With a 5-0 vote against the extension of "program access" rule enacted two decades back, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has freed cable operators from the obligation of providing their non-sports cable channels to competing satellite and telephone companies which also offer video services.

The FCC's unanimous decision against renewing the program-sharing rule led to the expiry of the rule on Friday; thereby enabling cable providers - like Time Warner Cable - to keep back their non-sports programming from rivals.

Till the time the sharing rule was in place, it was mandatory for cable companies which own content such as local sports networks to license "must-see" channels - on reasonable terms - to satellite broadcasters and other rivals.

The program-sharing rule, which FCC has now allowed to expire, was implemented 20 years back, in an attempt to increase competition to cable companies, especially with their earlier dominance waning because of the consumers' shift towards Dish Network, DirecTV, and other pay-TV providers.

About the FCC's decision to let the program-sharing rule expire, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski reiterated the agency's focus on "promoting competition and protecting consumers in the evolving video market;" and said that the unanimous decision against the extension of the rule will enable FCC "to continue preventing anticompetitive video distribution arrangements through a legally sustainable, expeditious, case-by-case review."