Obama backs FCC set-top box proposal

telecom | 04/15/2016 8:19 pm EDT

U.S. President Barack Obama is weighing in on his country’s debate over increasing competition to benefit consumers. On Friday, Obama announced “that his administration is calling on the FCC to open up set-top-cable boxes to competition,” said a White House blog post. The Federal Communications Commission began a consultation process on a proposal to free TV subscribers from their leased set-top-box agreements in February. “The Administration is committed to preserving and expanding competition in all markets, because competition enhances consumer welfare...

White House announces program to bring broadband to poor

telecom | 07/15/2015 5:05 pm EDT

The office of U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a program to bring broadband Internet to 275,000 low-income households across the country, in partnership with local governments and Internet service providers. Google Inc. is among the private-sector partners in this program, which will provide its Fiber Internet service at no cost to public housing facilities in Atlanta, Durham, Kansas City and Nashville, with a focus on connecting families with school-age children, the White House said in a press release. Various other companies are also involved, the White House said,...