Cable and satellite TV providers must basically open-source their programming, allowing anyone to build a set-top box or app to receive it.
People who hate their cable boxes, or hate paying to rent them, have reason to celebrate today. The Federal Communications Commission has voted to open up competition for companies that make alternative boxes, as well as apps that replace the hardware entirely. That wasn’t a shocker: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the two other liberal members of the commission have favored the plan since it was announced on January 27.