock into rental fee from the overlords at Verizon or Time Warner .

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler , who unveiled this proposition , explained what it would calculate like in a Los Angeles Timesop - ed :

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

If take over , consumers will no longer have to let a set - top box , month after month . or else , salary - TV provider will be required to render apps – free of complaint – that consumers can download to the machine of their choosing to access all the programming and feature they already paid for .

If you want to watch Comcast ’s content through your Apple telly or Roku , you may . If you want to watch DirectTV ’s offering through your Xbox , you may . If you want to pipe up Verizon ’s service directly to your smart TV , you may . And if you need to determine your current pay - telecasting package on your current set - top box , you could do that , too . The choice is yours . No longer will you be force to rent set - top boxes from your remuneration - video provider .

Wheeler addedin an FCC blog post , “ Bottom line : consumer will no longer have to rent a set - top box just to watch the programming they already pay for . ” This is wonderful for folks like you and me , and belike a pain in the ass for the fat dudes that pay for their expensive vacations on some outside island using money from the insane$20 billion a yearset - top box market . So , it ’s pretty skilful all around .

William Duplessie

And yet , the policy is n’t as bully as it once was . liberal cable length troupe successfully exerted their influence over the FCC to modify the proposal , and that ’s seldom the good resultant for consumer . AT&T , in special , beef and whined about the “ overboard ” and “ unnecessary ” proposal . The cable television industry foresee Wheeler ’s initial architectural plan by making it so customers could only record content if a customer bribe or rented a set - top box from them . ( See , they really detest you ! )

Thankfully , the FCC countered that proposal and will now allow for third company devices to record content . But the FCC will also allow the cable troupe to outsource building the software needed to get content from your cablegram caller onto your third company machine . It ’s not a stint to think that your cable troupe would offload this job to some lousy underpaid declarer that whips up and app that ’s so bad and unserviceable that a customer gives up and grease one’s palms a banner , icky cable television service box to nullify the trouble .

The original proposal cash in one’s chips in the FCC on a 3 - 2 vote . Now , this qualify marriage proposal must go up for a new voter turnout , and the evil cable television companies are go to go down kicking and screaming over this . Comcast said in a statement that Chairman Wheeler ’s “ latest tortured approach path is equally flawed ” and that it would wedge “ an too complicated government activity licensing government and sound - handed regulation in a fast - run technological space . ” This is all despite the fact that this is basically the plan the well paid andinfluential Comcast lobbyist pushed for , but they still are n’t happy . Jerks .

Starship Test 9