Source: http://www.fcc.gov/print/node/61923
Timestamp: 2014-11-26 13:59:23
Document Index: 234372958

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 534', '§ 535', '§ 534', 'art 76', '§ 76', '§76', '§ 76']

Word Document [1]PDF Document [2]Text Document [3]	Released: February 18, 2014
10 Section 614(a) of the Communications Act provides that “[e]ach cable operator shall carry, on the cable system of that operator, the signals of local commercial television stations and qualified low power stations as provided in this section.” 47 U.S.C. § 534(a). Section 615(a), 47 U.S.C. § 535(a), imposes a similar requirement to carry “the signals” of qualifying non-commercial television stations. These provisions are known as the “must carry” provisions of the Communications Act. See 47 U.S.C. §§ 534, 535. 11 See Carriage of Digital Television Broadcast Signals: Amendment to Part 76 of the Commission’s Rules, CS Docket No 98-120, Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 22 FCC Rcd 21064, 21065, ¶ 2 (2007) (“Third Report and Order” or “Third Further Notice”); see also 47 C.F.R. §§ 76.56(d)(3) – (5) (2008). We note that cable operators that transition to an all-digital system may carry the signal only in digital format. Id. at 21070, ¶ 15. 12 Id. at 21070, ¶ 16.13 See Fifth Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd at 6532, 6544-46, ¶¶ 6, 17-18.14 See id. at 6537, ¶ 11. The Commission sought to “provide hybrid cable system operators the flexibility to best meet the needs of their subscribers during their move to an all-digital system.” Id. at 6545, ¶ 18. 15 Fifth Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd at 6545, ¶ 18. The Commission determined that a monthly cost of $2 or less for digital equipment would meet the affordability requirement. Id. at 6541, ¶ 14. 16 See 47 C.F.R. §76.1601 (requiring cable operators to “provide written notice to any broadcast television station at least 30 days prior to either deleting from carriage or repositioning that station. Such notification shall also be provided to subscribers of the cable system.”); 47 C.F.R. § 76.1630(b) (requiring cable operators (i) to notify customers of any changes in rates, programming services or channel positions “as soon as possible in writing”; (ii) to give customers notice at least 30 days in advance of such changes if the change is within the control of the cable operator; and (iii) to notify subscribers 30 days in advance of any significant changes in other information listed in Section 76.1602); see also Fifth Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd at 6544, n.89, ¶ 17.
DA 14-209 Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the Fifth Report and Order.17
On February 12, 2013, Charter terminated carriage of KJLA in analog format and began carrying the station exclusively in digital format on Charter’s systems in the Los Angeles DMA, where KJLA is entitled to mandatory carriage.18 On March 5, 2013, KJLA filed a complaint with the Commission. In its complaint, KJLA alleges that Charter did not meet its obligations under the statutory viewability requirement for terminating carriage of KJLA in analog format. More specifically, KJLA claims that Charter did not properly notify the station or its subscribers about Charter’s intent to carry KJLA in only digital format.19 KJLA further claims that Charter’s efforts to provide free equipment to analog subscribers are insufficient.20 Charter responds that it provided the required notifications to both KJLA and its subscribers, and is providing free equipment to requesting customers in accordance with the Fifth Report and Order.21
As an initial matter, we dismiss KJLA’s assertion that Charter’s decision to carry only some broadcast stations, such as KJLA, in only digital format, while carrying other broadcast stations in both digital and analog format, violates Section 614(b)(7) of the Act.22 The Commission, in the Fifth Report and Order, has already rejected such an interpretation by finding that a hybrid cable system operator may comply with the viewability mandate by carrying a must-carry signal in a format that is capable of being viewed by analog customers with equipment made available by the cable operator at no cost or at an affordable cost that does not substantially deter use of the equipment.23 Therefore, as long as Charter is carrying KJLA in a format that is capable of being viewed by all of its Los Angeles DMA subscribers with affordable equipment, it is in compliance with the statutory viewability requirement.24 The Commission did not impose a requirement that cable operators carry broadcasters in a uniform format.25 To the extent that KJLA claims that Charter failed to satisfy its obligations under the statutory viewability requirement, we consider those arguments below. However, we decline to revisit here the Commission’s settled interpretation of the viewability mandate in Section 614(b)(7).
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