I have asked Cox to remove access restrictions from my INTERNET ONLY account. You see, Cox SELECTIVELY blocks access to online video streaming services and limits access in order to "encourage" the purchase of their traditional cable TV offering. Senate bill 1680 identifies this and other actions as an unfair business practice and would outlaw this and similar practices.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1680
The core of the bill addresses the following:
Consumer Choice in Online Video Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide plain language disclosures to assist consumers in making informed decisions about the purchase of Internet service, including: (1) network management practices that limit service speeds or prioritize content, (2) usage-based billing terms, and (3) information regarding different tiers of service.
Directs ISPs offering usage-based billing to establish an appeals process for consumers to challenge an ISP's determination of a consumer's data usage.
Requires the FCC to extend its truth-in-billing rules to ISPs.
Prohibits ISPs, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), online video distributors (OVDs), and video programming vendors (VPVs), in various circumstances and in their relationships with one another, from engaging in unfair methods of competition, or unfair or deceptive acts or practices, that hinder significantly or prevent an OVD from providing video programming to consumers.
Prohibits MVPDs or OVDs from entering agreements (for periods longer than 30 days) that limit or prohibit a VPV from making its video content available to consumers for free over the Internet.
Permits VPVs to establish different prices, terms, and conditions that: (1) relate to substantial, real, and legitimate business concerns; and (2) are not used in an anticompetitive manner.
Prohibits broadcast television licensees or television networks from: (1) refusing to negotiate with OVDs for the carriage of television content, or (2) restricting an OVD's ability to make such content available to subscribers on any platform or device.
Prohibits broadcast television licensees from providing an over-the-air signal that differs from a retransmission of that signal provided to a MVPD or an OVD, subject to exceptions for certain commercial advertisements embedded in such signal when the variation is not used to increase overall advertising time.