Chairman Rockefeller announces online video bill

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Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced the “Consumer Choice in Online Video Act,” which aims to provide more consumer choice in video by ensuring that legacy media and cable companies don’t stifle the growth of online video distributors such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video.

“My legislation aims to enable the ultimate a la carte -- to give consumers the ability to watch the programming they want to watch, when they want to watch it, how they want to watch it, and pay only for what they actually watch,” Chairman Rockefeller said. In addition to those protections, the bill sets ground rules for how companies negotiate “carriage agreements,” which determine when and how online video companies can offer certain shows and movies in their catalogs. Under the proposal, broadband providers would also be restricted from putting limits on Internet connections that could degrade the quality of online video services. That provision aims to defuse worries that Internet service providers affiliated with cable or satellite providers might create policies that hinder online video companies such as Netflix. The bill also tasks the Federal Communications Commission with monitoring broadband Internet service billing practices to make sure that consumers understand exactly how much they’re paying for cable and Internet.


Chairman Rockefeller announces online video bill Sources: Sen. Rockefeller Teeing Up Video Reform Bill (Broadcasting&Cable) Rockefeller Bill Offers Online Video Protection (TV Newscheck) Rockefeller Wants to Give Online Video Services Parity With Cable (AdWeek)