XIT Telecom is the latest company seeking an extension of a July ...
XIT Telecom is the latest company seeking an extension of a July FCC set-top box navigation and security integration ban to Dec. 31. The company wants time to finish digital upgrades at 2 rural cable systems it recently acquired.…
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The upgrades are lagging because of “unexpected transport and integration issues,” said XIT, which has 3,340 cable subscribers at the systems. XIT has Motorola DCT-700 boxes it planned to distribute to customers before the integration ban starts, it said: “If the FCC does not grant the instant waiver request, XIT’s resources devoted to upgrading these small rural systems will have to be diverted to the purchase of replacement set-top boxes that are 2 to 3 times the cost of the boxes XIT” already bought. The company deserves an extension because the FCC recently exempted Charter, GCI Cable and Millennium Telecom, XIT said (CD May 5 p1). Those exemptions, announced May 4, likely will spur a slew of small cable operators to file requests after sitting back while larger companies made requests, said cable lawyers and an industry executive. “You will see both additional waivers and updates to existing waivers” refer to the recent FCC exemptions, said Sunflower Broadband Gen. Mgr. Patrick Knorr. His company is seeking a waiver.