Obama backs effort to give consumers options on cable boxes - seattlepi.com

Something to watch

"FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said that U.S. consumers typically pay $231 a year to rent their cable boxes. According to one analysis, their costs have nearly tripled since 1994 while the cost of computers, televisions and mobile phones have fallen sharply.

"Like the 1980s with telephones, that's a symptom of a market that is cordoned off from competition. And that's got to change," Furman and fellow economic adviser Jeff Zients wrote.

[...]

Obama plans to issue an executive order on Friday calling on federal agencies to explore areas where they could promote more competition. The agencies will be required to report back with their findings in 60 days. The White House calls the cable box issue a "mascot" for the broader initiative."

Obama backs effort to give consumers options on cable boxes - seattlepi.com