Commissioner Clyburn: FCC Will Look Into Online Distribution Access

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn of the Federal Communications Commission said she expects the FCC will soon launch a notice of inquiry (NOI) on access to over-the-top distribution channels by independent programmers. An NOI is an investigation and might or might not result in any regulation. She said there was a lot of promise and optimism in over-the-top (OTT) on the surface, but from those she has talked to, there remained “the same old legacy issues” about getting projects greenlighted and access to distribution channels. She said she did not know whether it was an issue the FCC could solve, but it would be a platform for discussion and put attention on the issue.