FCC Delays Vote On Set-Top Box Proposal

After much hullaballoo and a number of eleventh-hour political plays, the FCC has scrapped its plan to vote today on a proposal that would upend the cable set-top box marketplace.

The potential rule on which the FCC was scheduled to vote this morning proposed to require pay-TV companies to create free, full-function apps that consumers would be able to use in place of traditional set-top boxes. Not only would that free up consumer choice, the logic goes, but also it could save consumers up to $20 billion annually in those mandatory monthly mental fees subscribers pay.

In D.C. speak, punting that vote down the line is removing an order from the open meeting agenda and sending it to circulation. When confirming that this item had been removed from the agenda, the FCC issued a joint statement from chairman Tom Wheeler and commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, saying:

“It’s time for consumers to say goodbye to costly set-top boxes. It’s time for more ways to watch and more lower-cost options. That’s why we have been working to update our policies under Section 629 of the Communications Act in order to foster a competitive market for these devices. We have made tremendous progress – and we share the goal of creating a more innovative and inexpensive market for these consumer devices. 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.”

Translating that out of bureaucratese, it seems that the item was struck from the agenda because the commissioners hadn’t actually come to an agreement on the details of it yet.

That’s not entirely surprising; viewers have known for weeks that there’s been dissent about this one inside the ranks at the FCC. Although many high-profile items have passed on a 3-2 party-line vote in recent years, there was some doubt in D.C. that Wheeler could reach the needed 3 votes on his proposal — commissioner Rosenworcel had voiced strong concerns about the licensing requirements in the rule.

The proposal remains procedurally active, so to speak. FCC commissioners can continue discussing it amongst themselves and tweaking what needs to be tweaked before scheduling a new vote at a later Open Meeting. However, the FCC has not said when a rescheduled vote might take place.

by Kate Cox via Consumerist