Online Media Execs Have Eyes on Washington

Online entertainment and video executives and developers at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are talking about how their future rests largely with the Federal Communications Commission.

Tim Street is the CEO of Ape Digital, a Pasadena, Calif.-based company that produces online videos. He's been watching the FCC's moves to develop a net neutrality policy that he said is important to keep the Web open like it is today so that applications like his can thrive. "I've been following because I know where my bread is getting buttered," Street said. "I can see a scenario where the 200-plus lobbyists that are fighting against net neutrality can make it so that independent online video content creators won't be able to afford an entrance fee onto the Web." Street said he is concerned about trends in the cable and satellite industry to extend their current models onto the Web. He said he is concerned about TV Everywhere, a strategy by Comcast and other cable and satellite providers to bring online content to only their subscribers of Internet and cable service. "This is a closed system and it's unclear how new video can get on to this system," Street said.

Steve Harnesberger, vice president of business development for Jaman, said potential interest by carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast to charge by how much bandwidth a user consumes is bad for consumers and could slow demand for video, which consumes the most bandwidth. Harnesberger said the business motivation is for cable and telecom carriers to get extra revenue from bandwidth usage that they would be losing from consumers who cut the cord of cable television services for only broadband Internet.