Google to government: help us rule TV's vast wasteland

Almost 50 years ago a former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission famously called television a "vast wasteland." On July 13 Google invoked the V-word again, but this time in a much more positive context. Google, the company promised the FCC, "seeks to achieve the vast pro-consumer potential of video convergence" via its new Google TV feature. But the Commission has to make its proposed "AllVid" video interface a reality, the search engine giant urges, and soon. "Consumers would be well-served by having such an inexpensive universal adapter available at retail, which would feature an easy-to-use, common interface, and employ nationwide interoperability standards to connect to televisions, digital video recording devices ('DVRs'), and other smart video devices," its filing on the Commission's AllVid docket declares.