Goto Section: 76.3 | 76.6 | Table of Contents
FCC 76.5
Revised as of October 1, 2006
Goto Year:2005 |
2007
Sec. 76.5 Definitions.
(a) Cable system or cable television system. A facility consisting of a set
of closed transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception,
and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service which
includes video programming and which is provided to multiple subscribers
within a community, but such term does not include:
(1) A facility that services only to retransmit the television signals of
one or more television broadcast stations;
(2) A facility that serves subscribers without using any public
right-of-way;
(3) A facility of a common carrier which is subject, in whole or in part, to
the provisions of Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
except that such facility shall be considered a cable system to the extent
such facility is used in the transmission of video programming directly to
subscribers, unless the extent of such use is solely to provide interactive
on-demand services;
(4) An open video system that complies with Section 653 of the
Communications Act; or
(5) Any facilities of any electric utility used solely for operating its
electric utility systems.
Note to paragraph (a): The provisions of Subparts D and F of this part shall
also apply to all facilities defined previously as cable systems on or
before April 28, 1985, except those that serve subscribers without using any
public right-of-way.
(b) Television station; television broadcast station. Any television
broadcast station operating on a channel regularly assigned to its community
by Sec. 73.606 or Sec. 73.622 of this chapter, and any television broadcast station
licensed by a foreign government: Provided, however, That a television
broadcast station licensed by a foreign government shall not be entitled to
assert a claim to carriage, program exclusivity, or retransmission consent
authorization pursuant to subpart D or F of this part, but may otherwise be
carried if consistent with the rules on any service tier. Further provided
that a television broadcast station operating on channels regularly assigned
to its community by both Sec. Sec. 73.606 and 73.622 of this chapter may assert a
claim for carriage pursuant to subpart D of this part only for a channel
assigned pursuant to Sec. 73.606.
(c) Television translator station. A television broadcast translator station
as defined in Sec. 74.701 of this chapter.
(d) Grade A and Grade B contours. The field intensity contours defined in
Sec. 73.683(a) of this chapter.
(e) Specified zone of a television broadcast station. The area extending
56.3 air km (35 air miles) from the reference point in the community to
which that station is licensed or authorized by the Commission. A list of
reference points is contained in Sec. 76.53. A television broadcast station that
is authorized but not operating has a specified zone that terminates
eighteen (18) months after the initial grant of its construction permit.
(f) Major television market. The specified zone of a commercial television
station licensed to a community listed in Sec. 76.51, or a combination of such
specified zones where more than one community is listed.
(g) Designated community in a major television market. A community listed in
Sec. 76.51.
(h) Smaller television market. The specified zone of a commercial television
station licensed to a community that is not listed in Sec. 76.51.
(i) Significantly viewed. Viewed in other than cable television households
as follows: (1) For a full or partial network station—a share of viewing
hours of at least 3 percent (total week hours), and a net weekly circulation
of at least 25 percent; and (2) for an independent station—a share of
viewing hours of at least 2 percent (total week hours), and a net weekly
circulation of at least 5 percent. See Sec. 76.54.
Note: As used in this paragraph, “share of viewing hours” means the total
hours that noncable television households viewed the subject station during
the week, expressed as a percentage of the total hours these households
viewed all stations during the period, and “net weekly circulation” means
the number of noncable television households that viewed the station for 5
minutes or more during the entire week, expressed as a percentage of the
total noncable television households in the survey area.
(j) Full network station. A commercial television broadcast station that
generally carries in weekly prime time hours 85 percent of the hours of
programing offered by one of the three major national television networks
with which it has a primary affiliation (i.e., right of first refusal or
first call).
(k) Partial network station. A commercial television broadcast station that
generally carries in prime time more than 10 hours of programming per week
offered by the three major national television networks, but less than the
amount specified in paragraph (j) of this section.
(l) Independent station. A commercial television broadcast station that
generally carries in prime time not more than 10 hours of programing per
week offered by the three major national television networks.
