Group to FCC: Avoid ‘Walled-Garden’ Approach to Video

The Federal Communications Commission’s pursuit of a successor to the CableCARD continued to heat up as a group comprised of Google, Amazon, Public Knowledge, TiVo and others warned the FCC that putting too fine a focus on downloadable security without addressing the greater goal of furthering the competitive availability of set-tops and other navigation devices “would result in a walled-garden approach.” Members of the group addressed their concerns in a letter to members of the FCC Media Bureau on May 11, ahead of the next scheduled meeting of the FCC-appointed Downloadable Security Advisory Committee (DSTAC), set for May 13.

“The FCC Media Bureau staff’s efforts in coordinating and overseeing the DSTAC should continue to further the Congressional directives in Section 629,” the group wrote in the May 11 letter. “In particular, any solution recommended by DSTAC should ensure that device manufacturers can differentiate retail products from multichannel video programming distributors’ leased products. On that point, they said manufacturers should be able to provide innovative and distinctive features, including unique user interfaces, enhanced search functionality, and improved means for recording and viewing content consistent with copyright law. They also said users of retail devices should be able to access the full complement of MVPD video service offerings, while also being able to pick between “premium devices with advanced functionality” as well as “simpler, lower cost devices according to their preference.” "The DSTAC should achieve a recommendation that functionally supersedes the CableCARD, without a need for the CableCARD hardware,” they added.