The House Communications Subcommittee recently held a hearing to delve into the future of audio – and now it has a companion hearing teed up to do the same for the video side of the communications equation. Additionally, it has put an FCC oversight session on its schedule.
The future of video hearing is set for an unspecified date in the near future. The FCC oversight hearing, which follows the lead of the Senate Commerce Committee and will be the first chance for Walden’s panel to meet new commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai, is booked for 7/10/12.
Walden said, “Since the passage of the 1992 Cable Act there has been a sea change in the way that consumers gain access to video content. On June 27, the subcommittee will examine how advances in consumer electronics, broadcasting, cable, satellite, the Internet and other platforms are changing how consumers access video content, how those changes are impacted by existing regulations, and what type of regimes should apply going forward.”
In addition to meeting the new commissioners, Walden said it will give his panel the opportunity “…to examine current proceedings before the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC’s regulatory process, and the agency’s progress in implementing congressional priorities.”
RBR-TVBR observation: There are plenty of issues on the TV side to dig into: incentive auctions and channel repacking, retransmission consent, online political advertising posts. Like the audio panel before it, the future of video panel could lead to some lively exchanges. It will be very interesting to see the who is on the witness panel.
