Cable Television

How Is The Cable Industry Regulated?

Cable television is one of the most regulated businesses in the United States, subject to federal statutes, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and substantially all local governments.

At Time Warner Cable's North Texas Division, we're proud to be leaders and innovators in the cable industry. We’re on YOUR side, and we want to keep you informed of the legal issues surrounding the cable industry. If it affects you, it affects us, and we believe you deserve to know what happens behind the scenes.

We invite you to browse through the following collection of legal resources on issues that affect cable companies, local governments, and YOU. For more information on the cable industry’s nationwide initiatives and developments, visit the National Cable Television Association. For more information about cable in Texas, visit the Texas Cable and Telecommunications Association.

Federal Regulation
Under federal legislation, cities can apply to the FCC to regulate our basic cable rates as well as the rates we charge for equipment and installation. A city will be permitted to regulate the Basic Service Tier rate, unless the cable operator is found to be subject to effective competition from other multi-channel video providers. Furthermore, the federal government plays a part in determining which channels we carry on our system. Federal regulations require that cable companies with more than 12 usable activated channels carry local commercial broadcast stations up to 1/3 of the aggregate number of activated channels. Federal regulations also require that cable companies reserve a specific amount of channel capacity for those programmers who which to lease capacity for commercial purposes.

Federal law and FCC regulations also address the following areas:

• Cross ownership of cable television and other communications businesses;
• Local origination and political cablecasting;
• Carriage of local sports programming and indecent programming;
• Program content ratings and parental control devices;
• Customer service standards and consumer protection;
• Maintenance of records, filings and notices;
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO);
• Equipment standards and compatibility

Basic Rates
How do cable companies determine Basic tier rates?

The FCC provided a formula to cable companies in May 1994 for use in determining initial service rates following passage of the Cable Consumer Protection Act of 1992.

The formula takes into account the number of additional outlets in a community, the number of converter boxes rented, the number of Tier Two (Economy Tier) customers, and the median household income in a community.

The result of the FCC formula was the creation of different rates in virtually every community, even though communities may be receiving the same service from the same cable system.

Phone Service Rates
(Applicable only to customers who signed up for phone service prior to August 1, 2006)

• Time Warner Cable Phone Tariff
• Time Warner Cable Phone International Savings Plan
• Time Warner Cable Phone International Basic Long Distance