Now this sounds awesome! I just wished they did something like this in Holland, we should have all the right to choose our own STB's.
Not just STB's, but the individual channels we want to watch too. I hate the fact I have to subscribe to an extra "package" of 30 some channels when I only watch 1 or 2 beyond the "basic" service. I also don't like the fact I have to rent a box for each TV in the house. This is how it was many years ago. Then all TVs started supporting digital so then you only needed a box for "premium" channels. But now that they have gone all HD digital, we are back to one STB for each device. Really a rip-off, IMO. I have lived in this house for over 25 years and cable was already installed when I moved in. I have only had to have the cable company come out once - when a bad storm downed a tree and took out the cable drop. And yet my bill keeps going up and up. Another thing that REALLY bothers me is, without exaggeration, I get at least 10 pieces of mail delivered to my house every week from Direct TV, Cox (my cable ISP) or CenturyLink (the local DSL provider) wanting me to switch to their service, or add this or that bundle to the Cox I already have. They must spend $millions on all these letters! I guess it helps keep the post office in business but I'm paying for all that mail in my bills and my trash service. And if I were a tree hugger, it would upset me over that too.
Yes, this would be cool. New online services are already introducing the ability to choose channels. But I would like to use my own STB, because then all recorded content is yours. Plus you could pick a superior device with for example a better TV Guide and multiple tuners. And you wouldn't have to deal with this stupid new tech, where all STB's are connected to a central "mother STB", that's just silly. And last but not least, all FCC's in the world, should start to make HD channels mandatory. In other words, all channels of the basic package, and all popular channels of the extra packages, should be available in HD. And the basic package should be "free over the air", so without encryption. This way you won't have to use your STB to receive basic channels, you can simply use your TV remote.
I have read the article, but it mentioned all kinds of things that are not related to this latest decision. It should be technically possible to allow everyone to buy their own STB. Of course, giving support might become a bit harder, that's the only drawback. And like said before, all cable providers should broadcast at least 30 standard channels without encryption, because it's kinda weird that you can not receive HD TV without a STB. I'm not sure if this is technically possible with fiber and copper.
Bad idea! This is just a way to fool the FCC into thinking that they actually care about what consumers want. I don't see how "apps being the future", has got anything to do with giving people the choice to choose their own STB.