Pay-TV Set-Top Proposal Would License Apps Free

Under a pay-TV compromise set-top box proposal (see 1606160059), carriers would license their video apps to third-party box makers without charging them, said representatives from NCTA and AT&T in a meeting with FCC Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake, FCC Chief Technologist Scott Jordan and staff from the bureau and Office of General Counsel Thursday. Since the pay-TV carriers wouldn't charge for the license, the proposal would include provisions preventing others from charging customers to use it, NCTA said in docket 16-42 Monday. The license also would include provisions protecting privacy, copyright, advertising and the “technical integrity of the app” for content security, it said. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly chastised the FCC set-top plan, in a speech released Monday (see 1606270066).