(m) A network program is any program delivered simultaneously to more than
one broadcast station regional or national, commercial or noncommercial.
(n) Prime time. The 5-hour period from 6 to 11 p.m., local time, except that
in the central time zone the relevant period shall be between the hours of 5
and 10 p.m., and in the mountain time zone each station shall elect whether
the period shall be 6 to 11 p.m. or 5 to 10 p.m.
Note: Unless the Commission is notified to the contrary, a station in the
mountain time zone shall be presumed to have elected the 6 to 11 p.m.
period.
(o) Cablecasting. Programming (exclusive of broadcast signals) carried on a
cable television system. See paragraphs (y), (z) and (aa) (Classes II, III,
and IV cable television channels) of this section.
(p) Origination cablecasting. Programing (exclusive of broadcast signals)
carried on a cable television system over one or more channels and subject
to the exclusive control of the cable operator.
(q) Legally qualified candidate. (1) Any person who:
(i) Has publicly announced his or her intention to run for nomination or
office;
(ii) Is qualified under the applicable local, State or Federal law to hold
the office for which he or she is a candidate; and
(iii) Has met the qualifications set forth in either paragraphs (q)(2), (3)
or (4) of this section.
(2) A person seeking election to any public office including that of
President or Vice President of the United States, or nomination for any
public office except that of President or Vice President, by means of a
primary, general or special election, shall be considered a legally
qualified candidate if, in addition to meeting the criteria set forth in
paragraph (q)(1) of this section, that person:
(i) Has qualified for a place on the ballot, or
(ii) Has publicly committed himself or herself to seeking election by the
write-in method and is eligible under applicable law to be voted for by
sticker, by writing in his or her name on the ballot or by other method, and
makes a substantial showing that he or she is a bona fide candidate for
nomination or office.
Persons seeking election to the office of President or Vice President of the
United States shall, for the purposes of the Communications Act and the
rules thereunder, be considered legally qualified candidates only in those
States or territories (or the District of Columbia) in which they have met
the requirements set forth in paragraphs (q) (1) and (2) of this rule;
except that any such person who has met the requirements set forth in
paragraphs (q) (1) and (2) in at least 10 States (or nine and the District
of Columbia) shall be considered a legally qualified candidate for election
in all States, territories and the District of Columbia for purposes of this
Act.
(3) A person seeking nomination to any public office except that of
President or Vice President of the United States, by means of a convention,
caucus or similar procedure, shall be considered a legally qualified
candidate if, in addition to meeting the requirements set forth in paragraph
(q)(1) of this section, that person makes a substantial showing that he or
she is a bona fide candidate for such nomination; except that no person
shall be considered a legally qualified candidate for nomination by the
means set forth in this paragraph prior to 90 days before the beginning of
the convention, caucus or similar procedure in which he or she seeks
nomination.
(4) A person seeking nomination for the office of President or Vice
President of the United States shall, for the purposes of the Communications
Act and the rules thereunder, be considered a legally qualified candidate
only in those States or territories (or the District of Columbia) in which,
in addition meeting the requirements set forth in paragraph (q)(1) of this
section.
(i) He or she, or proposed delegates on his or her behalf, have qualified
for the primary of Presidential preference ballot in that State, territory
or the District of Columbia, or
(ii) He or she has made a substantial showing of bona fide candidacy for
such nomination in that State, territory of the District of Columbia; except
that such person meeting the requirements set forth in paragraph (q) (1) and
(4) in at least 10 States (or nine and the District of Columbia) shall be
considered a legally qualified candidate for nomination in all States,
territories and the District of Columbia for purposes of the Act.
(5) The term “substantial showing” of bona fide candidacy as used in
paragraph (q) (2), (3) and (4) of this section means evidence that the
person claiming to be a candidate has engaged to a substantial degree in
activities commonly associated with political campaigning. Such activities
normally would include making campaign speeches, distributing campaign
literature, issuing press releases, maintaining a campaign headquarters
(even though the headquarters in some instances might be the residence of
the candidate or his campaign manager). Not all of the listed activities are
necessarily required in each case to demonstrate a substantial showing, and
there may be activities not listed herein which would contribute to such a
showing.
