FCC set to give US pay-TV subs right to choose STB


Details

Joseph O'Halloran

| 28 January 2016




The US broadcast regulator the FCC is said to be on the verge of proposing competition in the market for set-top boxes (STBs) for the country’s pay-TV services.



According to the Reuters news agency, the FCC wishes to allow pay-TV subscribers to be able to have a choice in how they receive services and be freed from being forced to accept a box specified by the operators and providers. This could mean that they could use equipment from retail device manufacturers such as TiVo and Apple or even a tablet.

The FCC says that its ultimate goal is to “allow consumers to have a user-friendly interface that integrates pay-TV and streaming content on one device".

The move will surely be resisted strenuously by service providers such as Comcast and DISH. The FCC calculates that the average American spends around $231 each year renting such equipment from his or her service provider. This would make the overall business worth over $20 billion. It noted that since 1994, STB fees have risen by 185% while at the same time retail CE prices have fallen by 90%.

Reuters added that it has seen a document from the regulator's chairman Tom Wheeler that says the proposal will be aired to the organisation on 18 February.