Federal Communications Commission § 76.606
the change in delay time of the chro- NOTE 1: Local franchising authorities of minance component of the signal rel- systems serving fewer than 1000 subscribers ative to the luminance component, may adopt standards less stringent than shall be within 170 nanoseconds. those in § 76.605(a). Any such agreement shall be reduced to writing and be associated with (ii) The differential gain for the color the system’s proof-of-performance records. subcarrier of the television signal, which is measured as the difference in NOTE 2: For systems serving rural areas as defined in § 76.5, the system may negotiate amplitude between the largest and with its local franchising authority for smallest segments of the chrominance standards less stringent than those in signal (divided by the largest and ex- §§ 76.605(a)(3), 76.605(a)(7), 76.605(a)(8), pressed in percent), shall not exceed 76.605(a)(10) and 76.605(a)(11). Any such agree- ±20%. ment shall be reduced to writing and be asso- (iii) The differential phase for the ciated with the system’s proof-of-perform- color subcarrier of the television signal ance records. which is measured as the largest phase NOTE 3: The requirements of this section difference in degrees between each seg- shall not apply to devices subject to the pro- ment of the chrominance signal and visions of §§ 15.601 through 15.626. reference segment (the segment at the NOTE 4: Should subscriber complaints arise blanking level of O IRE), shall not ex- from a system failing to meet § 76.605(a)(6) ceed ±10 degrees. prior to December 30, 1999, the cable operator will be required to provide a converter that (12) As an exception to the general will allow the system to meet the standard provision requiring measurements to immediately at the complaining subscriber’s be made at subscriber terminals, and terminal. Further, should the problem be without regard to the type of signals found to be system-wide, the Commission carried by the cable television system, may order all converters on the system be signal leakage from a cable television changed to meet the standard. system shall be measured in accord- NOTE 5: Should subscriber complaints arise ance with the procedures outlined in from a system failing to meet § 76.605(a)(10), § 76.609(h) and shall be limited as fol- the cable operator will be required to remedy lows: the complaint and perform test measure- ments on § 76.605(a)(10) containing the full Signal leak- number of channels as indicated in Frequencies age limit Distance in § 76.601(c)(2) at the complaining subscriber’s (micro-volt/ meters (m) terminal. Further, should the problem be meter) found to be system-wide, the Commission Less than and including 54 may order that the full number of channels MHz, and over 216 MHz ...... 15 30 as indicated in § 76.601(c)(2) be tested at all Over 54 up to and including 216 required locations for future proof-of-per- MHz ...... 20 3 formance tests. NOTE 6: No State or franchising authority (b) Cable television systems distrib- may prohibit, condition, or restrict a cable uting signals by using methods such as system’s use of any type of subscriber equip- nonconventional coaxial cable tech- ment or any transmission technology. niques, noncoaxial copper cable tech- niques, specialized coaxial cable and [37 FR 3278, Feb. 12, 1972, as amended at 37 fiber optical cable hybridization tech- FR 13867, July 14, 1972; 40 FR 2690, Jan. 15, niques or specialized compression tech- 1975; 40 FR 3296, Jan. 21, 1975; 41 FR 53028, niques or specialized receiving devices, Dec. 3, 1976; 42 FR 21782, Apr. 29, 1977; 47 FR 21503, May 18, 1982; 50 FR 52466, Dec. 24, 1985; and which, because of their basic de- 51 FR 1255, Jan. 10, 1986; 52 FR 22461, June 12, sign, cannot comply with one or more 1987; 57 FR 11002, Apr. 1, 1992; 57 FR 61010, of the technical standards set forth in Dec. 23, 1992; 58 FR 44952, Aug. 25, 1993; 59 FR paragraph (a) of this section, may be 25342, May 16, 1994; 61 FR 18510, Apr. 26, 1996; permitted to operate: Provided, That 61 FR 18978, Apr. 30, 1996] an adequate showing is made pursuant to § 76.7 which establishes that the pub- § 76.606 Closed captioning. lic interest is benefited. In such in- (a) As of June 30, 1992, the operator of stances, the Commission may prescribe each cable television system shall not special technical requirements to en- take any action to remove or alter sure that subscribers to such systems closed captioning data contained on are provided with an equivalent level line 21 of the vertical blanking inter- of good quality service. val.
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(b) As of July 1, 1993, the operator of on the cable television system should each cable television system shall de- be operated at normal levels to the ex- liver intact closed captioning data con- tent possible. Some exemplary, but not tained on line 21 of the vertical blank- mandatory, measurement procedures ing interval, as it arrives at the are set forth in this section. headend or from another origination (b) When it may be necessary to re- source, to subscriber terminals and move the television signal normally (when so delivered to the cable system) carried on a cable television channel in in a format that can be recovered and order to facilitate a performance meas- displayed by decoders meeting § 15.119 urement, it will be permissible to dis- of this chapter. connect the antenna which serves the [57 FR 11003, Apr. 1, 1992] channel under measurement and to substitute therefor a matching resist- § 76.607 Resolution of complaints. ance termination. Other antennas and Cable system operators shall estab- inputs should remain connected and lish a process for resolving complaints normal signal levels should be main- from subscribers about the quality of tained on other channels. the television signal delivered. These (c) As may be necessary to ensure records shall be maintained for at least satisfactory service to a subscriber, the a one-year period. Aggregate data Commission may require additional based upon these complaints shall be tests to demonstrate system perform- made available for inspection by the ance or may specify the use of different Commission and franchising authori- test procedures. ties, upon request. Subscribers shall be (d) The frequency response of a cable advised, at least once each calendar television channel may be determined year, of the procedures for resolution by one of the following methods, as ap- of complaints by the cable system op- propriate: erator, including the address of the re- (1) By using a swept frequency or a sponsible officer of the local franchis- manually variable signal generator at ing authority. the sending end and a calibrated atten- NOTE: Prior to being referred to the Com- uator and frequency-selective mission, complaints from subscribers about voltmeter at the subscriber terminal; the quality of the television signal delivered or must be referred to the local franchising au- (2) By using either a multiburst gen- thority and the cable system operator. erator or vertical interval test signals [57 FR 61011, Dec. 23, 1992] and either a modulator or processor at the sending end, and by using either a § 76.609 Measurements. demodulator and either an oscilloscope (a) Measurements made to dem- display or a waveform monitor display onstrate conformity with the perform- at the subscriber terminal. ance requirements set forth in §§ 76.601 (e) System noise may be measured and 76.605 shall be made under condi- using a frequency-selective voltmeter tions which reflect system performance (field strength meter) which has been during normal operations, including suitably calibrated to indicate rms the effect of any microwave relay oper- noise or average power level and which ated in the Cable Television Relay has a known bandwidth. With the sys- (CARS) Service intervening between tem operating at normal level and with pickup antenna and the cable distribu- a properly matched resistive termi- tion network. Amplifiers shall be oper- nation substituted for the antenna, ated at normal gains, either by the in- noise power indications at the sub- sertion of appropriate signals or by scriber terminal are taken in succes- manual adjustment. Special signals in- sive increments of frequency equal to serted in a cable television channel for the bandwidth of the frequency-selec- measurement purposes should be oper- tive voltmeter, summing the power in- ated at levels approximating those dications to obtain the total noise used for normal operation. Pilot tones, power present over a 4 MHz band cen- auxiliary or substitute signals, and tered within the cable television chan- nontelevision signals normally carried nel. If it is established that the noise
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