A House proposal would remove the so-called “integration...
A House proposal would remove the so-called “integration ban,” which the FCC adopted and requires cable operators to use CableCARDs in their set-top boxes. House Commerce Committee Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, introduced the…
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bill Thursday. “By one estimate, the prohibition has cost cable operators and consumers more than $1 billion since it went into effect in 2007,” Latta said in a statement. “In today’s ultra competitive video marketplace, cable operators have no incentive to make it more difficult for their customers to use their preferred devices to access their video programming services.” Green called the bill “a surgical approach that preserves FCC authority in the retail set top box market.” NCTA applauded the legislation in a news release. “This targeted and bipartisan bill will retire an outdated FCC rule -- known as the integration ban -- that burdens cable consumers and operators with needless costs, wastes energy and violates principles of competitive neutrality,” said NCTA President Michael Powell in a statement. There have been more than $1 billion in unnecessary costs since 2007, he said.