NationalCableTelecommunicationsAssociation
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Cable giants don't like the FCC's push to redefine 'broadband'
You may like the FCC's proposal to upgrade the legal definition of broadband, but your internet provider probably doesn't. The industry's National Cable & Telecommunications Association has sent a letter to the FCC claiming that there's no real justification for bumping the legal definition of "broadband" to 25Mbps downstream and 3Mbps up. The lobbying group claims that advocates' arguments in favor of a speed-up "dramatically exaggerate" how much performance people typically need. Netflix may say that 25Mbps is necessary for 4K video streaming, for example, but the NCTA claims that only a "tiny fraction" of people use their service that way. The Association also wants to make sure that any change in broadband definitions won't have "regulatory significance" that makes telecoms step up their game.
Boxee and the NCTA debate if ClearQAM is good for us
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and Boxee don't see eye to eye on whether or not ClearQAM is good or bad for us. Boxee argues that encrypting even those channels free and clear via an antenna, as a few cable companies have requested permission from the FCC to do, will increase your bill and limit competition. The NCTA alternatively claims that eliminating ClearQAM will enable self installs, thus reducing costs and truck rolls, because the coax outside your house will no longer need to be disconnected when you cancel service, and that Boxee should just adopt CableCARD if it wants the Boxee Box to access live cable TV -- of course most anyone who has had a CableCARD setup knows that a simple truck roll to connect a cable outside is child's play. While this struggle has played out in public with FCC filings, social media and blog posts, we all just fondly remember a day when setting up a TV was as simple as connecting a single coax cable and running a channel scan. Of course, it would be nice if the FCC would actually force more QAM to be sent in the clear and require accurate PSIP data while it's at it, but we gave up on that dream years ago.
tru2way camp reassures FCC this is the open standard they are looking for
The cable industry keeps going out of its way to mention tru2way is open to all, so after Verizon blasted the tech in a letter to the FCC as inhibiting technical innovation, here's National Cable & Telecommunications Association CEO Kyle McSlarrow's waved his hand and sent over this bit of suggestion. Apparently the NCTA is happy to have Verizon as a friend in attempting to rid cable boxes of those icky FCC-mandated FireWire ports (since Ethernet is a suitable replacement, according to them), but wants to clear up the misconception that tru2way devices are incompatible with cable alternatives (satellite, fiber, etc.) since hey, you can still use a set-top box just like you do now. Unfortunately since many of us have the "misconception" that we'd prefer devices that worked with any provider without requiring additional hardware, that's probably not going to cut it. Empty gesture or a real effort towards a unified set of standards across all providers? Take a look at the letter (warning: PDF read link) and decide for yourself.[Via Cable Digital News]
