FCC Defends Viewability Rule Sunset

The Federal Communications Commission filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia arguing the Commission was justified last fall in sunsetting the requirement that hybrid (digital/analog) cable systems provide must-carry station signals in analog format (the viewability rule, as broadcasters see it; the "dual-carriage" mandate, as cable operators view it).

The National Association of Broadcasters and others filed suit against the ruling, asking that it be overturned and the mandate restored. In its filing, the FCC argues that its decision was consistent with statute and its discretion to interpret that statute, that its interpretation was reasonable and that it gave adequate notice that it was considering a device-based approach (cable operators must make boxes that convert digital signals to analog available at low or no cost).