Lawmakers: New set-top box rules would promote broadband

Cable's two-way architecture would allow cable providers to more easily accept third-party devices, he added. The FCC proposals could hurt satellite TV providers' ability to compete with cable, he said.

Third-party devices would also create a customer-service nightmare for satellite TV providers, with the providers expected to fix problems with the set-top boxes, he added.

"Allowing third parties to strip out our services ... and develop their own user interface will diminish the industry-leading customer service they expect from DirecTV," he said. "We receive 140 million customer calls a year, including a great number regarding the set-top box. Who will take these calls, and more importantly, who will solve the customers' problems"

Representative John Shimkus, an Illinois Republican, questioned why the FCC needed to create new rules to encourage set-top box competition. Congress and the FCC should let the free market work, he said.

Instead, the FCC should focus on deploying broadband to areas that don't have it, he added.