FCC Approves New Set-Top Box Waivers
The FCC has granted a new round of set-top box waivers, which backers of the plan say would make it far less expensive for customers of small cable operators to watch digital television and more cost-effective for cable providers to reclaim analog bandwidth and become all-digital platforms. Motorola, Cisco, Pace and Thomson were the recipients of three-year waivers for "low-cost, limited capacity" boxes, according to an order from the FCC Media Bureau. The boxes covered by the waivers allow consumers to watch digital programming on analog receivers but do not support HD programming, DVR functionality or broadband access.
The American Cable Association, which represents small cable companies, urged the Commission to go a step further by granting waivers for low-cost digital set-tops that can process HD programming. The approved boxes also would not include CableCards, which perform signal security operations on set-tops supplied both by cable operators and third-party vendors. Prior to its new waiver policy, the FCC required cable operators to rely on set-top boxes with the separate security CableCard.
Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn issued a statement saying she was disappointed with the FCC action. The waivers "lock in advantages the cable companies already have while offering consumers set-top boxes with fewer features than they might otherwise get in an open market," she said. The larger issue, according to Sohn, is whether the Commission is doing what Congress required in 1996 when the Telecom Act promised an open, competitive market for full-featured set-top boxes.
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