At the Portals

A bevy of public interest groups are voicing concerns over cable’s OCAP plans, telling the FCC that the proprietary platform gives the cable industry "undue control over the customer’s equipment." The 9 groups, which include Public Knowledge and the New America Foundation, want a rulemaking to solicit comment on CEA’s 2-way plug & play proposal. Specifically, they want non-cable companies to have more opportunities to create CableCARD devices that allow control of 2-way services. Major CE makers have signed on to the OpenCable platform and are currently manufacturing 2-way DTV products. "We welcome the FCC seeking comment on proposals to bring ‘two-way’ plug and play products to market as soon as possible, as we had urged the Commission to do almost 2 years ago when NCTA submitted cable’s solution to making two-way a reality," an NCTA spokesman said.