FCC Opens Market for Cable Boxes

fistfullast33l writes "The FCC rendered a decision today against a Comcast appeal that centers on integrated security features in set-top cable boxes. The decision comes at the end of a long standing feud between the FCC and cable companies over the matter. The result is that starting July 1st, cable boxes distributed by cable companies must not be tied directly to a cable provider via internal security features. This rule is viewed as the first step in creating a market for set-top cable boxes. Comcast does have the right to appeal and has said they will do so. From the article: 'Several major consumer electronics manufacturers have argued that if set-top boxes weren't directly linked to the provision of cable service, they could enter the set-top market. Consumers could get a cable card from their service provider that they could insert into a set-top box purchased at a consumer electronics store. The cards would ensure that consumers could only access channels that they paid for.'"

Comments

Re:step one...

[duranaki]

i heart you.

i worked for nokia for nearly 10 years in r&d for cell phones (cdma) and grew to loathe operators. in the u.s. they completely control the distribution because of subsidies and refusal to activate other phones claiming, "they don't work on our network." they ignore usability and force handset makers to jump through hoops designing phones essential on spec (if you put in these features, remove your name from the device, and pretend we invented all the technology maybe, just maybe, we'll put some in our stores.) ugh i hate them! it's all coming back! damn you operators!!

p.s. i also blame the fcc, because hell they do everything wrong. i love those billion $ license fees which guarantee that only big monopoly companies can enter the market place.

Re:Good

[virtual_mps]

Now, another way to look at it from the Cable company. These "special" features that the box you buy. Why would they support these features? Why would they? My device's features are between me and the manufacturer. All I want from the cable company is a feed.

Would the software "at" the cable company work with features of say box, a b and c box? I don't care/want it to. I just want a feed.

The software at these cable companies is specialized. I should know, I work in tech support at one. There is now way in hell that they will support a box they do not provide unless the manufacturer of said box releases the information required. Simple. You'd think it would be simple, but the cable companies don't seem to understand that I don't want their lousy software or their lousy support. All I want is a feed.

The customer will get referred to the manufacturer. I wish I had that option. That's really all I'm looking for--the possibility of buying a better product than the one the cable company is pushing, that comes with better support.

Another thing, say you spend $300 on a box and spill coffee in it. You buy a new one. If you had OUR box, it gets replaced, free. Same as the cable modem.. you're takes a crap, you buy another one, we will replace it free. I really don't see any cost savings here. First, what the hell do you do to your equipment? I have never spilled coffee on my TV. Never. Not once. Nobody in my family has. Ever. I'm willing to risk it, if the cable company wasn't so determined to gouge me and would actually give me that option. If you don't see the cost savings over owning versus buying you need to go back to school. (If I was getting regular upgrades to the hardware for my monthly fee maybe there'd be a better argument for renting--but we all know that an STB with extra functionality is also going to have a higher fee associated with it. And lets face it--if people were really destroying their STBs on a regular basis the monthly fee would simply be high enough to ensure that they pay for the boxes faster than they break; the cable companies are making quite a healthy profit, and can do the math easily enough to know that this "breakage insurance" isn't happening enough to actually cost them anything significant.)

Plus feature wise, you'll lose out.. at least as far as our VOD and such. (video on demand) I don't want your lousy VOD. I haven't wanted it for the last 15 years that the cable company has been trying to foist it on me. All I want is a feed; my interest is in watching TV, not in improving your profit margin. (sorry) My solution, after I got fed up with overpriced, low quality, lousy service was to just cancel my cable subscription--but I'm lucky enough to actually be able to get a decent OTA signal; I pity the people who can only get TV though the cablecos.