Bernie Sanders, one of the leading presidential candidates, wants the people to stop paying cable companies for a set-top box.
Well not exactly for free, but according to a report by the International Business Times, Sanders wants the American people to stop shelling out $232 a year to rent cable companies' set-top boxes. As noted, the U.S. Senator from Vermont, along with seven other U.S. senators, signed a letter Monday that urged the Federal Communications Commission to "unshackle" consumers from cable companies.
The letter was headed by Senator Edward J. Markey and called on FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to address the lack of competition and innovation in the set-top box market. The other senators who signed the letter also asserted that there has been a virtual standstill in the market.
The situation was compared to the interfaces on smartphones, tablets and even desktop computers, as these devices are constantly evolving while on the other hand, the remote controls and channel guides that permeate interfaces on linear television often stifle content discovery, leaving viewers frustrated.
The senators wrote, "We believe the time has arrived for the FCC to enable millions of Americans to access an enormous amount of content in innovative, new, and less costly ways."
Along with Sanders, Markey and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, have been some of the vocal critics of the set-top-box status quo.
But Sanders, although falling behind Democratic frontrunner Hilary Clinton according to CNN, has also been very vocal with his criticism on the cable industry as well.
Just this summer, he was one of the four senators who sent a letter to Wheeler, asking the FCC to investigate the alleged "ridiculous prices" charged by cable providers.
Bernie Sanders is known for his staunch liberal ideals but found himself courting the favour of black voters, the New York Times has learned.
According to the report, the senator used a Democratic primary forum in South Carolina last Friday, to try and reach out to the black voters and convince them that he is the best candidate that suits their needs.
However, statistics show that this particular demographic overwhelmingly favors his closest rival, former first lady, Hilary Rodham Clinton.
Since the event was not an officially sanctioned debate by the Democratic National Committee, the presidential candidates cannot be questioned on stage at the same time. However, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow questioned all of them individually that started with Marin O' Malley and ending with Clinton.
After the event, all candidates engaged in a friendly handshake but Clinton's popularity was apparent so apparent, it was reported that she is the only one to receive a standing ovation.
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