Baseball fans and political junkies will be able to watch today’s congressional baseball game no matter where they are — thanks to innovations in streaming technology. The game, which pits Republicans and Democrats against each other on the baseball diamond, will be broadcast on cable and streamed online, so voters from Maine to California can watch their representatives play ball.
That the congressional baseball game — a niche sporting event — is available nationwide proves what we know intuitively: We’re living in a golden age of on-demand viewing, where Americans have virtually unlimited viewing options and can watch what they want, when they want, how they want.
Yet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is under pressure from large station groups to regulate streamers the same way it does cable and satellite providers. If they get their way, smaller and medium platforms may be forced to shutter — leaving viewers with fewer choices and higher fees. The FCC must stand strong and protect streaming innovation.
The station groups claim the regulation is needed to increase the availability of local news on streaming platforms and to create a better experience for viewers. Yet, local news can be easily streamed across the country and Americans report enjoying the nearly limitless choice streaming offers. As a matter of fact if the station groups regulatory desires were fulfilled there would be less local news available via streaming, not more. Simply put, this proposal is a solution in search of a problem.
In fact, local thrives on streaming platforms. YouTube TV offers local television stations in all 210 TV markets, a feat that took the platform mere months, and one that some satellite providers still have yet to accomplish. Roku alone carries a wide variety of video streaming apps featuring local station content, including NewsOn, which makes free local station news available to 165 markets.
This availability helps to explain why Americans report appreciating today’s streaming environment. A recent poll found viewers strongly prefer streaming video (64%) to watching it via cable or satellite (23%) and less than one in five report difficulty with streaming local news. Less than a quarter of Americans would support putting new regulations on streaming platforms.
Streaming TV platforms already work with broadcasters to provide content that includes local news from stations across the country, as well as entertainment and sports programming. Being forced to negotiate with the hundreds of stations across the country would be a burdensome, time-consuming task that would likely reduce the availability of local content on streaming services.
Despite this reality, station groups continue to lobby the FCC for their pet policy. When the agency considered a similar proposal in 2014, it was inundated with comments detailing the potential harm to viewers, content creators, diverse programming, and local news providers. Moreover, the agency concluded it didn't have legal authority to implement such a regulation. In the intervening decade, neither the FCC's authority nor streaming's popularity changed.
Americans who enjoy streaming niche content — such as the congressional baseball game, their college’s track and field meets or Olympic table tennis — should hope the FCC stays strong during this round of lobbying as well.
