You May Soon Be Able to Watch Local Broadcast TV on the Internet

These days you can cut the cord and watch just about anything you want online, from live sports to Game of Thrones. However, one key piece of the puzzle is still missing: live local channels. Yes, you can gain get these channels over the air with an antenna, but if you're looking to watch online, well, not so fast, my friend.

While there's been a little progress in the area, with Sling TV offering ABC and FOX in select markets, and PlayStation Vue offering more locals in several markets, it's still extremely fractured. Hell, even CBS All Access, the network's official streaming service, doesn't offer live local streams in 20 percent of the country. And in those areas where CBS offers cord cutters a live feed, licensing deals still keep you from watching the NFL and other popular programming with annoying blackouts.

However, a new player is entering the streaming game who seeks to change the way local channels are handled. Telletopia, a non-profit streaming service, plans on making live locals available with a 24/7 live stream via the internet across the United States.

This sounds eerily similar to what Aereo tried (and failed) to do back in 2014. However, an FAQ sheet Telletopia sent Motherboard is adamant that Telletopia is different, going as far as to say their service was "the exact opposite of Aereo." In essence, Aereo attempted to exploit a loophole in the law "that dealt with cloud DVR, not with retransmission of local broadcasts." The FAQ also asserts that while "Aereo was attempting to disrupt the entire broadcast industry," Telletopia wants to be "beneficial to broadcasters at all levels."

That said, there's still one thing standing in their way: the law.

"If you want to retransmit, you have to get consent from the broadcasters," Gary Koerper, CEO and co-founder of Telletopia, told Motherboard. "By law, you have to be cable, satellite, or telecom to even approach the broadcasters." Specifically, you have to be labeled a multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), a term which currently only includes the Comcasts and Time Warners of the world. So by default, small upstarts like Telletopia are at an immediate competitive disadvantage.

So what does Telletopia plan to do about it?

"We're trying to work with the FCC to fix the communications law," Koerper said. And they've created the TV Neutrality Alliance to help them convince the powers that be. Their goal is to get online video distributors (OVDs) to be classified as MVPDs, which would give them equal footing with the big guys.

"The FCC doesn't make law, but they can reinterpret it. The way we are approaching it is to say that if you carry multiple channels of live pre-programmed video, you're part of this small fraternity," Koeper explained. And if you can be part of this small fraternity, you gain the right to approach the broadcasters and begin negotiations, which would create more competition.

Interestingly enough, according to Koeper, "the FCC agrees to create competition." So what's the hold up? Why did Telletopia have to create the TV Neutrality Alliance to try and force the decision through?

Koeper asserts that there are innocent bystanders who could get "sucked in" if the FCC reinterprets the law. For example, under this new definition, Amazon would become part of the group since they carry live channels on Twitch. As a result, they'd be subject to new regulations—and why would they want that?

The TV Neutrality Alliance is recommending a small tweak to the verbiage that it says will fix the issue. "So we are saying, if [Amazon and similar companies] don't make the decision to carry local broadcasts, or carry History channel [for example] and follow the rules that go along with it, then they don't have to worry about the rules."

In other words, Amazon or Netflix or whoever can basically opt out of the classification, thus opting out of the regulations.

Seems logical enough. But will it convince the FCC to make the necessary changes? Koeper said that they FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler "started out trying to fix this problem" but he only received two of the three votes he needed to make it happen. "Wheeler has eight months left of his term, and he's trying to focus on one thing," Koeper said. And the TV Neutrality Alliance wants that "one thing" to be gaining that last vote for their ruling.

With the proposed competition undoubtedly being good for us as consumers, do we have any say in the matter? Yep, simply tell the FCC you want live local TV available online by filling out this form.