FCC Wants All Cable Channels Encrypted, Boxee Protests

In a move that may very well be a bit too radical, even for this constantly hacked world, the FCC has proposed something that could make Boxee and its peers reach an impasse.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed that all cable channels, even the most basic ones, be encrypted.

The supposed purpose of encrypting all channels is to allow cable operators to control subscriber access remotely.

Proponents are trying to sell the idea by invoking a reduced need for service calls and higher customer savings.

Unfortunately, the motion would demand that all US customers buy or rent a set-top box (STB) or CableCARD if they want to watch anything on TV.

Boxee is one of the companies most annoyed with the idea, if that is even the appropriate word.

Last month, it released the Live TV Tuner, which enables owners to integrate live TV into their programming options. Forcing encryption upon all channels would eliminate this asset.

Not only that, but customers of Boxee and similar companies would all be forced to rely on set-top boxes even though, at the moment, many people are trying to expand their TV options instead of limiting them.

“The cable companies are asking the FCC to change the rules and turn access off. Their main excuse being that it will reduce the need for the cable guy to drive to your house to disconnect your cable and thus be better for the environment,” says Boxee's Avner Ronen in a blog.

“Considering this ruling would also mean millions more set top boxes and cable cards are manufactured, distributed, and attached to electric outlets (see below for consumption), their argument doesn’t hold water. It’s akin to a cable executive taking a private jet to an FCC meeting, but insisting on having recycled toilet paper on-board to help save the environment.”

Ironically, the FCC's encryption proposal is not a new idea, but a reinstatement of a policy that ran until 1994, when the commission mandated that operators offer unencrypted transmissions, to increase accessibility.