[EAS] Cable Override

[Weiner, Kevin (CCI-Virginia)]

Building on what Sean said... Please, as always, I am not a lawyer...

The simple answer is this is not simple. Please recall that during the lead up to the first National Test there was significant discussion on the IPAWS calls about this subject. The short answer is technology could not support a method to prevent interrupting all channels. Also, consider the fact that other than linear TV service is delivered by MSOs for example PPV, Music Choice, and Video on Demand to name a few. These must be interrupted.

There are agreements between the MSOs and the broadcasters (sometimes to interrupt, and sometimes not to; I'll share more below) and every effort is made to prevent interrupting the broadcasters' signal when in a non-interrupt agreement. Technology is only now starting to catch up to a point where an MSO can start to deploy a by-channel non-interrupt to meet this. For some legacy devices, i.e. Set Top Box, CableCARD and the host ATSC TV Set, an Out of Band signal is used and the technology (well outside of the scope of this email) does not have provisions for by-channel non-interrupt.

Please, this is not a debate about going all digital, but one thing that going all digital has done was to provide new tools to allow MSOs to better address this subject. Please recall, an MSO had the HD, SD, and Analog versions of a given broadcast. Each one a very different product with ever different topologies. Not interrupting analog was easy, while not interrupting HD and SD, in some cases, did not have a solution. With the new all-digital platform an MSO can now better support by-channel non-interrupt, but only on this new platform. So, now an MSO has a mix of new and legacy platforms with the new platform supporting by-channel non-interrupt, and the legacy platform not there yet, and may never be able to support this.

Again, the simple answer is this is not simple.

Like Sean pointed out an NON-INTERRUPT agreement is the norm. Why would an MSO interrupt on purpose? There are cases (I have a few) where the broadcaster wants the MSO to interrupt them. For example, a broadcaster that is carried by an MSO where the broadcaster is subject to another state's EAS Plan and does not monitor the same LP1, LP2, and NOAA Stations as the MSO...

Did I mention this was not simple?

Kevin