(r) Class I cable television channel. A signaling path provided by a cable
television system to relay to subscriber terminals television broadcast
programs that are received off-the-air or are obtained by microwave or by
direct connection to a television broadcast station.
(s) Class II cable television channel. A signaling path provided by a cable
television system to deliver to subscriber terminals television signals that
are intended for reception by a television broadcast receiver without the
use of an auxilliary decoding device and which signals are not involved in a
broadcast transmission path.
(t) Class III cable television channel. A signaling path provided by a cable
television system to deliver to subscriber terminals signals that are
intended for reception by equipment other than a television broadcast
receiver or by a television broadcast receiver only when used with auxiliary
decoding equipment.
(u) Class IV cable television channel. A signaling path provided by a cable
television system to transmit signals of any type from a subscriber terminal
to another point in the cable television system.
(v) Subscriber terminal. The cable television system terminal to which a
subscriber's equipment is connected. Separate terminals may be provided for
delivery of signals of various classes. Terminal devices interconnected to
subscriber terminals of a cable system must comply with the provisions of
part 15 of this Chapter for TV interface devices.
(w) System noise. That combination of undesired and fluctuating disturbances
within a cable television channel that degrades the transmission of the
desired signal and that is due to modulation processes or thermal or other
noise-producing effects, but does not include hum and other undesired
signals of discrete frequency. System noise is specified in terms of its rms
voltage or its mean power level as measured in the 4 MHz bandwidth between
1.25 and 5.25 MHz above the lower channel boundary of a cable television
channel.
(x) Terminal isolation. The attenuation, at any subscriber terminal, between
that terminal and any other subscriber terminal in the cable television
system.
(y) Visual signal level. The rms voltage produced by the visual signal
during the transmission of synchronizing pulses.
(z) Affiliate. When used in relation to any person, another person who owns
or controls, is owned or controlled by, or is under common ownership or
control with, such person.
(aa) Person. An individual, partnership, association, joint stock company,
trust, corporation, or governmental entity.
(bb) Significant interest. A cognizable interest for attributing interests
in broadcast, cable, and newspaper properties pursuant to Sec. Sec. 73.3555,
73.3615, and 76.501.
(cc) Cable system operator. Any person or group of persons (1) who provides
cable service over a cable system and directly or through one or more
affiliates owns a significant interest in such cable system; or (2) who
otherwise controls or is responsible for, through any arrangement, the
management and operation of such a cable system.
(dd) System community unit: Community unit. A cable television system, or
portion of a cable television system, that operates or will operate within a
separate and distinct community or municipal entity (including
unincorporated communities within unincorporated areas and including single,
discrete unincorporated areas).
(ee) Subscribers. (1) As used in the context of cable service, subscriber or
cable subscriber means a member of the general public who receives broadcast
programming distributed by a cable television system and does not further
distribute it.
(2) As used in the context of satellite service, subscriber or satellite
subscriber means a person who receives a secondary transmission service from
a satellite carrier and pays a fee for the service, directly or indirectly,
to the satellite carrier or to a distributor.
(ff) Cable service. The one-way transmission to subscribers of video
programming, or other programming service; and, subscriber interaction, if
any, which is required for the selection or use of such video programming or
other programming service. For the purposes of this definition, “video
programming” is programming provided by, or generally considered comparable
to programming provided by, a television broadcast station; and, “other
programming service” is information that a cable operator makes available to
all subscribers generally.
(gg) Satellite community. A separate and distinct community or municipal
entity (including unincorporated communities within unincorporated areas and
including single, discrete unincorporated areas). The boundaries of any such
unincorporated community may be defined by one or more adjacent five-digit
zip code areas. Satellite communities apply only in areas in which there is
no pre-existing cable community, as defined in 76.5(dd).
