Any exemption for cable operators from FCC viewability rules will...
Any exemption for cable operators from FCC viewability rules will confuse viewers, NAB officials told an aide to FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein last week. Commissioners are poised to approve an order exempting small cable systems from a requirement to…
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carry HD signals of broadcasters guaranteed cable carriage (CD Aug 14 p11). Viewers told by cable operators that every cable-connected set will work after the DTV transition expect to get all broadcast signals in digital after Feb. 17, an NAB ex parte said Wednesday. “This message simply will not be true for the millions of cable subscribers who will not have access to any must-carry stations in digital format if a blanket exemption is granted.” Writing Thursday in response to NAB, the American Cable Association said it doesn’t think the any blanket waiver to viewability rules is on the table, citing “numerous meetings at the Commission.” Instead, the group said, the agency is weighing a “reasonable exemption” from material degradation rules. There’s no reason for cable subscribers to be confused about whether they'll get digital broadcasts after the analog cutoff, it said. “Consumers will be no more puzzled receiving a broadcast signal in an analog format than they would be in purchasing a digital-to-analog converter box.”