American Cable Association president Matt Polka had nothing
but good things to say about the FCC's decision, released Friday, to lift the
ban on cable operator encryption of their digital basic tier.
"The FCC's decision is a true win-win for consumers and
cable operators," he said, "especially providers of cable service in
high-cost rural areas."
Operators don't have to encrypt, but they are not able to,
and Polka says he expects "some" members will soon be taking
advantage of the opportunity soon.
"The ability to service consumers remotely will benefit
cable operators serving rural areas -- many of whom are ACA members -- where
costs to send employees on service calls are higher than for operators in urban
areas because of the greater geographic distance between consumer
locations," said Polka. "Equally important is that the FCC ruling will
mean that cable operators can expect to see a reduction in theft of service,
which should benefit paying consumers who are effectively shouldering the costs
imposed by signal thieves."
TheFCC voted unanimously last week to remove the ban, subject to some
conditions.
