The American Cable Association (ACA) is seeking relief for small cable operators from a proposed rule by the FCC that requires them to provide on-air messages about the transition to digital television.
The trade group said the DTV Consumer Education Initiatives, which would require cable operators to provide on-air DTV transition education, presents a challenge for its smallest members whose systems do not have the technological capability to comply with the requirement.
“Independent cable operators recognize their important role in helping to educate their community about the upcoming transition,” said ACA president Matthew M. Polka. “While many independent cable operators can use their systems to educate their subscribers through inserted advertisements, there are many smaller operators who simply do not have the equipment necessary to comply with such a requirement.”
The ACA requested that the FCC recognize operators who do not have ad insertion capability and adopt “a fair and reasonable exemption” from this one initiative.
