FCC Adopts Proposal Extending Exemption from HD Carriage

In this Sixth Report and Order, the Federal Communications Commission adopts a proposal filed jointly by the American Cable Association and the National Association of Broadcasters that modifies and extends the exemption from the requirement to carry high definition broadcast signals under "material degradation" provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended that the FCC granted to certain small cable systems in 2012. The FCC finds that the joint proposal strikes a reasonable balance between the interests of broadcast stations in having their HD signals transmitted without material degradation and the technical and financial constraints that some small cable operators continue to experience.