Aereo Still Trying To Get By Without Paying

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[Commentary] Desperate to save itself, Aereo is now rolling out Plan B. In the wake of the June 25 Supreme Court ruling that shot down its juvenile low-tech scheme for circumventing copyright law, the online distributor of local broadcast signals told the federal district court in New York that it wants to continue operating in a more conventional manner, with the cable compulsory license.

As required by law, Aereo said it is going ahead with the necessary paperwork with the Copyright Office. In making the case to the district court that it is a bona fide cable system entitled to the license, Aereo is relying somewhat ironically on the Supreme Court ruling that has pushed it to the precipice.

The problem with Plan B -- and evidence that Aereo is not ready to grow up and play by the rules -- is that it has still not acknowledged in any forum that it is willing to accept not only the privileges of being a cable system, most notably the compulsory license, but also the obligations, most notably retransmission consent and things like must-carry, network non-dupe, syndex and sports blackout. Without a commitment to pay retransmission consent, Aereo is simply playing the same old game, trying to skate by without paying for programming.

It's behaving like the ridiculous FilmOn, which has been claiming cable status for the compulsory license.


Aereo Still Trying To Get By Without Paying