The war of words over draft FCC proposed rules on untying set-top boxes from the multichannel video programming distributors that often provide the boxes to MVPD customers (see 1601270064) escalated Wednesday. After AT&T slammed Google over the Internet company's transition plan and by extension the FCC for considering it, the Justice Department emailed us a statement backing the commission's tack. That statement was the subject (see 1602030055) of a Communications Daily Bulletin. The FCC likewise defended its plan.

Industry officials told us partisan frustrations may have flared up because of how the Consumer Video Choice Coalition did outreach for Friday's set-top box demonstration for Capitol Hill staffers at Google’s Washington office (see 1601290060). But the coalition told us it has always been ready to offer bipartisan demonstrations and expects more to come, with congressional interest rising last week due to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s announcement on set-top issues. Invitations initially went only to certain Democratic Hill offices, but word spread to GOP offices and caused some discontent, prompting invitations to be sent to a wider array of offices Thursday after 5 p.m., one media industry official told us. Some Democratic offices -- including that of House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J. -- also didn’t receive invitations, at least initially, according to officials. “I wasn’t involved with invites, but I heard that both Republicans and Democrats were present,” Public Knowledge Senior Staff Attorney John Bergmayer said Monday of the demonstration. A Google spokeswoman confirmed the demonstration took place but wouldn’t comment on its critiques or on the Hill invitations, instead referring us to a spokesman for Incompas. Google, Public Knowledge and Incompas are members of the CVCC. “We’ve had multiple bipartisan demonstrations of the competitive solution and are planning more,” Incompas CEO Chip Pickering told us in a statement Monday. “Interest level in the competitive demonstrations has spiked following Chairman Wheeler's announcement that he would seek to unlock the box and end cable's set-top box monopoly. We are thrilled several Hill offices have expressed new interest.” The CVCC also issued a statement Monday defending the demo from cable and telecom industry attacks and highlighting the public nature of such a demonstration going back to last year in the relevant FCC proceeding.

Industry officials told us partisan frustrations may have flared up because of how the Consumer Video Choice Coalition did outreach for Friday's set-top box demonstration for Capitol Hill staffers at Google’s Washington office (see 1601290060). But the coalition told us it has always been ready to offer bipartisan demonstrations and expects more to come, with congressional interest rising last week due to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s announcement on set-top issues. Invitations initially went only to certain Democratic Hill offices, but word spread to GOP offices and caused some discontent, prompting invitations to be sent to a wider array of offices Thursday after 5 p.m., one media industry official told us. Some Democratic offices -- including that of House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J. -- also didn’t receive invitations, at least initially, according to officials. “I wasn’t involved with invites, but I heard that both Republicans and Democrats were present,” Public Knowledge Senior Staff Attorney John Bergmayer said Monday of the demonstration. A Google spokeswoman confirmed the demonstration took place but wouldn’t comment on its critiques or on the Hill invitations, instead referring us to a spokesman for Incompas. Google, Public Knowledge and Incompas are members of the CVCC. “We’ve had multiple bipartisan demonstrations of the competitive solution and are planning more,” Incompas CEO Chip Pickering told us in a statement Monday. “Interest level in the competitive demonstrations has spiked following Chairman Wheeler's announcement that he would seek to unlock the box and end cable's set-top box monopoly. We are thrilled several Hill offices have expressed new interest.” The CVCC also issued a statement Monday defending the demo from cable and telecom industry attacks and highlighting the public nature of such a demonstration going back to last year in the relevant FCC proceeding.

Industry officials told us partisan frustrations may have flared up because of how the Consumer Video Choice Coalition did outreach for Friday's set-top box demonstration for Capitol Hill staffers at Google’s Washington office (see 1601290060). But the coalition told us it has always been ready to offer bipartisan demonstrations and expects more to come, with congressional interest rising last week due to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s announcement on set-top issues. Invitations initially went only to certain Democratic Hill offices, but word spread to GOP offices and caused some discontent, prompting invitations to be sent to a wider array of offices Thursday after 5 p.m., one media industry official told us. Some Democratic offices -- including that of House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J. -- also didn’t receive invitations, at least initially, according to officials. “I wasn’t involved with invites, but I heard that both Republicans and Democrats were present,” Public Knowledge Senior Staff Attorney John Bergmayer said Monday of the demonstration. A Google spokeswoman confirmed the demonstration took place but wouldn’t comment on its critiques or on the Hill invitations, instead referring us to a spokesman for Incompas. Google, Public Knowledge and Incompas are members of the CVCC. “We’ve had multiple bipartisan demonstrations of the competitive solution and are planning more,” Incompas CEO Chip Pickering told us in a statement Monday. “Interest level in the competitive demonstrations has spiked following Chairman Wheeler's announcement that he would seek to unlock the box and end cable's set-top box monopoly. We are thrilled several Hill offices have expressed new interest.” The CVCC also issued a statement Monday defending the demo from cable and telecom industry attacks and highlighting the public nature of such a demonstration going back to last year in the relevant FCC proceeding.

Economists have become the ammunition of choice as Charter Communications and opponents battle over public interest benefits of Charter buying Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable. Comcast's aborted attempt to buy Time Warner Cable involved so many outside economists that the FCC hosted an economists roundtable at one point. It's unlikely other interested parties will bring in their own at this point, multichannel video programming distributor industry lawyers told us.

Economists have become the ammunition of choice as Charter Communications and opponents battle over public interest benefits of Charter buying Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable. Comcast's aborted attempt to buy Time Warner Cable involved so many outside economists that the FCC hosted an economists roundtable at one point. It's unlikely other interested parties will bring in their own at this point, multichannel video programming distributor industry lawyers told us.

Two heavyweight industry coalitions sparred Friday over the nature of a private set-top box briefing that the Consumer Video Choice Coalition (CVCC) held for Capitol Hill staffers that day at Google’s Washington office. The new Future of TV Coalition called the briefing a “secret Google field trip,” outlining opposition to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s set-top box proposals and the NPRM on deck for the February (see 1601270064). CVCC members told us such a briefing was standard and the same demonstration publicly recorded in the FCC docket last year.

Two heavyweight industry coalitions sparred Friday over the nature of a private set-top box briefing that the Consumer Video Choice Coalition (CVCC) held for Capitol Hill staffers that day at Google’s Washington office. The new Future of TV Coalition called the briefing a “secret Google field trip,” outlining opposition to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s set-top box proposals and the NPRM on deck for the February (see 1601270064). CVCC members told us such a briefing was standard and the same demonstration publicly recorded in the FCC docket last year.

Two heavyweight industry coalitions sparred Friday over the nature of a private set-top box briefing that the Consumer Video Choice Coalition (CVCC) held for Capitol Hill staffers that day at Google’s Washington office. The new Future of TV Coalition called the briefing a “secret Google field trip,” outlining opposition to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s set-top box proposals and the NPRM on deck for the February (see 1601270064). CVCC members told us such a briefing was standard and the same demonstration publicly recorded in the FCC docket last year.

The FCC should explore forming a video-purchasing cooperative to "mitigate the harm to local residential broadband Internet access service competition" that would come from Charter Communications' buying Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable, Incompas said in an ex parte filing posted Thursday in docket 15-149. Such a cooperative would aid small multichannel video programming distributors in competing against larger incumbent MVPDs, "including by incentivizing competition in New Charter's proposed footprint," the telecom association said. "A market-based solution such as the Cooperative is superior to any proposed build-out commitment that could be imposed upon Charter" because such a commitment wouldn't address the lack of competition for residential broadband service, it said. Some cable operators already use the National Cable Television Cooperative.