FCC Rule Change Could Make Internet TV A Reality

Internet TV providers are just starting to emerge, but they might soon get the jumpstart they need in order to turn into real competitors for traditional cable TV.

According to theverge.com, The FCC is beginning to consider a rule change that would put internet TV providers on the same playing field as cable companies when it comes to select regulations.

Critically, it would mean that broadcasters wouldn't be able to refuse to let an internet TV provider carry their content.

Instead, internet TV providers would be able to negotiate to carry TV stations with the same ability that cable companies and satellite companies can. That should solve solve the recurring issue of internet TV hopefuls being unable to license the content they need to get off the ground. In fact, the FCC is actually just considering extending rules to cover internet TV providers that Congress once put in place to help the emergence of satellite companies — rules that, as you may have gathered, were successful in producing their desired goal. This rule change would cover companies that are broadly known as "multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD)."

As far as FCC chair Tom Wheeler is concerned, there should be no difference between cable, satellite, and internet TV providers, so long as they're all offering the same service. "The definition of an MVPD should turn on the services that a provider offers, not on how those services reach viewers," Wheeler writes in a blog post today. "Twenty-first century consumers shouldn’t be shackled to rules that only recognize 20th century technology." Likewise, the rule change would also mean that current cable providers remain regulated the same way should they move online.

The rule change will have to move through FCC proceedings before it's implemented, and plans to make similar changes have died before. But given the current lineup of commissioners, there's reason to believe that it could make it through this time.

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Also See: 'Big TV Is Eating the Internet' from the Mark Ramsey Blog: Click Here