Q: What is an "unserved household"?
A: The Act defines "unserved household" as households that: (1) cannot receive,through the use of a conventional outdoor rooftop antenna, an over-the-air signal of "Grade B intensity" and (2) have not received network affiliated stations via cable within the past 90 days.
Q: What is "Grade B intensity"?
A: Grade B intensity is a term used by the Act as a measure of the strength of the television signal you receive at your home. A Grade B signal will not guarantee a perfectly clear image, but has been determined to be adequate for home viewing.
Q: What does the Commission's Report and Order do?
A: The Commission wants to ensure that consumers who are legitimately "unserved" by local television stations can receive distant network signals from a satellite service. In the Report and Order, we have created ways to better identify unserved consumers through a new on-site measurement test and a method for predicting whether a consumer can get an adequate picture.
Q: Will the Commission's Report and Order permit consumers affected by the court injunctions to retain their satellite-delivered network programming?
A: If the Commission's new testing methods determine that a consumer resides in an "unserved household" and the court accepts this methodology, the consumer may continue to receive network programming via satellite. However, federal courts have determined that a substantial number of satellite subscribers have been receiving CBS and Fox network programming in violation of the Satellite Home Viewer Act ("Act"). The majority of these consumers are not likely to be assisted by the Commission's action and can expect to have their CBS and Fox network programming terminated.
Q: If a consumer does not reside in an "unserved household", when may the consumer expect to have satellite-delivered network programming terminated as required by the court rulings?
A: Under the first injunction issued by the court, subscribers who signed up for CBS and Fox network programming between March 11, 1997 and July 10, 1998, will have their service terminated on February 28, 1999. The second injunction requires that subscribers who signed up for these networks prior to March 11, 1997, will have the networks terminated on April 30, 1999.
Q: Is there anything a consumer can do to retain satellite-delivered network programming?
A: A consumer must determine whether they reside in an "unserved household' by contacting either the satellite company, an antenna technician or the local network affiliates. A signal intensity test may be necessary and a fee may be required.
If a consumer is "unserved" and has not subscribed to cable service within the past 90 days (as required by the Act), the consumer may subscribe to network programming from the satellite company.
If a consumer is "served," the consumer may:
- (1) request a waiver from the local network affiliate station;
- (2) install a rooftop antenna; or
- (3) obtain the network programming from the local cable television company.
Q: Don't all consumers have a "right" to receive network programming from a satellite company?
A: Under the Satellite Home Viewer Act, only those consumers who cannot receive local broadcast signals over the air and have not subscribed to cable service within the past 90 days, are eligible to receive network programming from a satellite television company. The Act establishes this limited exception to the exclusive programming copyrights assigned to television networks and their local affiliates in order to help ensure that all consumers have access to network programming.
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