How an FCC rule change could deliver the Apple TV you’ve been dreaming of

by Unknown 05:49 0 comments

Photo: Robert S. Donovan / Flickr CC

A potential change in FCC legislature could have massive implications when it comes to bringing about the kind of Apple television set Steve Jobs once told biographer Walter Isaacson about.
What FCC chairman Tom Wheeler proposes is a revision of of FCC rules, meaning that over-the-top Internet streaming services would be afforded the same treatment as traditional cable companies and satellite television companies.

If the change is made, broadcasters would no longer be able to stop online video providers from carrying their content, while online provers could also negotiate their own fair licensing deals with content providers. Wheeler says the move would be designed to “encourage new video alternatives by opening up access to content previously locked on cable channels.”

If everything goes ahead, Apple could be in a position to gain access to all the channels necessary to persuade users to give up their cable boxes, as opposed to only the streaming deals it currently has in place.
In his recent interview with Charlie Rose, Tim Cook said that current TV distribution is still stuck in the 1970s. “It almost feels like you’re rewinding the clock and you’ve entered a time capsule and you’re going backwards,” he commented.
By allowing companies like Apple, Google and Netflix to compete with the entrenched interests of cable companies on a level playing field, it will have an enormous impact on the qualitative TV viewing experience: from new interface possibilities, to price, to better all-round integration with a variety of different devices.