DirecTV, NCTA Attack AllVid Revival Efforts in TiVo, Nagra Waiver Proceedings
Pay-TV distributors attacked efforts by the CEA and AllVid Tech Company Alliance to revive their AllVid policy goals in the context of two set-top box waiver proceedings. In reply comments to waiver requests from TiVo and Nagra USA, DirecTV and the NCTA each took aim at the CEA and AllVid alliance’s arguments that the FCC should clarify what industry standard will be an acceptable home-networking replacement for the phased-out IEEE 1394 connection (CD Sept 25 p10).
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The groups “fail to recognize ... that locking a government-imposed technology mandate will derail ongoing market-based initiatives and constrain future innovation,” DirecTV said (http://xrl.us/bnscag). “The narrow request that is the subject of this [TiVo waiver] proceeding should not be hijacked by those with a larger and largely unrelated agenda.” CEA has been “vehement” in its opposition to similar technological proscriptions when its own members are implicated, the NCTA said (http://xrl.us/bnscd4). It cited congressional testimony and public statements from CEA CEO Gary Shapiro regarding FM receivers in mobile phones (CD July 6 p9).
NCTA supported Verizon’s suggestion, included in its initial comments, that the Media Bureau should extend any relief from the Dec. 1 output deadline granted to TiVo to all parties. “Work in the DLNA and other fora is ongoing, and cable operators cannot control the timing or process of industry-wide standards bodies,” it said of the Digital Living Network Alliance. “All parties, as well as consumers would benefit from more time to implement the final standards in their offerings,” even after they are adopted, NCTA said.
But the bureau should provide some guidance on what will qualify as an open industry standard under the rule TiVo is seeking a waiver from, the AllVid alliance said (http://xrl.us/bnscgk). Without such clarification, companies such as TiVo won’t know whether their devices are compliant or whether consumers who buy retail devices will get all the benefits promised by open standards if each cable operator chooses its own, it said. CEA argued that the FCC needs to assure its rules are not undermined “by proprietary overlays, requirements or limitations imposed by cable operators or content providers” (http://xrl.us/bnscho): “Any action by the Bureau that abides limitations on secure, standard technologies would contravene core Commission rules and policy."
Nagra said it isn’t seeking relief from the home-networking rule. But to the extent the commission modifies or clarifies it, “then devices subject to this waiver will also be assured of interoperability” (http://xrl.us/bnsci5), the company said. “On the other hand, if the requirements ... are unchanged or not successful in requiring interoperability, the CableCARD requirements ... will continue to also be unsuccessful in ensuring a competitive marketplace -- and consumers will continue to be hindered receiving the advantages of supporting connected televisions."
The RVU Alliance said its home networking standard version 1.0 is available and complies with the commission’s output requirements at issue (http://xrl.us/bnscjy). The alliance “has developed a complete specification and certification capability to facilitate the development and deployment of interoperable RVU-certified devices,” it said, without taking a position on TiVo’s waiver request.