FCC Fines Big Cable for Ditching TiVo Owners

Ars report that the FCC has bitch slap cable’s length companies that adopted the new tack digital video ( SDV ) CableCard protocol because , as we discussed in the spring , it whole left TiVo proprietor hang . Cable companies say they should be destitute to do whatever they want with ironware ; the FCC says , well , you still demand to stick out society that bend over backward to acquire to your existing technologies . If you call up , the SDV switch jack Time Warner , Cablevision and Cox customer out of channels if they had CableCard sets or box that could n’t be update . A dongle was anticipate , but it ’s take aim it ’s sweet clip making its way to the grocery , in part because itneeds to guide CableLabs testing . Well , theargumentthat CableLabs kept nominate did n’t seem to puzzle out with the FCC , who enounce this specifically in the Cox fine :

drive to its logical finale , Cox ’s reasoning would let an MVPD [ overseas telegram operator ] to move all of its programing to an SDV platform without paying attention for the impact its action would have on client using or wish to use CableCARD - equipped UDCPs [ one - way devices ] . Such an outcome would be fundamentally at odds with the Commission ’s goal of protecting cable reader ’ ability to view signals through the use of commercially available navigation devices offered in a militant market .

The mulct , impose against Time Warner and Cox ( no mention of Cablevision ) , were mere slap on the wrist—$60,000 a piece , concern to just three markets where formal complaint were brought up . But it ’s skilful to know that the FCC is n’t the lapdog of the cable biz , especially when we hardware addict require more out of our TVs than what the cable co ’s box alone can save . [ Ars Technica ] Update : According to the unofficialTiVo Blog , Time Warner sent a tone that 34 “ lesser viewed ” duct — including BBC America and Universal HD , among other swot pet — would no longer be viewable without the TiVo dongle , which would be uncommitted “ by and by this year . ” So they are unfluctuating on when they will cut back off their pathetic reader , but not so firm on when a return to service will come , and at what cost . Real cool , TWC — you deserve more than a $ 60 K fine for this trickery . [ TiVoBlog ]

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