US Probes Cable for Limits on Net Video

The Justice Department is conducting a wide-ranging antitrust investigation into whether cable companies are acting improperly to quash nascent competition from online video.

Justice Department officials have spoken to several online video providers, including Netflix and Hulu. Investigators have also questioned Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and other cable companies about issues such as setting data caps, limits to the amount of data a subscriber can download each month. The Justice Department probe highlights how the shifts in decades-old patterns of television viewing are shaking the tightly regulated industry. Decisions in Washington could play a role in determining how quickly the new video services spread and what form they take.