FCC votes in favor of new set-top box rule

Feb18

by Sindy Cator on February 18, 2016 at 6:56 pm

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today approved a new rule that would allow customers to drop their leased set-top boxes in favor of less expensive and more feature-rich alternatives. The measure to allow consumers to swap their set-top boxes passed by a 3-2 vote and dealt a major blow to cable operators. As we reported previously, the cable companies profit handsomely for these locked-down set-top boxes, to the tune of approximately $20 billion a year in leasing fees. That’s an average of $231 for each household renting a box. Options like the TiVo Bold, Roku and AppleTV make much more attractive solutions but they…