FCC chairman Tom Wheeler lifts prohibitions on FCC’s set-top box rule

Federal Communication Commission chairman Tom Wheeler who had come under pressure from various groups and legislators, including a petition filed by diversity groups, has allowed stakeholders to communicate with FCC staffers about the new set-top box proposal being vetted by commissioners.

The item had been under prohibitions until further notice even after it was dropped from the agenda for a public vote at the FCC's 29 September meeting.

That notice was issues by the FCC last Thursday, saying that the restrictions had been lifted.

But the Future of TV Coalition, continued to call for publication of the item as also a further comment period so that stakeholders could vet it to know what they should be commenting on.

It said lifting the prohibitions is meaningless if the public isn't even allowed to know the details of the plan. "This isn't just some 'inside the beltway' fight -it's a question of whether the real-world risks to consumers and creators are going to be addressed or just swept under the rug."

As he pulled the item from the docket, Wheeler had pointed to last-minute changes and edits that commissioners needed to look into.

Meanwhile, Wheeler had refined his proposal for broadband privacy rules, but continued to push rules calling for restrictions on providers' ability to send targeted ads to subscribers.

Under Wheelers' new proposal, internet service providers need to obtain users' affirmative consent before using data about their "sensitive" activity for ad-targeting purposes.

However, the FCC definition of sensitive included not only data the ad industry considered sensitive -- like geo-location data, health information, financial information and social security numbers -- but also web browsing history, app usage history and contents of communications (like the text of emails).