By Robert C. Kenny | March 4, 2015
In September 2014 TVfreedom.org publicly questioned the American Cable Association (ACA) in a letter about how many of its member cable companies have failed to fully transition to digital technology. The questions were presented in the context of potential barriers ACA member cable systems might face if they were to implement a cumbersome and relatively expensive à la carte service on their paid television systems exclusively for local broadcast TV channels.
As of this date, we are still awaiting ACA’s response.
Without ACA’s assistance, we understand that hundreds of small cable systems across the U.S. have yet to fully upgrade to digital.
Even as the Federal Communications Commission wrestles with the core questions related to the IP technology transitions across a myriad of communications industries, its own report reveals that more than 200 small cable systems – those with 5,000 to 20,000 subscribers – remain stuck on outdated analog technology to deliver service to their customers. Furthermore, approximately 400 mid-size and large cable systems, with more than 20,000 subscribers, have yet to migrate to all-digital technology and continue to rely on a hybrid mix of digital and analog technologies.
It’s ironic that the same cable companies who make wildly outlandish claims that broadcasting is “yesterday’s technology” continue to deliver inferior analog service to their viewers years after America’s TV broadcasters completed the full digital television transition across the country.
As members of the American Television Alliance – the Washington pay-TV lobbying machine – ACA’s members have been among the biggest cheerleaders for a 2014 proposal known as “Local Choice” that would’ve drastically changed how broadcast TV is delivered on America’s paid television systems had it become law. Despite skepticism for the proposal in various Washington circles, ACA continues to seek Congressional help to advance legislation that would permit them to create broadcast-TV-only à la carte channel lineups on pay-TV systems.
While lobbying for the Local Choice proposals in Congress, back home the bulk of ACA’s member cable systems have failed to modernize and offer their subscribers the upgraded 21st Century all-digital technologies necessary to support advanced paid television service.
Oddly, in failing to upgrade their own systems, ACA members face certain financial, technical and operational barriers to implementing the broadcast-only à la carte channel lineups for subscribers they say are so desperately needed.
ACA should set its rhetoric aside and instead provide Washington with some straight talk, especially since its members are in town this week for their organization’s 2015 Annual Policy Summit.
Bottom line: broadcast channel viewers and ACA subscribers deserve specific answers on why ACA member cable companies have been slow to transition to 21st Century digital technology.
Kenny is director of Public Affairs for TVfreedom.org, a coalition of local broadcasters, community advocates, network TV affiliate associations and other independent organizations advocating for preserving the retransmission consent regime. He is a former press secretary at the FCC.
