Railing against government regulations is practically a national pastime for businesses except sometimes, regulation has its privileges. That little-acknowledged fact is apparent in a fight before the Federal Communications Commission that could fundamentally shape the future of television.
On one side is a small online video distributor all but begging to be subject to the same old-fashioned regulations that apply to cable companies. On the other are entrenched media giants who argue that the FCC cannot and should not extend the rules they live by to Internet-based competitors.
