AT&T Inc. and cable companies led by Comcast Corp. are fighting a U.S. proposal to set terms for licensing new devices that would compete with traditional set-top boxes and let consumers view pay-TV shows.
The approach would “have the effect of chilling innovation” in developing methods for consumers to access pay-TV programming, DirecTV owner AT&T and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, a trade group that includes Comcast, the biggest U.S. cable provider, said in a filing Tuesday to the Federal Communications Commission.