FCC Postpones Vote on TV Set-Top Box Plan
September 29 2016 - 11:40AM
Dow Jones News
Federal regulators on Thursday delayed a vote on a proposal to
overhaul the market for TV set-top boxes, dealing a major setback
to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on one of
his top priorities for the year.
The delay, coming so close to an election that will usher in a
new administration, could prove a major blow to the proposal.
Mr. Wheeler's planned overhaul is aimed at opening up the market
for set-top boxes, now dominated by cable TV companies. He would
require these companies to make their television feeds available as
apps to other potential device manufacturers, such as Apple Inc.
and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, as well as smart-TV makers.
Cable TV companies as well as media companies have waged a major
fight to defeat the plan or scale it back significantly. Many of
their objections were legal and technical, but underlying those
concerns was a basic fear that Mr. Wheeler's proposal could disrupt
their longstanding, lucrative business models.
Lawmakers of both parties also have pushed back against Mr.
Wheeler's plan, even after he moved closer to a cable industry
counterproposal in recent drafts.
Worse for Mr. Wheeler, he has failed to win the support of one
of his fellow Democrats on the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel.
Some public-interest groups continue to believe a compromise can
be struck on the plan. But in practice, Thursday's delay could push
off the matter until after the November election, when the
transition to a new administration could further sap momentum for
Mr. Wheeler's plan.
In a statement, Mr. Wheeler and Ms. Rosenworcel, along with
fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn, said they had made "tremendous
progress" on the issue.
They added, "We are still working to resolve the remaining
technical and legal issues and we are committed to unlocking the
set-top box for consumers across this country."
Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 29, 2016 11:25 ET (15:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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