FCC Gets Hill Push for Set-Top Plan

In the face of some major pushback on the Federal Communications Commission's set-top proposal, Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), all big backers of the FCC's set-top proposal, gathered for a press conference to call for "unlocking" the set-top market. They were joined by other fans of the proposal, including BET founder Bob Johnson; INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering (set-top proposal fan Google is a member); Joe Weber, CTO, service provider business unit, TiVo; DeShuna Spencer, CEO, kweliTV; and Corri Freedman, political director, Writers Guild of America West.

Sens Markey and Blumenthal have long pushed for a competitive set-top market. In fact, Sen Markey was author of the section (629) in the 1996 Telecommunications Act that called on the FCC to insure a competitive set-top marketplace. Rep Eshoo was the lead signatory on a letter from Democratic lawmakers backing the proposal. RepEshoo said they were there to "set the record straight." But they seemed there mostly to reiterate their support and push the FCC to take action ASAP and not be swayed to wait until some Congressionally-mandated studies on the impact of the proposal or any other calls to hit "pause." "I want to make sure this [set-top proposal] gets on the books," said Sen Markey. Sen Blumenthal suggested the FCC needed to muster the courage of their convictions and act sooner rather than later. "Time is passing, consumers are paying, the FCC must act now," he said.