“We applaud the Commission for adopting a Notice of Inquiry that will explore how best to achieve a competitive retail marketplace for devices that can access the video services of all multichannel providers. We are very pleased that the Notice appears to be consistent with the series of consumer principles governing video devices which we have submitted to the Commission, especially in its recognition that the appropriate solution must involve all multichannel video providers.

“We also welcome and applaud the Commission’s targeted examination of the current CableCARD regime, particularly the proposal to increase our industry’s ability to deploy low cost high-definition Digital Terminal Adapters. Low cost digital adapters are a vital tool for all cable systems to recapture bandwidth that can be used to provide consumers with faster broadband speeds, more HD channels, and other interactive services.”

In a March 12, 2010 letter (attached) to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, NCTA pledged the cable industry’s commitment to a series of consumer principles which would serve as the foundation for inter-industry and government efforts to develop a fully-competitive and innovative retail video device marketplace.  The seven principles are:

  1. Consumers should have the option to purchase video devices at retail that can access their multichannel provider’s video services without a set-top box supplied by that provider.
  2. Consumers should also have the option to purchase video devices at retail that can access any multichannel provider’s video services through an interface solution offered by that provider.
  3. Consumers should have the option to access video content from the Internet through their multichannel provider’s video devices and retail video devices.
  4. Consumers should have the option to purchase video devices at retail that can search for video content across multiple content sources, including content from their multichannel provider, the Internet, or other sources.
  5. Consumers should have the option to easily and securely move video content between and among devices in their homes.
  6. Consumers should be assured the benefits of continuous innovation and variety in video products, devices and services provided by multichannel providers and at retail.
  7. To maximize consumer benefits and to ensure competitive neutrality in a highly dynamic marketplace, these principles should be embraced by all video providers, implemented flexibly to accommodate different network architectures and diverse equipment options, and, to the maximum extent possible, serve as the basis for private sector solutions, not government technology mandates.

# # #