Nov 16, 2006
FCC Public Comments
445 12th Street sw
Washington, DC 20554
As a consumer interested in protecting competition, innovation, and
legitimate use of cable TV content, I urge you to refuse requests for
waivers of 47 CFR 76.1204Ia) (1) by NCTA, Charter, Verizon, and all
other cable providers. The FCC's "integration ban," which in
effect requires cable companies to integrate CableCARDs into their own
set-top boxes, remains good policy today.
Now ten years after the Telecommunications Act of 1996, cable
companies have dragged their feet long enough on competitive
alternatives to proprietary set-top boxes, thus hampering innovation
and harming consumers. The "integration ban" will also help
market competition prevent further restrictions on cable subscribers'
ability to make legitimate use of recorded content.
By adopting content protection limits ("encoding rules") in
docket no. 97-80, the Commission recognized the importance of allowing
consumers to make certain uses of TV content, regardless of a
particular cable provider's or copyright holder's wishes. With
competition spurred on by the integration ban, consumers would have
the freedom to choose the least restrictive cable-compatible device
available. The CableCARD standard already prescribes restrictions that
harm consumers by limiting non-infringing uses, and such restrictions
will get even worse if cable providers' set-top boxes are unchecked by
competition.
Please refuse requests for waivers of 47 CFR 76.1204 (a) (1).
Sincerely,
Leon Ramage
14364 Sturbridge Rd NE
Alliance, OH 44601-1103
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