Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Aereo: 'Okay, You Can Call Us A Cable Company'
Forbes ^ | 7/10/2014 | Emma Wollacot

Posted on 07/10/2014 4:14:59 PM PDT by Brookhaven

It turns out that Aereo does have a plan B after all: it wants to be classified as a cable company.

After the Supreme Court sided with broadcasters CBS and ABC last month, ruling that the company was infringing their copyright, Aereo’s future has looked doubtful, to say the least. But in a letter to US District Judge Alison Nathan, the company has a plan for its survival.

In the ruling, Aereo’s services were described as “for all practical purposes a traditional cable system”. And, the company now suggests, this is how it should be licensed to operate in future.

“If Aereo is a ‘cable system’ as that term is defined in the Copyright Act, it is eligible for a statutory license, and its transmissions may not be enjoined (preliminarily or otherwise,” the letter reads.

Such a license would force it to pay copyright fees – but these fees would give blanket cover for all the content that Aereo transmits, and would be relatively inexpensive. Without such a license, it claims, it could go under.

Naturally, the broadcasters are up in arms.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: aereo; cable
The cable companies will rue the day they took Aereo to court. Now that the Supreme Court has declared them to be a cable company, that means Aereo has the legal right--as a cable company--to retransmit over-the-air TV transmissions...for a fee.

That fee is set by law at a max of 4% of gross revenues, which would be less than a dollar per customer for Aereo. A cost they could easily work with.

1 posted on 07/10/2014 4:14:59 PM PDT by Brookhaven
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Isn’t their service like $8 a month or something ridiculous?

So 4% of $8.00 is 32 cents.

Here you go Disney, here you go Viacom, Here you go Comcast.... Here’s your 32 cents.

Now STFU and go away.


2 posted on 07/10/2014 4:25:55 PM PDT by PittsburghAfterDark
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

The SC hasn’t ruled on that yet.

I read that Comcast is buying Time Warner. It’s currently being “discussed” in congress whether or not that will constitute a monopoly. In other words, cash is being promised.


3 posted on 07/10/2014 4:30:46 PM PDT by VerySadAmerican (Liberals were raised by women or wimps.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

I want my Aereo back.


4 posted on 07/10/2014 4:42:53 PM PDT by Dacula
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dacula

No money to Commiecast or Tired Warner.


5 posted on 07/10/2014 4:44:57 PM PDT by Dacula
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: PittsburghAfterDark

Yea, another company similar to Aereo had been trying to get themselves declared a cable company so they could take advantage of the cable company mandated retransmission laws, and had been unsuccessful in the lower courts.

The “content providers” (which is code for the current cable companies, since the big content providers like Disney own the cable companies) argued that Aereo was acting like a cable company, so they must fall under the law governing cable companies (which means Aereo had to pay to retransmit over the air content). The Supreme Court agreed.

I bet the big cable companies are kicking themselves now. This has opened the to door not only to Aereo, but to dozens of other companies to become “internet based cable companies.”

The barrier to entry is low (since you don’t have to run any physical cable). You could literally get started by putting an antenna on top of a building and a few computers/servers in the basement.


6 posted on 07/10/2014 4:48:05 PM PDT by Brookhaven
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Please, please don’t throw me in the briar patch...


7 posted on 07/10/2014 5:19:42 PM PDT by Armando Guerra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Virtual cable. Well why not.


8 posted on 07/10/2014 5:22:35 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Dacula
“I want my Aereo back.”

Get a Chromecast for $35. It allows you to cast “certain” videos to your TV - for instance - you can't cast last nights Survivor or NCIS - BUT - you can cast tabs in google chrome browser and if that tab happens to contained a full screen replay of last nights Survivor or NCIS.......

This is an *ahem* unadvertised BETA feature. The above is being very quiet.

9 posted on 07/10/2014 6:25:57 PM PDT by OSHA (One despises and wants to destroy the United States, the other is a dead terrorist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: OSHA

Thanks for the tip.

I enjoyed watching Aereo for $8 a month with over 20 hours of DVR.


10 posted on 07/10/2014 6:32:21 PM PDT by Dacula
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson