FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has announced his resignation effective upon Donald Trump’s inauguration. The President-elect has not yet announced his choice to replace Wheeler, but it’s a safe bet that the new Republican majority on the Commission will encourage a more freewheeling regulatory climate.
This blog has followed closely Wheeler’s efforts to force cable operators
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) offered a sizable gift to its nearly 16,000 members this holiday season, announcing a three-year blockbuster deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) which, if ratified by the membership, would more than triple residuals for direct
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The FCC proposal to deregulate cable and satellite television set-top boxes is facing heavy headwinds as powerful interests line up in opposition. The current proposal is itself a compromise to its original proposal to require providers to give access to their information streams to other set-top box makers. In response to powerful opposition, the proposal
From cast to crew, there is little question that age discrimination still exists in Hollywood. While stereotypical example is that women of a certain age suddenly stop getting casts for parts; this discrimination may indeed be more prevalent among crew members who are passed over for jobs in favor of younger, albeit less experienced, employees
Continuing the process that began earlier this year, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has issued a proposal to the Commission to implement the deregulation of cable set-top boxes.
Wheeler’s proposal will require cable and satellite system operators (MSOs) to offer subscribers access to their services by means of a free app. Consumers could keep their
The battle lines are hardening in the controversy over the FCC’s proposal to deregulate cable set-top boxes.
The US Copyright Office recently weighed in against the proposal, on the grounds that it would undermine the ability of cable multi-system operators (MSOs) to enter into stable license agreements with copyright owners. This, the Copyright Office declared,
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called on FCC Chair Tom Wheeler to reconsider his proposal to unlock cable and satellite set-top boxes
. McConnell cited concerns over copyright, consumer costs and the impact on cable providers and customers in rural areas.
This is a further escalation of the broad opposition to the plan from
The DC Circuit issued a decision today broadly upholding the FCC’s net neutrality rules. Those rules defined internet service providers (ISPs) as utilities, subjecting them to the same high level of regulation as landline telephone companies. The rules in question require ISPs to treat all content equally as it passes through their pipes to consumers.
I’ve blogged previously on the push by FCC chair Tom Wheeler to compel cable and satellite provid
ers to permit consumers to use third-party set top boxes. Despite opposition from across the political spectrum, Wheeler is sticking to his guns to get the regulations passed before his tenure ends, which will likely be after the
In January the FCC proposed rules to establish open standards for set-top boxes. The notice and comment period on those rules is nearing its end. As it is likely that the FCC will move forward with its planned deregulation, the groups in opposition are concentrating on shaping the rules to result in minimal disruption to