MVPD Proceeding: FCC’s Next Divisive Issue
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to reclassify some online video providers as multichannel video programming distributors is going to be another divisive, partisan issue, an all-too familiar pattern at the agency.
Skitter Chief: ‘We Would Be Great Partners’
Bob Saunders, president of the broadband DSL cable provider, sees a business in streaming broadcast signals and other programming via the Internet to paying subscribers in small, rural communities. While broadcasters are wary of others distributing their signals, Saunders says he’s not trying to get something for nothing: “We want to pay retransmission where it’s required. We want to be a good actor on the scene.”
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is financing an internet TV network that will include an interview show with former television host Larry King, according to network’s website. The network, which will be called Ora.tv, will be led by Jon Housman and will feature on-demand content and will produce “a wide range of programs that transcend traditional formats,” the website says.
For the disgruntled bunch, or those looking to expand their media-consumption horizons, there are a growing number of options for watching movies and TV shows online, on DVDs or through cable TV’s on-demand services.
