Propsed FCC Regulation Of Cable TV Experiences a Setback

November 27, 2007

This morning, U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chair Kevin Martin told reporters that a forthcoming FCC video competition report will no longer conclude that the cable industry has passed a key milestone that allows the agency to impose additional limits on cable.

The television trade journalTV Week's website instead notes that Martin updated reporters on a seemingly new stance- that the report may raise questions about whether the benchmark has been exceeded and require cable providers to submit better subscriber numbers to the FCC to determine whether it has.

TV Week's Ira Teinowitz notes that Martin had hoped the FCC would conclude that cable was available to 70% of households and more than 70% of those households were now taking it. Passing the so-called 70/70 mark gives the FCC added authority over cable, which Martin and some consumer groups had hoped to use to force cable to add more independent channels and other limits.

The cable television industry joined an unspecified number of the other four FCC commissioners in fighting what had become known in some quarters as the "70/70 conclusion."