Carriage of Digital Television Broadcast Signals

This Third Report and Order finalizes the material degradation requirements adopted by the Commission in 2001, and establishes two alternative approaches that cable operators may use to meet their responsibility to ensure that cable subscribers with analog television sets can continue to view all must-carry stations after the end of the DTV transition. The Commission adopts rules to ensure that cable subscribers will continue to be able to view broadcast stations after the transition, and that they will be able to view those broadcast signals at the same level of quality in which they are delivered to the cable system. The Commission announces these rules now to ensure that cable operators and broadcasters have sufficient time to prepare to comply with them.