American Cable Association supports Internet TV service Aereo

The American Cable Association (ACA) has become the latest trade body to come out in support of Internet TV streaming service Aereo in the forthcoming copyright action to be heard in the US Supreme Court.

The ACA which represents some 850 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies – has filed an amicus (friend of court) brief urging the high court to uphold the legality of Aereo’s technology as safely fitting within the tradition of maintaining the public’s ability to access freely available local broadcast TV signals, and reject their creative use of copyright claims to protect business models and erect pay walls.

In its brief, ACA asserted that the goal of the lawsuit is to suppress public access to free over-the-air television on the calculation that the copyright owners may extract more profit from broadcasters by relying less on advertising revenue and more on retransmission consent fees. Broadcasters and copyright owners, who until now have no right to prevent anyone from tuning in, want the right to veto any new method of receiving free broadcasts that go beyond an antenna in the home. Emphasising that the copyright owner has no right to control who may join the audience, ACA asked the Court to leave the airwaves as freely accessible to local viewers via over-the-air broadcasts as they have always been.

The outcome of the case is an important business matter for the independent cable community, ACA added, because it could have a substantial impact on the ability of ACA’s members to compete effectively with larger cable providers by partnering with third parties that develop technologies beyond ACA members’ own in-house capabilities. Aereo’s technology is particularly compelling when it enables members of the public to use broadband Internet access to join the lawful audience of free, over-the-air broadcasts using the public’s airwaves.

Fundamentally, ACA stressed that the freedom to receive a performance must not be sacrificed to protect existing market positions. Further, that there is no basis for treating Aereo as a cable service provider. Aereo is not competing as a cable operator, nor will cable subscribers confuse Aereo with a cable operator.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/4542-american-cable-association-supports-internet-tv-service-aereo.html
Source: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/4542-american-cable-association-supports-internet-tv-service-aereo.html