Ellmers voices concerns over FCC’s set-top box requirements proposal

U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) said on Thursday that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposal to change set-top box requirements amounts to government overreach.

The FCC approved a proposal on Wednesday that would enable customers to use alternative devices and apps to obtain video services rather than set-top boxes provided by cable and satellite providers. Industry stakeholders now have a 60-day period to submit comments on it, Reuters reports.

“The FCC’s plan to forcibly reshape the competitive market for TV is the worst kind of regulatory overreach,” Ellmers said. “Today’s consumer has an incredibly rich array of options and choices with new devices and services being launched seemingly every day. Yet the FCC feels the market needs a mandate.”

The proposal puts programming content at risk and strips privacy protections for consumers, Ellmers added.

U.S. Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Joe Barton (R-TX) and Ellmers raised those concerns in a letter sent to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on Thursday.

“We value policies that encourage technological innovation and competition in the marketplace that seek to provide consumers with more products and increased choices,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, consumer privacy should be protected in the process, and we are concerned about the potential privacy implications of your proposal to unlock set-top boxes.”

The letter questioned whether third-party device manufacturers and app developers would have to meet the same privacy obligations that cable providers are required to meet under the Communications Act.