After setback, FCC Chairman keeps pushing set-top box and privacy rules

After a rare setback, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is still pushing for votes on plans to reform the cable TV set-top box market and impose new privacy rules on broadband providers. The FCC was scheduled to vote on the cable TV plan at its last meeting on September 29 but removed it from the agenda when the commission's Democratic majority couldn't agree on all the details. Last-minute negotiations aren't uncommon before FCC meetings, but this was a rare case of Chairman Wheeler not having enough votes to move forward with a controversial agenda item. The cable TV proposal—which would require TV providers to make video applications for third-party set-top boxes—is not on the agenda for the October FCC meeting. But it could theoretically be passed at any time, as commissioners can vote on it between meetings. It's not clear whether a vote is imminent, but Chairman Wheeler touted the plan again in an op-ed on Oct 19.