Consumer Choice in Online Video Act

The lame duck senator’s Consumer Choice in Online Video Act has a lot wrong with it, not the least of which is a provision permitting what it calls “antenna rental services” (read Aereo). Not only does the bill say that the services are OK, but also that they “shall be exempt from paying retransmission consent fees.” However, the legislation starts an important conversation on how the law should treat online distributors that want to offer broadcast signals and other video programming.

Legislation introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller today could clear the way for Aereo and other similar online video distributors, allowing them to retransmit broadcast signal without compensation, says a communications lobbyist.