FCC May Budge on Cable Box After Hearing From Google and AT&T

The Federal Communications Commission is considering changes to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to break cable companies’ hold on the set-top box market, following a joint counteroffer from cable providers and AT&T, and a nod from their rival Google. “Chairman Wheeler has repeatedly said he is interested in a constructive dialogue,” said Kim Hart, an FCC spokeswoman.. “He welcomes the feedback to his proposal to give consumers new options for accessing the content they pay for, and he looks forward to engaging in continued conversations to inform the final rules.”

Alphabet's Google, an early backer of Chairman Wheeler’s White House-backed proposal to give households alternatives to the cable box, in a statement called the cable-AT&T proposal a “constructive effort.” The National Cable & Telecommunications Association trade group and DirecTV owner AT&T in meetings with FCC officials offered to let subscribers watch shows on third-party devices through Internet apps that conform to an industrywide standard, according to filings