Heading off a potential FCC debacle

HEADING OFF A POTENTIAL FCC DEBACLE
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Randolph J. May, Free State Foundation]
[Commentary] A decade ago, Congress decided cable companies and their competitors should allow consumer electronics manufacturers to make "plug and play" set-top equipment that would work with any cable or direct broadcast satellite service. Rather than leasing it, consumers could buy such equipment from multichannel video program distributors. So it was that Congress authorized regulations in 1996 to ensure that equipment used to access multichannel video programming would be available at retail from entities unaffiliated with cable or direct broadcast satellite service operators. Congress’ goal may have made theoretical sense then in the staid, still fairly monopolistic world that characterized analog communications. However, the rapid changes in technology and the marketplace spurred by the digital revolution require that the FCC revise its equipment regulations, or their costs to consumers will far exceed their benefits. In the interest of consumers, the FCC should act quickly to extend the integration ban’s implementation date for all multichannel video program distributors, while, at the same time, closely monitoring the technological developments in a dynamic marketplace.
http://news.com.com/Heading+off+a+potential+FCC+debacle/2010-1047_3-6117...