FCC Pushes for Internet Access on TV; But Will This Push Cable Out?

In a recent article published by the LA Times, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is envisioning a future in which people can check their email and flip between their favorite cable television show all from the same electronic device: their television sets. According to the article:

Comcast Corp.’s chief executive, Brian Roberts, was gushing last week about his company’s impending takeover of NBC Universal, saying the deal would give consumers what they want, “which is access to all different types of content on different platforms and different times.”

That’s not the half of it — but it may not be Comcast in the driver’s seat.

If federal regulators have their way, the next big thing on the tech horizon will be a brave new world of Internet-ready, work-with-any-network set-top boxes, offering consumers unprecedented multimedia options through their TVs, not just their computers.

And if this plays out as the Federal Communications Commission envisions, the world as cable companies know it will radically change, making the potential synergies of the Comcast-NBC deal all but obsolete.

“The consumer will be king,” said Colin Crowell, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “You’ll be able to get your own set-top box that does all the whiz-bang things you want it to do, and you’ll be in control.” [source]

That’s not the half of it — but it may not be Comcast in the driver’s seat.

If federal regulators have their way, the next big thing on the tech horizon will be a brave new world of Internet-ready, work-with-any-network set-top boxes, offering consumers unprecedented multimedia options through their TVs, not just their computers.

And if this plays out as the Federal Communications Commission envisions, the world as cable companies know it will radically change, making the potential synergies of the Comcast-NBC deal all but obsolete.

“The consumer will be king,” said Colin Crowell, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “You’ll be able to get your own set-top box that does all the whiz-bang things you want it to do, and you’ll be in contro

But wait a minute…Can’t we already sort of do this?

For instance, in my boyfriend’s brother’s house, he took the CPU to one of his computers and hooked it up to his main television in the family room- this way he can check his email and/or do computer-related work. If he wants to watch television, all he has to do is press a button on his remote control for the TV to switch it back to cable. That being said, I am not really sure how the FCC is going to introduce something similar without making the prices extremely competitive.

With all the talk of maybe combining television with Internet access, there is a great deal of speculation that the official merge of the two will result in more people walking away from cable television- especially since many of us can catch our favorite shows on sites such as HULU and YouTube for free and sans commercial interruption (for the most part).