Sen Markey on Set-Tops: We Shall Prevail

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) says he is confident that cable operators will vigorously fight the Federal Communications Commission's set-top proposal, but that, as with the network network neutrality rules, they will fail. Sen Markey joined with Public Knowledge President Gene Kimmelman and over-the-top content creators on a press conference in support of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal to open up set-top content and data to third-party navigation devices.

Sen Markey said the time had come for the FCC to enable millions of Americans to use innovative, and that the time has arrived for FCC to enable millions of Americans to use new, innovative and less costly ways to access content. For too long, he said, cable companies have worked to insure that consumers continue to pay high monthly fees to lease boxes "in perpetuity." He said that is why they will fight the FCC proposal "with everything they've got," including the same arguments they made against network neutrality rules. "But they are not going to win,: he said. "We won on network neutrality and we're going to win again on set-top boxes."