NAB Opting Out of Open Net Fray – For Now

Broadcasters could be forced to start paying to get high-quality online programming streams to broadband Internet subscribers under a controversial Federal Communications Commission proposal that the agency is slated to put out for public comment on May 15. But despite the pleas of watchdog group representatives for support in their efforts to force the agency to reconsider the proposal, the National Association of Broadcasters has remained on the sidelines, both to avoid upsetting NAB member Comcast -- one of the nation’s largest broadband Internet service providers -- and the broadcast industry’s deregulatory-minded GOP allies on Capitol Hill, broadcast industry sources say.

“Anybody who delivers content over the Internet ought to be concerned about the direction this is going,” says one broadcast industry source, who asked not to be identified. “You could be in the fast lane or you could be in the slow lane, and you have pay to be in the fast lane,” said another broadcast industry executive. “It would be worthwhile [for the NAB board] to have a discussion about it.” Representatives of liberal watchdog groups told TVNewsCheck that broadcasters have a major stake in how the newly proposed rules come out because younger people in particular are increasingly getting their information and other programming online. “Broadcasters should want to reach those users -- particularly young users who are the future of the industry -- without having to cut online deals with every cable or phone company, or having to pay the kind of fees Netflix and Apple can afford to pay to ensure a good online video experience,” says Marvin Ammori, a fellow with the New America Foundation.