FCC Considers Revisions to Inside Home Wiring Rules Amid Convergence of Telephone and Cable Industries

Strategic Insights -

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is examining revisions to its inside home wiring rules in response to the growing convergence of telephone and cable industries. The agency aims to develop simplified and consumer-friendly guidelines to ensure competitive parity, decreased confusion, and increased consumer choice. The Cable Services Bureau is seeking comments on its proposal to create a "common point" for video service providers' wiring and establish technical standards for connecting to a network providing voice, video, and Internet services.

Key Takeaways:

  • The FCC is considering revisions to its inside home wiring rules to accommodate the converging worlds of phone and cable TV industries.
  • The proposed revisions aim to ensure competitive parity, decreased confusion, and increased consumer choice by simplifying the rules.
  • The Cable Services Bureau is seeking comments on creating a "common point" at which a video service provider's wiring ends and a consumer's wiring begins.
  • The FCC is also considering technical standards for connecting to a network providing voice, video, and Internet services.
  • The proposed revisions include the creation of technical standards for connecting to a network that simultaneously may provide voice, video, and other services, such as Internet access.
  • The FCC is seeking comment on whether video service customers should be afforded the same rights as telephone service customers regarding the use of inside wiring and connection of their own equipment to it.

Statistics:

  • The FCC has initiated a rulemaking proceeding (Cable Services docket 95-184) to explore ways in which its inside home wiring rules can be updated to accommodate the converging worlds of the phone and cable TV industries.
  • The proposed rulemaking seeks comment on whether the FCC should continue to have two distinct sets of wiring rules.
  • The FCC has streamlined the existing rules to make them more consumer-friendly, shortening the time for a cable TV operator to remove home wiring from 30 days to seven business days.

Sources:

  • Federal Communications Commission. (1995, December 15). Cable Services Docket No. 95-184.
  • Federal Communications Commission. (1992, December 15). Mass Media Docket No. 92-260.