🏈 Supreme Court to release opinion on Aereo soon (bundled cable channels lookout)

[planomateo]

This is something to keep an eye on. I'm all for unbundled channels; hell, the possibility of a la carte channels would be AWESOME, my cable bill would be like $20 a month and I'd get the channels I want. Thinking about this long term, if allowed, it would change the way sports TV contracts are negotiated in the future...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/...e-cord-aereo-supreme-court-decision/10917383/

My grandmothers brothers (great uncle) son (in other words, my cousin) was a big time lobbyist in DC (use to be the head of the National Association of Broadcasters for 20+ years) and is a Hall of Fame Alumni of Ole Miss. I imagine he's still engaged in the lobbying of this stuff...can't recall I've ever met the guy, if I did I was probably younger than 7 years old. Would love to know his take on this stuff (lobbying perspective and non-lobbying perspective).

 

[TerryP]

SCOTUS 6-3 against Aereo.

 

[planomateo]

Well shit, just got an update on my phone. Aereo is dead and my hopes for unbundling channels will take a bit longer to unfold.

Interesting, seems that Aereo threw their customers under the bus.

Aereo said that its subscribers — and not the company itself — were the party responsible for playing the shows. Broadcasters argued the opposite, finding agreement in the court.

 

[TerryP]

Well shit, just got an update on my phone. Aereo is dead and my hopes for unbundling channels will take a bit longer to unfold.

Interesting, seems that Aereo threw their customers under the bus.

I don't know what other argument they could have presented. When we first talked about this my question then was how do they skirt copyright issues.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

I am not sure why anyone is surprised with this. Local cable companies have been required to pay to license rebroadcast forever. There is no reason Aereo was any different than a cable company and by not paying they were just flaunting the law.

What needs to happen is Congress needs to push regulation of cable (and cellular) companies as common carriers and push de-bundling through law. That will necessarily mean the end of some channels, including possibly some we all like but won't pay individually for but that is part of the cost.