Comcast’s bid to kill the cable box is good for consumers — and for Comcast

Comcast is finally letting you ditch the set-top box. The nation's largest cable company said that customers will now be able to get rid of their set-top boxes by switching to an app embedded within new Samsung smart TVs and Roku devices. And because it's all software-driven, it will potentially allow Comcast's more than 22 million video customers to return their cable box — equipment that costs the average household more than $230 a year to rent, according to a recent congressional probe. If Comcast's plan takes off, it could lead to huge savings for cable viewers — not to mention big profits for these device manufacturers and any others that decide to partner with the company on its terms. And it will probably save Comcast some money as well, as it will no longer have to produce the equipment in the first place and pass the associated costs on to the consumer.

These changes promise to benefit some TV viewers — and Comcast, too. But this story is not just about Comcast. In fact, the company's announcement is merely one facet of an all-out assault by the cable industry against a government proposal that it says would undermine the very heart of its business. In the balance are a set of regulations that, if approved, would effectively wrest control of the TV content you pay for from the cable companies that provide it.