Blumenthal Statement on Delay of FCC Set-Top Box Proposal

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statement today after the he Federal Communications Commission (FCC) delayed a vote on the Set-Top Box Order:

“This delay is unfortunate for the millions of consumers locked into high-priced cable set-top boxes who will continue to pay unfair and costly fees. This historic proposal, enforcing law long on the books, should be adopted as soon as possible.”

Last year, Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) released findings from their investigation of the set-top box market that revealed that consumers have little choice in their pay-TV set-top boxes and that the average household spends nearly $232 annually on set-top box rental fees. The investigation also found that approximately 99 percent of customers rent their set-top box directly from their pay-TV provider and the set-top box rental market may be worth more than $19.5 billion per year.

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