FCC delay on set-tops pleases cable. (Breaking).(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, April, 2003

WASHINGTON--The cable industry, led by the NCTA, is praising an April 25 FCC decision postponing the ban on new integrated set-top boxes once-set for Jan. 1, 2005. The new deadline will be July 1, 2006, but the FCC held out the possibility that, depending on how the market develops, the ban may never have to be instituted.

The ban would require cable operators to separate security devices from electronic-program-guide equipment. The aim has been to create a retail market for set-top boxes rather than leaving the devices in the domain of cable operators.