Complete Story
07/07/2016
Set-top saga: Comcast says it’s “not feasible” to comply with FCC cable box rules
It's no secret that cable companies hate the Federal Communications Commission plan to make TV channels more widely available on third-party devices and applications.
The proposal would force pay-TV providers to make channels and on-demand content available to third parties, who could then build their own devices and apps that could replace rented set-top boxes. Supporters of the proposal say Comcast and other cable companies just don't want to sacrifice revenue they get by renting set-top boxes to their customers.
But Comcast is willingly giving up some of that rental money by developing its own application for third-party devices such as the Roku, Samsung TVs, and the Nvidia Shield. The Comcast application isn't quite what the FCC wants, since device makers would need Comcast's permission to deploy the app. Nonetheless, Comcast's own initiative could also save customers money by freeing them from rented set-top boxes.
So why is Comcast opposed to the FCC plan? Among Comcast's publicly stated reasons, the company claims that the FCC plan is such a mess that it would be nearly impossible to comply with.
Could Comcast be making a valid point? FCC officials who have heard Comcast's arguments told Ars that the company is exaggerating the difficulty of complying. Comcast critics also say the company is wrong. But let's take a look at what Comcast is saying.
