Future of Video

The House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), held a hearing examining how advances in consumer electronics, broadcasting, cable, satellite, the Internet and other platforms are changing how consumers access video content, how those changes are impacted by existing regulations, and what type of regimes should apply going forward. In light of technological changes in how video content is distributed and consumed, members heard from witnesses representing the entire supply chain of video content, from owners to distributors, each of whom provided insight into the current state of video, current regulations and the best course of action to allow for consumer access and innovation in the future.

Public Knowledge president Gigi Sohn plans to tell Congress that the communications industry can be deregulated if policymakers take steps to spur online video competition.

Netflix asked U.S. lawmakers to prevent cable providers from squelching its growth by imposing online-data consumption limits for customers.

The broadband era began with the expectation that Internet connections were like buffets — all you can eat, 24 hours a day. But users are now being prodded to think about how much they’re consuming.

National Cable & Telecommunications Association President Michael Powell said his testimony about the future of video will focus on three things: 1) cable's golden age is now; 2) technology is driving choice, removing friction points between cable and consumers including set-tops, navigation; and 3) the cable industry is not trying to thwart over-the-top video.

Not surprisingly, the House Communications Subcommittee Democratic staffers have a slight different to-do list than their Republican counterparts. While over-the-top video, retransmission rules and Dish's Hopper ad-skipping DVR are on both lists of key topics that might come up in the June 27 future of video hearing in the subcommittee, Democrats have a couple more on their list. According to a copy of the Democrats' memo on the hearing, data caps are a key issue, as is the sale of spectrum from cable operators to Verizon.

Michael Powell, the president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), pushed back against claims that cable companies are trying to stifle competition from online video, saying the allegations are "flatly wrong."

Republican staffers on the House Commerce Committee's Communications Subcommittee signaled in their memo on the June 27 Future of Video hearing that that future should be a deregulatory one, including that if Congress rethinks any regulations, they should be must-carry/retransmission and program access rules.

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen will testify before the House Commerce Committee’s communications subcommittee this week and plans to say that Dish's AutoHop ad-skipping option allows parents to shield their kids from commercials for "junk food and alcohol."

The House Commerce Committee’s Communications Subcommittee will hold a future of video hearing June 27, following up on last week's hearing on the future of audio. Also, the full committee has scheduled a Federal Communications Commission oversight hearing for July 10. It will be the committee's first chance to hear from the two new commissioners, as well as to catch up with the others.