Cable Circles the DTA Wagons

The blanket “three-year set-top waiver” rule approved by the FCC to allow vendor Evolution Broadband LLC to develop and offer low cost-one-way set top boxes, DTA’s, to the public is being challenged by (Public Knowledge, Free Press, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Open Technology Institute, and U.S. PIRG), which argue that, “the waiver will undermine adoption of CableCARD-capable set-tops and the development of an open retail market for interactive digital cable set-tops and cable-ready TVs.”While this is another attempt to undermine the evolution of digital signals throughout the industry; it is misguided in the attempt to deny a real solution for the Cable Industry in converting analog signals to digital format, thereby opening up more bandwidth for additional programming. It would also, in essence, deprive consumers of more digital programming. The DTA’s are a low cost alternative, under $50, set top box with encryption capabilities for consumers to receive digital signals on older analog TVs.

I agree with the NCTA, ACA, vendors, and programmers in filing a petition to stop any changes in the existing set-top waiver rule. It does not interfere with the current Cable-Card initiative currently underway giving consumers a standard avenue for digital viewing, especially with over $14m already deployed.