House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip Still Concerned About Set-top Proposal

House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip Ron Kind of Wisconsin is “still concerned that certain issues have not been adequately addressed” on the FCC set-top box rulemaking, he told FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a Thursday letter. Kind, a leader on the moderate New Democrat Coalition, cited the importance to content providers of copyright protections and anti-piracy technology. “I urge you to ensure that the final rule adequately addresses this disparity in incentives and provides strong protection for content against piracy,” Kind said. On privacy concerns, Kind said: “It remains unclear how the FCC can ensure that device manufacturers actually comply with these obligations. Given that the FCC’s legal authority is limited, I urge you to clarify how these privacy obligations can be enforced, including addressing what recourse consumers have against third-party device manufacturers that violate their privacy obligations.”