D.C. Memo: FCC's Simington Ready to Apply Cable Act to YouTube TV

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Streamers: FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington is ready to cross the streaming Rubicon. In a recent essay in the Daily Caller, Simington said YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV – or virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPDs) – should be regulated like Comcast and Charter. “In 2014, former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed reclassifying streaming platforms as ‘MVPDs’ (multichannel video programming distributors), placing them on equal regulatory footing with cable and satellite operators. Though the proposal failed, it was the right idea and deserves a second look,” Simington said. Simington said his approach would establish regulatory parity. “If a service provides multiple linear streams of video programming (as do, for example, cable companies), then it should be treated like a cable company. That includes being subject to ownership limits, content obligations, and transparency rules,” he said. Simington did not address whether YouTube TV, for example, would need to go around to every city in America and secure approval to occupy their rights of way virtually. At the same time, his approach would force vMVPDs to negotiate carriage fees with local TV station owners like Nexstar Media Group directly and to carry PBS stations for free. Simington’s support for FCC regulatory intervention continues to grow. (More after paywall.)