TV usage: Set-top boxes should be freely selectable
Users of digital television should no longer have to use the set-top box of their cable network provider. The federal government wants to amend the law to ensure that they have a free choice of reception device.
According to SDA, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) opened a hearing on Wednesday. Interested parties have until May 10 to comment. A set-top box is required to receive digital television. This device is rented out by the providers, which has been criticized since the early days of digital television. The digital signals are encrypted so that an alternative set-top box cannot simply be purchased, and there have been increasing calls for a ban on encryption. However, the regulation that the federal government is now proposing does not ban encryption. Rather, the providers themselves can decide how they want to guarantee the free choice of set-top box, as the Uvek writes in a report.
If providers do not forego encryption, they will now be obliged to offer their customers a basic package of at least 50 television channels that can also be consumed with freely available set-top boxes. This requires them to offer an access authorization system with plug-in cards that can be inserted into third-party receivers. The Uvek stipulates that the plug-in card system may not be more expensive than the subscription price for the basic offer with a separate set-top box.
Exemption for Swisscom
For the time being, the new obligation does not apply to telecommunications service providers such as Swisscom, which distribute their programs via the Internet Protocol (IPTV) (formerly Bluewin TV). Unlike cable network operators and Internet TV providers, they benefit from a two-year transitional arrangement. This is justified for technical reasons, writes the Uvek. The decoding of program offerings via IPTV is currently only possible with the provider's own set-top box. IPTV is a comparatively young technology, the Uvek points out.
If providers do not forego encryption, they will now be obliged to offer their customers a basic package of at least 50 television channels that can also be consumed with freely available set-top boxes. This requires them to offer an access authorization system with plug-in cards that can be inserted into third-party receivers. The Uvek stipulates that the plug-in card system may not be more expensive than the subscription price for the basic offer with a separate set-top box.
Exemption for Swisscom
For the time being, the new obligation does not apply to telecommunications service providers such as Swisscom, which distribute their programs via the Internet Protocol (IPTV) (formerly Bluewin TV). Unlike cable network operators and Internet TV providers, they benefit from a two-year transitional arrangement. This is justified for technical reasons, writes the Uvek. The decoding of program offerings via IPTV is currently only possible with the provider's own set-top box. IPTV is a comparatively young technology, the Uvek points out.
