Mozilla Supports FCC, Slams Copyright Office

The Copyright Office’s views on the FCC's set-top proposal lead “down a dangerous road,” said Mozilla Head of Public Policy Chris Riley in a letter to Chairman Tom Wheeler posted in docket 16-42 Tuesday. If the CO letter on the FCC's plan (see 1608050053) is “taken at face value,” any terms to which a pay-TV company and set-top box vendor agree “would effectively supersede the Commission’s regulatory authority under Section 629 of the Telecommunications Act to promote competition in the video navigation device market,” Riley said. Copyright law isn't meant to convey “total control,” the Mozilla letter said. Mozilla is “disappointed” in the policies outlined in the CO letter and “strongly encourages” the Commission to “take the law on its face, and continue to fulfill its own, long-established statutory obligations to promote competition,” Riley said.