Advanced Television

Aereo supports MVPD clarification

October 20, 2014

By Colin Mann

Online entertainment streaming service Aereo, which suspended its operations June 28th following the Supreme Court copyright decision in favour of US broadcasters, is taking further steps to create a path forward for the company by filing a required ex parte notice disclosing its recent conversations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where it expressed its support for including a narrow category of online video services, whose facilities deliver to subscribers linear channels of video programming such as local, over-the-air broadcast programming, within the FCC’s definition of a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD).

Aereo’s CEO, Chet Kanojia says that clarifying the MVPD definition narrowly to include linear online video services such as Aereo’s would have clear benefits to consumers, creators and distributors alike.

“We believe that creating regulatory parity and a clear set of rules among linear video programming systems will increase investment and competition in the video programming market, allow new entrants to emerge and provide consumers with new and innovative video products,” he wrote in the company blog. “As a company, we have always worked hard to follow the law. Should the FCC move on this issue, it would be a meaningful and important step forward for competition in the video marketplace,” he stated.

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