Pay-TV providers have taken “inconsistent positions” on retransmission consent, where some seek standstills when talks break down as contracts end, and on program carriage where some multichannel video programming providers seek to prevent the pauses, two nonprofits said. The FCC should “dismiss their arguments against a standstill in the program carriage context,” representatives from the Media Access Project and Public Knowledge said, a filing posted Monday in docket 07-42 recounted. “The fear of retaliation is very real for many independent programmers, some of whom fear coming to the Commission” to complain that cable operators favored affiliated channels over independent networks seeking carriage, the filing said. It reported on meetings with aides to Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Robert McDowell, though Public Knowledge only attended the first gathering. HDNet and the Tennis Channel also were represented at the gatherings as foes and proponents of extra program carriage rules lobby the FCC before an order and rulemaking on the subject are released (CD June 24 p13).
Forthcoming cable products don’t undercut the need for AllVid rules so that all subscription-video providers will use open standards to connect TV sets to CE gear, backers of such regulation said. The AllVid Tech Company Alliance, representing major device manufacturers and retailers, last week renewed its lobbying for the FCC to propose rules. The commission’s proceeding has been effectively paused. Chairman Julius Genachowski and Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake hope to see multichannel video programming providers and CE companies reach more deals for various devices to receive Internet and cable content without CableCARDs, such as those unveiled at the Cable Show earlier this month (CED June 23 p7).
Forthcoming products don’t undercut the need for AllVid rules so that all subscription-video providers will use open standards to connect TV sets to consumer electronics, backers of such regulation said. The AllVid Tech Company Alliance, representing major device manufacturers and retailers, last week renewed its lobbying for the FCC to propose rules. The commission’s proceeding has been effectively paused. Chairman Julius Genachowski and Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake hope to see multichannel video programming providers and CE companies reach more deals for various devices to receive Internet and cable content without CableCARDs, such as those unveiled at the Cable Show earlier this month (CD June 23 p6).
Forthcoming products don’t undercut the need for AllVid rules so that all subscription-video providers will use open standards to connect TV sets to consumer electronics, backers of such regulation said. The AllVid Tech Company Alliance, representing major device manufacturers and retailers, last week renewed its lobbying for the FCC to propose rules. The commission’s proceeding has been effectively paused. Chairman Julius Genachowski and Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake hope to see multichannel video programming providers and CE companies reach more deals for various devices to receive Internet and cable content without CableCARDs, such as those unveiled at the Cable Show earlier this month (WID June 23 p4).
The FCC has effectively paused its AllVid proceeding, holding off finishing a rulemaking notice proposing to make all multichannel video programming distributors connect to consumer electronics sold at retail, said agency and industry officials watching the work. In what represents another new approach to the proceeding, industry officials said the Media Bureau and office of Chairman Julius Genachowski seem content for now to let CE companies and pay-TV providers work out more deals to integrate programming and Internet connectivity with various devices. That new approach was on display last week at the Cable Show, in public comments from bureau Chief Bill Lake and Genachowski aide Sherrese Smith, said CE and cable officials who heard those remarks.
The FCC has effectively paused its AllVid proceeding, holding off finishing a rulemaking notice proposing to make all multichannel video programming distributors connect to consumer electronics sold at retail, said agency and industry officials watching the work. In what represents another new approach to the proceeding, industry officials said the Media Bureau and office of Chairman Julius Genachowski seem content for now to let CE companies and pay-TV providers work out more deals to integrate programming and Internet connectivity with various devices. That new approach was on display last week at the Cable Show, in public comments from bureau Chief Bill Lake and Genachowski aide Sherrese Smith (CED June 16 p4), said CE and cable officials who heard those remarks.
The FCC has effectively paused its AllVid proceeding, holding off finishing a rulemaking notice proposing to make all multichannel video programming distributors connect to consumer electronics sold at retail, said agency and industry officials watching the work. In what represents another new approach to the proceeding, industry officials said the Media Bureau and office of Chairman Julius Genachowski seem content for now to let CE companies and pay-TV providers work out more deals to integrate programming and Internet connectivity with various devices. That new approach was on display last week at the Cable Show, in public comments from bureau Chief Bill Lake and Genachowski aide Sherrese Smith (CD June 16 p2), said CE and cable officials who heard those remarks.
The Green Electronics Council, which manages EPEAT, isn’t sure how exactly the EPA’s proposal to add environmental attributes other than energy efficiency in Energy Star specifications is “all going to come together,” said Sarah O'Brien, the council’s outreach director. “It’s too early for us to comment.” The EPA’s move is “definitely of interest to our organizations,” she said. Energy Star compliance is one of several criteria for EPEAT certification. On the progress being made in developing EPEAT standards for TVs and imaging gear, O'Brien said it’s in the initial stages of comment and voting phase of the larger membership of the IEEE. Members are now being asked about their interest in participating in the process, she said. “So we are kind of in a pause while the various members of the IEEE standards development and other societies express interest in participating and then, when that phase is completed, it [the standards] will move toward comment and voting.” She said she didn’t know if the proposed EPEAT TV standard would address 3D TVs. That will be known when draft standards are released in the “next few weeks” before balloting, she said.
The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) updated the FCC on work by the consumer electronics’ standards group on video content, in a filing posted Tuesday to docket 10-91. It completed work earlier this year on requirements for delivery of commercial content to DLNA devices, including protected streaming and “comprehensive trick-mode support” for pausing, fast-forwarding and the like, the group said. “DLNA is finalizing a certification program for these guidelines, which we expect will be available in late 2011 or early 2012,” the filing said: “The certification program will enable testing for verified interoperability between devices” and the guidelines are a “a major step forward in enabling secure availability of commercial content offered by MVPDs to retail devices and interoperability of commercial video in the home."
The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) updated the FCC on work by the consumer electronics’ standards group on video content, in a filing posted Tuesday to docket 10-91. It completed work earlier this year on requirements for delivery of commercial content to DLNA devices, including protected streaming and “comprehensive trick-mode support” for pausing, fast-forwarding and the like, the group said. “DLNA is finalizing a certification program for these guidelines, which we expect will be available in late 2011 or early 2012,” the filing said: “The certification program will enable testing for verified interoperability between devices” and the guidelines are a “a major step forward in enabling secure availability of commercial content offered by MVPDs to retail devices and interoperability of commercial video in the home."