(hh) Input selector switch. Any device that enables a viewer to select
between cable service and off-the-air television signals. Such a device may
be more sophisticated than a mere two-sided switch, may utilize other cable
interface equipment, and may be built into consumer television receivers.
(ii) A syndicated program is any program sold, licensed, distributed or
offered to television station licensees in more than one market within the
United States other than as network programming as defined in Sec. 76.5(m).
(jj) Rural area. A community unit with a density of less than 19 households
per route kilometer or thirty households per route mile of coaxial and/or
fiber optic cable trunk and feeder line.
(kk) Technically integrated. Having 75% or more of the video channels
received from a common headend.
(ll) Cable home wiring. The internal wiring contained within the premises of
a subscriber which begins at the demarcation point. Cable home wiring
includes passive splitters on the subscriber's side of the demarcation
point, but does not include any active elements such as amplifiers,
converter or decoder boxes, or remote control units.
(mm) Demarcation point. (1) For new and existing single unit installations,
the demarcation point shall be a point at (or about) twelve inches outside
of where the cable wire enters the subscriber's premises.
(2) For new and existing multiple dwelling unit installations with
non-loop-through wiring configurations, the demarcation point shall be a
point at (or about) twelve inches outside of where the cable wire enters the
subscriber's dwelling unit, or, where the wire is physically inaccessible at
such point, the closest practicable point thereto that does not require
access to the individual subscriber's dwelling unit.
(3) For new and existing multiple dwelling unit installations with
loop-through wiring configurations, the demarcation points shall be at (or
about) twelve inches outside of where the cable wire enters or exits the
first and last individual dwelling units on the loop, or, where the wire is
physically inaccessible at such point(s), the closest practicable point
thereto that does not require access to an individual subscriber's dwelling
unit.
(4) As used in this paragraph (mm)(3), the term “physically inaccessible”
describes a location that:
(i) Would require significant modification of, or significant damage to,
preexisting structural elements, and
(ii) Would add significantly to the physical difficulty and/or cost of
accessing the subscriber's home wiring.
Note to Sec. 76.5 paragraph (mm)(4): For example, wiring embedded in brick,
metal conduit, cinder blocks, or sheet rock with limited or without access
openings would likely be physically inaccessible; wiring enclosed within
hallway molding would not.
(nn) Activated channels. Those channels engineered at the headend of a cable
system for the provision of services generally available to residential
subscribers of the cable system, regardless of whether such services
actually are provided, including any channel designated for public,
educational or governmental use.
(oo) Usable activated channels. Those activated channels of a cable system,
except those channels whose use for the distribution of broadcast signals
would conflict with technical and safety regulations. See part 76, subpart
K.
(pp) Principal headend. (1) The headend, in the case of a cable system with
a single headend or,
(2) In the case of a cable system with more than one headend, the principal
headend designated by the cable operator, except that such designation shall
not undermine or evade the requirements of subpart D of this part. The
designation of a principal headend shall be made by May 3, 1993, and each
cable system shall place in its public file the location of its designated
principal headend by June 17, 1993, as provided in Sec. 76.1708. Except for good
cause, an operator may not change its choice of principal headend.
(qq) Emergency Alert System (EAS). The EAS is composed of broadcast
networks; cable networks and program suppliers; AM, FM and TV broadcast
stations; Low Power TV (LPTV) stations; cable systems and wireless cable
systems; and other entities and industries operating on an organized basis
during emergencies at the National, State, or local levels.
[ 37 FR 3278 , Feb. 12, 1972]
Editorial Note: For Federal Register citations affecting Sec. 76.5, see the
List of CFR Sections Affected which appears in the Finding Aids section of
the printed volume and on GPO Access.
Effective Date Note: At 61 FR 6137 , Feb. 16, 1996, in Sec. 76.5, paragraph
(ll) was revised. This paragraph contains information collection and
recordkeeping requirements and will not become effective until approval has
been given by the Office of Management and Budget.
Goto Section: 76.3 | 76.6
Goto Year: 2005 |
2007
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