Remarks of Commissioner O'Rielly at 2016 NAB Show Re: "The Black Box of the FCC's Set Top Box Proposal"

Most people are calling this the set top box item, but this informal title is a complete misnomer. You might think from hearing it that the Federal Communications Commission is merely tweaking the current rules on set top boxes. But in fact, this initiative is really all about taking a 90’s regime and redefining all of its terms to let the Commission get its hooks into all of the new technology that has developed since then, outside of the Commission’s authority.

I believe the FCC should embrace the future, not the past. For good or bad, times are changing. The app economy is weakening the multichannel video programming distributor video package formula every day, and broadcasters are moving, adjusting and finding innovative and creative ways to reach consumers directly or via over-the-top providers. The entire video industry is moving away from a “box” mentality and toward competition on many new levels. As such, the fundamental need for regulation to maintain a competitive set top box marketplace should be questioned and revisited. The video marketplace seems to be working better than ever before due to disruptive technologies, not disruptive regulation. There’s no need for the FCC to photobomb the picture.