FCC Commissioners Vote To Sunset Viewability Rule

Despite some last-minute lobbying by broadcasters and their allies, the Federal Communications Commission members were voting on the night of June 11 on an order to sunset the viewability rules, according to sources inside and outside the FCC.

"Viewability is going down," said one broadcast attorney. That means as of December, cable operators will no longer have to deliver dual analog and digital feeds of must-carry TV station signals to satisfy the FCC requirement that they be viewable to their subscribers. Instead, the FCC says that the no-cost and low-cost converter boxes cable operators offer will satisfy the still-important obligation to make must-carry stations accessible to viewers. While there had been a push by broadcasters to extend the six-month transition period beyond December, it remained six months.