FCC Wants Cable Industry to Adopt Gateway Device to Replace Set-Tops

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing that the cable industry to adopt an open-standard, "gateway" device to replace current set-tops by the end of 2012, and in the meantime make a bunch of fixes to its CableCARD regime by next fall, according to a copy of the FCC's National Broadband Plan.

The cable industry has warned against a one-size-fits-all approach to set tops. The FCC wants the new "gateway" to be a standard interface that "bridges" conditional access, tuning and reception functions, with no additional functionality. The FCC says it should be cheap and allow consumer electronics companies to sell network-neutral devices that can access content independent of any particular MVPD or third party, allowing those consumer electronics companies to design to a common interface, and to open standards. The device will also need to pass through content protection flags from cable operators. The FCC proposed interim milestones to make sure operators were gearing up for the switch, and penalties for those who are not installing the gateways in all new homes, or all box replacements, by Dec. 31, 2012.