Proposed compromise to get a unanimous vote

Now that I knew how to start and quit the apps floating around me, I was set for a barrage of demos. The first app I tried was a browser. The Engadget website was preloaded in front of me (it was the live site, too; I refreshed to check the front page stories). After messing around with the internet projected on a wall, I quickly launched into RoboRaid, a first-person shooting game that used spatial mapping of the room (done at the beginning of the demo) to project alien enemy creatures on the walls around me. Seconds into the game, I heard crunching sounds on my left, and I swiftly turned to spot the mini-Transformers-looking creatures bursting out of the walls. I saw them, zapped them, destroyed them. They hurled fireballs at me that I dodged. The game was straightforward. But it illuminated the profound possibilities of projections that are loaded with 3D sound.

While I'm sure some people might enjoy what 4DX is offering, especially for big, dumb action movies, it feels more fitting for short rides at Universal Studios than feature-length films. When I looked around at the audience as Batman and Superman were punching each other, I saw only looks of pain and annoyance from all of the 4DX effects. I understand that theaters need to try new things to combat falling ticket sales, but is this really how they expect to get people away from their couches and Netflix queues?

A proposed compromise to get a unanimous vote including Republican commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Reilly would've put a hard $2 billion per year cap on spending (funding for the program comes from a fee placed on consumer's phone bills). That did not come to fruition, as Pai's chief of staff Matthew Berry told reporters that the chairman Tom Wheeler pressured fellow commissioner Mignon Clyburn to back off of the compromise deal -- which both Wheeler and Clyburn denied. The plan adopted has a soft cap of $2.25 billion per year, which could be adjusted as necessary. According to the LA Times, the program spent $1.5 billion last year, after peaking at $2.2 billion in 2012.

This move comes as the battle between carriers for customer hearts and wallets continues to heat up. Sprint has brought back two-year contracts and is offering double the data allowance for those willing to switch carriers. Verizon and AT&T, on the other hand, are offering up to $650 for people to jump ship. T-Mobile, for its part, will let customers binge on porn.