Cable continues to exert pressure on the FCC, hoping to push the agency to rule on delaying a July 1 deadline for cable ops to begin only deploying set-tops with CableCARDs. But Thurs’ letter to the FCC was novel in that it came from 11 programming nets instead of cable ops. The July 1 rules “will adversely affect our ability to provide new and innovative content and services to cable customers,” stated the letter, whose signers include Landmark, Disney, Turner, BET, Showtime, Discovery, Oxygen, MTVN, A&E Nets, TV One and NBCU. The programmers pointed to the hundreds of millions of dollars operators say they will have to divert to CableCARD implementation and deployment—money they won’t have to spend on programming or new services. NCTA has asked the FCC to delay the ban until downloadable security is ready or 2010, whichever comes first. On Tues, NCTA CEO Kyle McSlarrow fired off a letter to the Dept of Commerce and FCC chmn Kevin Martin, warning that the ban could endanger the digital transition.

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USF Prevails: Supreme Court Upholds FCC Subsidy Program

The FCC’s Universal Service Fund survived a legal challenge that claimed the $8 billion subsidy program is unconstitutional as currently constructed.

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