Whether it's Apple TV, Roku 4, Amazon Fire TV or Google Chromecast, there's a growing amount of set-top boxes and people who opt to buy them, while downsizing their cable television packages or cutting the cord on their cable altogether.
The Wall Street Journal is announcing that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be proposing an overhaul of the rules for television set-top boxes with the intentions of making bills for cable viewers more affordable and granting them more access to Web-based programming.
According to the Journal, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal will likely entail giving cable and satellite customers more freedom in using their service's set-top box and cable app or choosing from one of the several set-top boxes and apps on the market, such as Apple TV or Roku 4.
While the option might sound good to consumers, it's not exactly rubbing certain cable companies the right way. The Journal reports that upwards of 40 telecommunications and media groups are expected to announce a coalition against Wheeler's impending proposal.
They have a right to take issue with it, considering the FCC activating this proposal could result in the loss of up to billions of dollars for cable companies renting out set-top boxes because consumers would have the chance to purchase devices on the market and outside of their service provider options.
Cable companies say opening up the space to outside set-top boxes would also mess with the channel positioning that they carefully constructed, giving certain programmers premium spots.
This could mark just the beginning of a huge back-and-forth between the FCC and cable companies.
