But a simpler solution that we are already seeing a bit is to simply require a network connection to function at all; for now, it's just a periodic check, but a persistent connection requirement is all but inevitable in the medium term.
Anecdotally inside my house, phones generally get no/weak cell service but WiFi is accessible anywhere in the house.
Obviously they could include both, but if it were relying only on cellular, my washing machine quite possibly couldn't get a connection
There’s no business model where the STB wants to route Internet traffic on behalf of the TV. Ads on the TV compete with the STB.
> or simply include a cellular modem of some sort.
Yes, an ad platform running over the lower bandwidth but cheap IoT service could justify including this hardware.