NCTA Backs Set-Top Waiver Request
Staff -- Multichannel News, 5/28/2000 8:00:00 PM
Washington-The National Cable Television Association asked the Federal Communications Commission last week to grant waiver requests for AT & T Broadband and Charter Communications Inc. in connection with complying with set-top box rules taking effect July 1.
FCC rules require cable operators to make available to subscribers descrambling cards for insertion in digital and analog-digital boxes that consumers may buy at retail outlets.
AT & T Broadband and Charter said the waiver would apply to a very small number of subscribers, but FCC permission was necessary for about one year to accommodate system upgrades without consumer disruption.
The issue centers on customers who subscribe to digital services and analog tiers or analog premium channels that are scrambled.
For the overwhelming majority of these subscribers, AT & T Broadband and Charter are duplicating the analog signal in digital, allowing customers to buy their digital set-tops at retail and to obtain descrambling cards from the operator.
But in a small number of systems, AT & T Broadband and Charter do not have the channel capacity to duplicate the scrambled analog programming in digital-thus, the need for a waiver until rebuilds are complete.
The companies said the alternatives were not attractive-stacking an analog box on top of the digital box, taking down some analog channels, or dropping the scrambled analog channels.
The Consumer Electronics Association, while formally opposing the waiver, said it could go along should the FCC determine that the number of affected subscribers is as small as the MSOs say.
No related content found.
Featured Company
-
Grab Networks
Created from the merger between Anystream and Voxant Media, Grab Networks offers a comprehensive video operating system and syndication network for profitably publishing video anywhere on the Internet. The system automatically manages, transcodes and tags video assets- turning cl..more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
