Other Rules Changes May Follow Emailed Cable Annual Notifications, O'Rielly Says

The FCC's letting cable operators email customers annual notifications potentially could extend to the agency allowing for distribution to a customer's online account instead of email, or notices for retransmission consent elections moving to email, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said in a statement released Wednesday alongside the electronic annual notice declaratory ruling. O'Rielly said the ruling "comports nicely with our overall push to recognize the current realities of business communications and realize efficiencies by permitting, or in some cases requiring, paper transmissions to go electronic." The ruling said emailing annual notices "will greatly ease the burden of complying" with Section 76.1602(b) of rules requiring cable operators notify subscribers at least annually, and on request, of services offered and pricing as well as installation and maintenance policies, with that relief especially felt by small cable operators. A coalition of local governments that wanted conditions on the NCTA/American Cable Association petition (see 1606130028), emailed us, “While local government supported the move to paperless notices, we felt that the cable industry’s petition, as filed, was short on consumer protections. While we continue to review the order, we believe on balance that the Commission and the industry took our concerns very seriously. That fact is reflected in that Order modified the petition to address many, if not all, of our concerns.”