NCTA to FCC: Be Careful How You Define MVPD

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association is warning the FCC not to put a thumb on the scale for over-the-top (OTT) video in its effort to promote it as competition to traditional MVPDs.

In a statement responding to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler's circulation of a proposal to define linear OTT providers as MVPDs, at least as far as having access to programming is concerned, NCTA advised it to move cautiously.

“In today's video marketplace, consumers are reaping the benefits of robust competition and an ever expanding menu of video options," said NCTA. "Redefining what it means to be an MVPD raises profound questions about how government will extend regulation to Internet video services and how any would-be virtual MVPDs will meet their 'social compact' obligations."

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John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.