Is the Federal Communications Commission sharpening its claws? Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, hopes so.
The FCC recently launched a task force [PDF] to advance its role "protecting and empowering" consumers, a move Consumers Union hopes to see coupled with a detachment from industry interests—a relationship that has been described as too chummy.
In a blog post on the advocacy site HearUsNow.org, CU says:
[W]hile we welcome [FCC chairman Julius] Genachowski’s pledge the agency will be vigilant watchdog for the consumer, we hope it doesn’t just bark when industry behaves badly and engages in anti-consumer practices. A truly effective watchdog not only barks, but it chases the intruder down the street and bites the offender when necessary.
Our hope is the FCC will increasingly view itself as a Rottweiler when it comes to protecting consumers.
On a related (and promising) note, the FCC on Wednesday voted to close a loophole [PDF] which had allowed some cable companies to restrict their proprietary HD sports content from other TV service providers. In the New York City market, for example, any Knicks or Rangers fans who subscribed to Verizon FiOS were unable to watch games in high definition because a cable company, Cablevision, refused to share its content. The ruling should promote comparable content competition among the cable companies.
(If you're a sports fan looking to upgrade your TV set, be sure to check our advice on buying an LCD vs. a plasma and Jim Willcox's 10 tips for buying a TV for the Super Bowl.)
—Nick K. Mandle
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