Small cable operators will be hurt by new FCC rules on emergency...
Small cable operators will be hurt by new FCC rules on emergency alert system equipment that require pay-TV providers and others to get and pass onto viewers a new warning format, the American Cable Association said. The ACA said it…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
and the NCTA had asked the commission to exempt cable systems lacking a physical Internet connection at their headends. The agency instead said in an order Wednesday (CD Jan 12 p8) on Part 11 EAS rules for Common Alerting Protocol that alert participants not served by broadband can seek waivers. CAP uses the Internet to send messages from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which developed the standard a few years ago. “Adding to the burden was the FCC’s decision to consider waivers only on a case-by-case basis while suggesting that any waivers granted will be limited to a maximum of six months,” ACA President Matt Polka said Thursday. “Because the FCC did not adopt or even consider a streamlined waiver process, ACA members will have to absorb the added expense of retaining counsel to draft waivers and track their progress within the agency after they have been submitted.” Some cable systems may shut down “prematurely” because of the new rules, Polka said (http://xrl.us/bmoiu9). He asked the commission to “promptly” reconsider the decision. The ACA is considering whether to file a petition for reconsideration, an association spokesman said. A spokeswoman for the Public Safety Bureau, which drafted the order, declined to comment.