How Big Cable killed the open set-top box—and what to do about it

A final nail in the open set-top box coffin could come soon.

The Federal Communications Commission currently prohibits cable providers from encrypting basic cable channels in order to preserve compatibility with third-party devices. But these third-party devices have become increasingly rare, so the FCC is considering dropping the encryption ban altogether. The cable industry opposes the ban, and it got a boost last month when set-top box manufacturer Boxee announced it had reached an agreement with Comcast that would provide Boxee products with access to encrypted Comcast content. The announcement was significant because Boxee had been a vocal supporter of the encryption ban.