Motorola is taking orders for the DCT-700 in the US after Nov 15—there’s just no guarantee operators will be able to get them (Cfax, 11/21). The vendor is preparing for an FCC deadline of July 1 that will prevent US operators from deploying the 700 and other boxes that don’t contain a CableCARD or some sort of separate security. Motorola informed all US MSOs in a letter last month that orders received after Nov 15 "will place continued pressure on supply capabilities and will not allow us to guarantee product availability." Larry Robinson, Moto’s sr dir, digital video solutions product mgmt, says not to take the date as D-Day for the cost effective, low-end DCT-700 in the US. "We’ve been working with out customers for several months to make sure they’re ready to go" for the July 1 deadline, he said. "That’s one piece of an ongoing dialogue. … We’re definitely in the position to support the industry." NCTC confirmed that Moto has been open in communicating these issues, with the 2 working together to promote Webinars and live seminars on the separable security issue. The Nov 15 date serves as a reminder that the FCC has still not acted on a growing list of set-top waiver requests, several of which are many months old, forcing the industry to continue forward with transition plans to costlier boxes. (Motorola has supported the industry’s request to have certain low-end boxes exempted from the July 1 embedded security deadline) What would happen if the FCC suddenly decided to grant the waivers at this late date? "A late change would create challenges for the industry because it’s a quick shift back," Robinson said. "But that said, I think we’re in a position to go whatever direction the FCC drives us [and] ultimately what direction our customers need us to go." Meanwhile, Moto will continue manufacturing the box for customers outside the US.

The Daily

Subscribe
Tuesday–September 16

People

ACA Connects announced that Jack Latzer will serve as its new EVP and COO, starting at the end of September. Latzer was most recently VP, Production Solutions at NCTI , where he worked for more than 20 years

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact us at marketing@cynopsis.com, for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.