November 9, 2012

Inside The Beltway 11/09/12

Paperwork filed at the Federal Communications Commission by Charter asks for a two-year waiver of the agency’s set-top integration ban; there is a precedent, with the FCC granting a similar request from Cablevision. The MSO says it needs to be able to lease to subs integrated set-tops that also support downloadable security as it completes its transition to an all-digital network that relies on downloadable security. Charter plans to deploy STBs containing a chip that would eventually be used for non-integrated downloadable security and would be used for traditional integrated security during a two-year transitional period. The background: Charter already has deployed nearly 3 million CableCARD STBs. Comments to Docket 12-328 are due Nov 30; replies are due Dec 10.