Cable’s attempts to reclaim bandwidth has drawn the attention of Congress. House Commerce chmn John Dingell (D-MI) is concerned over Comcast’s decision to require MI subs after Jan 15 to rent a set-top in order to view PEG channels. The move frees up analog bandwidth for advanced services, such as HD and DOCSIS 3.0. Several operators have instituted similar moves, with Bright House moving Tampa’s PEG channels to 100+ spots earlier this month and requiring subs to pay $1/month for a box to view them. Comcast will offer the boxes free for the 1st year for 1 TV. Additional TVs will need to lease a STB. “Your intent to charge consumers as much as an additional $4.20 a month per television set to receive PEG channels is plainly inconsistent with Congressional intent that PEG channels be made available ‘at the lowest reasonable rate,'” Dingell wrote in a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Fri. He gave the MSO until Jan 7 to respond. Comcast said it looks forward to working with Dingell on the issue, noting that most of its competitors (including AT&T and DBS) either don’t carry PEG channels or, if they do, require consumers to have digital boxes to receive them. “With the proposed changes, Michigan customers will be able to access Public, Education & Government (PEG) programming in uniform channel locations across the state, receive those channels in a high-quality digital format, and see even more programming variety, such as new HD channels,” a Comcast spokeswoman said. Dingell doesn’t want PEG channels treated differently from local broadcast channels, both of which are required to be part of Comcast’s basic tier of service.

The Daily

Subscribe

CableLabs Explores a New Connectivity Era That Is About More Than Just Speed

Internet speed records are all the rage these days, with two separate breakthroughs making the headlines recently. One is more in the distant future, but the other hits closer to home.

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

Calendar

Sep 11
2025 Faxies Awards Faxies Nominations Open! Final deadline: 4/4/25
Full Calendar

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 Carley Ashley, [email protected], for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.