• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, September 9, 2016

Now the Federal Communications Commission not only wants to stop the requirement that around 100 million pay TV subscribers must pay rent for TV set-top boxes — but may also require pay TV providers to supply a free app so consumers can view all the content they are buying on any of their devices.

Well, that makes sense -- communications-wise. We are allowed to have buy different smartphones -- and landline phones -- from our telecommunications companies. Pay TV providers may look at this broader media/communication world and say: “We allow consumers to buy their own TV sets -- don’t we?”

We do appreciate we don’t have to rent those bigger screens from pay TV companies -- unless we can get a better deal. Then perhaps pay TV providers ought to get into the business with those TV set manufacturers.

Don’t AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have business arrangements with the likes of Apple and Samsung -- producers of those screens? And yes, for many, those smartphone purchase deals, part of your monthly mobile phone fee, can be almost like renting -- especially for those consumers that must have a new smartphone every two or three years.

Proposed FCC rules are also that those pay TV companies --- cable, satellite and telco -- would need to support program search for linear and VOD, as well as OTT offerings.  Pay-TV providers would also be barred from promoting programming in the search function.

TV discovery is still a hard task in the diverse media world, and promotion in this regard only seems to complicate things.

Tough times for pay TV providers? Maybe -- especially with the looming possibility that in 10 years or so, cord-cutting/shaving might increase to the point where just one or two digital media apps/OTT services might be all the hungry entertainment consumer needs.

Have no worry. Your pay TV provider won’t end up in the poor house.  Through the years, they have been able to make lots from revenue from other services, such as those “Triple Play” packages.

Maybe pay TV providers will get heavier into “The Internet of Things” businesses.  And when that doesn’t work, they can just go back to to the past -- by simply raising all rates.