KEITH ELLISON 
5TH DISTRICT, MINNESOTA 
2263 RAYBURN House OFFICE BUILDING 
WASHINGTON, DC 20515 
(202) 225-4755 
2100 PLYMOUTH AVENUE N ORTH 
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55411 
(612) 522-121 2 CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
ellison.house.gov 
TWITTER: @keithellison 
The Honorable Thomas Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 12111 Street SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler, 
September 7, 2016 
CHIEF DEPUTY WHIP 
CO-CHAIR CONGRESSIONAL 
PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS 
FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITIEE 
SuacOMMITIEE ON 
O VERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS 
SUBCOMMITIEE ON CAPITAL MARKETS AND 
GOVERNMENT SPONSORED ENTERPRISES 
SUBCOMMITIEE ON 
HOUSING AND INSURANCE 
I write to express support for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s efforts to 
unlock the cable set-top box market. The cun-ent framework requiring consumers to rent set-top 
boxes from their TV provider is anti-competitive and bad for consumers. Unlocking the set-top 
box market is a necessary step towards justice for consumers and will benefit the industry as a 
whole. 
Currently, ninety-nine percent of cable TV subscribers are required to lease a set-top 
box from their cable or satellite provider. Because choices are often limited to just one or two 
providers in any given area, cable companies charge monopoly rates for access to the content 
they provide. On average, rental fees total 231 dollars per year for the average household. Since 
1994, the cost of a cable set-top box has increased by 185 percent. For comparison, the cost of 
televisions, computers, and mobile phones has dropped 90 percent since that year. 
Opponents and skeptics of unlocking the set-top box market have expressed concern that it could 
hinder minority-focused programming or programming created by people of color. There are 
very few networks that provide this type of programming, or that are owned by people of color in 
the current pay- TV landscape. In fact, minority viewers and content creators are the most 
harmed by the status quo. According to a 20 16 UCLA study of the 2013-2014 television season, 
ninety-two percent of creators of scripted cable shows were white and eighty-two percent were 
men, while ninety-two percent of the lead actors of these shows were white and sixty-five 
percent were men. Demand for minority-focused programming has the potential to be met by 
existing online video services like YouTube and Netflix, and minority owned companies like 
Kweli TV and MiTu TV, since barriers to entry on the internet are lower than for cable TV. 
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Thank you for your commitment to ending the excessive and arbitrary fees charged to pay-tv 
consumers, and ensuring a more competitive television industry. I support the FCC's efforts to 
"unlock" set-top boxes and rectify a monopolistic system that has overcharged customers for 
much too long. 
Sincerely,