Today, Public Knowledge launches a new video indicating the Federal Communications Commission could help consumers save $231 a year and stop big cable from squeezing them out of $20 billion in set-top box profits annually. 84 percent of consumers say cable prices are too high, and the FCC’s #UnlockTheBox proposal offers them real relief.

Judge Dolly Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has ruled in a summary judgment that DISH’s Hopper and Sling DVRs (and their associated services) do not infringe copyright. The judge also ruled that consumers do not infringe copyright when they use these devices. This makes it clear that viewers have the right to record programming, play it back anywhere (from a device or through streaming), and in the manner they choose — even without commercials.

Today, the Federal Communications Commission tentatively concluded that online services qualify as “multichannel programming distributors” and asked for further public input on some technical issues. The FCC’s legal conclusion means that certain online services will qualify for competitive protections, among other things.

This is the time of year when we look back and reflect on reasons to be thankful. At Public Knowledge we realize we have a lot to to be thankful for this year, and it is all thanks to your continued support. With that in mind, we thought it only fitting we say a little something. Click the video below to get just a glimpse of some of our reasons to be thankful, and take a minute to look back at what your help and support has accomplished in 2014. It’s also not a bad way to see our normally serious staff take a moment to show off their inner dork.

The FCC is set to vote to repeal its sports blackout rule. Under their contracts with the NFL, local broadcasters cannot air a game that has not sold out (though the game may still be broadcast out of market). Under the sports blackout rule, pay TV operators are not permitted to make out-of-market stations carrying the blacked-out game available to viewers in the team’s local market, even if doing so would otherwise be lawful.

This post authored by Stephanie Nguyen, Researcher at Consumer Reports. Many thanks to Consumer Reports’ Justin Brookman and Maureen Mahoney for contributing to this piece.  A few weeks ago, Public Knowledge convened a panel discussion: How Do We Move Beyond Consent Models in Privacy Legislation? This event featured keynote speaker Senator Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) on […]

This is the time of year when we look back and reflect on reasons to be thankful. At Public Knowledge we realize we have a lot to to be thankful for this year, and it is all thanks to your continued support. With that in mind, we thought it only fitting we say a little something. Click the video below to get just a glimpse of some of our reasons to be thankful, and take a minute to look back at what your help and support has accomplished in 2014. It’s also not a bad way to see our normally serious staff take a moment to show off their inner dork.