WPCy{ 2MBOR KZ3|x CourierArial BoldCG TimesCG Times BoldTimes New RomanTimes New Roman Bold"i~'^:DpddȨDDDdp4D48ddddddddddDDpppd|Ld|pȐD8DtdDdpXpXDdp8Dp8pdppXLDpdddXP,PhD4htDDD4DDDDDDdDp8dddddȐXXXXXJ8J8J8J8pddddppppddpddddzpdddXXhXXXXXdddhdptL8LpLDLpphhp8ZDP8pppddƐXXXpLpLpLphfDtppppppȐhXXXpDppLDd4ddC6CWxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxNHxxHjdDddddddXgg3>>Fj3>33gggggggggg>>jjjryr3gr{yryyyr>3>jg3grgrg>rr33g3rrrrFg>rggg\F3Fj>3jj>>>3>>>>>>g>r3ggggggygygygyg33333333rrrrrrrrryggrrrygryrgggggjgygygygygrrrrrrr33>r>>3rgjjgr3rFr>rXr3rrrrrFFFygygygyjrXr>rjrrrrrryjr\r\r\rr>rygr>yg5\g),)WddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddNBnnBgg>rgggggFBg>Ig>33\\g>>nggnBnnBirr3\\>"yyyy\nnc\jnn\"i~'^09P]]x/99?a/9//]]]]]]]]]]99aaagxxxxngx/]xgxpxngxnnng9/9a]/]g]g]9gg//]/gggg?]9g]]]S?/?a9/aa999/999999]9g/x]x]x]x]x]x]n]n]n]n]////////xgggggxgxgxgxgn]x]xgggn]xgngx]x]x]x]x]xax]xxn]n]n]n]gggggxgxg//9g99/g]aax]g/g?g9gPg/xguxgxgggx?x?x?n]n]n]nagPg9gaxgxgxgxgxgxgnagSgSgSxgg9xgn]g9n]x0S]%(%WuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddNbHHHHB>NH8H>THNCNHB>HB^BB>"":88>8>8">>8X>>>>&8">8N882&&:"::"""""""""8">H8H8H8H8H8dXH8B8B8B8B8H>N>N>N>N>H>H>H>H>B8H8H>N>N>B8H>B>H8H8H8H8H8H:H8HHB8B8B8B8N>N>N>N>N>H>H>">"">N8::H8>>&>">0>H>FH>H>N>N>d^H&H&H&B8B8B8B:>0>">:H>H>H>H>H>H>^NB:>2>2>2H>>"H>B8>"B8H28WFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddN$<<$88">8888m8&$TT8"(JJ8T"228d"">d22Xd""BBBBLL\dd2Ld<<62:b<   ??       ?  ?          ?     ?   ?   ?            ?? ? ??  ? ?   ?            ?        ??  ?  ?    &  '  '        ?       ?            ??  ??  ? ? ?   ?    ?                        ?   ??   ?   ? ?ǀ   ?ǀ  ? ?À  ? ?À   ?À   ?À   ?         ?         ?  ?  π       ?   ?            ?  À ?        ? ? ?      ?    8?       ? ? ~  ?  ? ?  ? ?  ?    ?  ? ??  ?   ?   ? ??  ?   ?  ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  ? ?   ?   ?   ?  ?  ? ?? ? ? ??? ~?   ? ? ? ?? ? ??  ? ? ??  ?  ?  ?À? ? ?? ?? ?? ? ? ? ?? ?? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??  ??  ???  ?  ?  ? ?? ??  ?  ?  >?  ?  ?? - ?: 9 4ǀ? ?4 4 4? 4 4 4 4 5? 5 4 ?4 ?4 5 5 5 ?1? ?1 ?1 ?1 ?0 1x 1 / /? ?/π / / / .? ??.? ?. <. - - - --,,?,,-?----?+?* ??* ?+,>,,,?,?,?,--.?.?.?.%?À%%%%%%?%%?%?%?%&&'''?'?'?''?'())))x)?)?)?))*+++ǀX? π? ? ??? ##?&#&#? %#0%#x?%#?x%#?|%#?%#?%#?%#?%#%#%#%# ?%# $# ?$#?$# $# ?$# $#$#$#$#$#$#$#$###??####?##?##?#$ ?#$'$?'$'*'*'+'++XC a4-\ @4  ` $Q#K2pPG;#News media Information 202 / 4180500 `$VRecorded listing of release and texts `R!$202 / 4182222  L'#&h2pPG;&#Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554  #^2pPG;#y: M dddy  M8h#^2pPG;##,92pPG;3,#This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).  y: o dddhy  M8h U 1  1  Figure 1  Figure 1 y!HH@Uddfcclogo.wpgHHy! Xz ddtG8k @#S2pPG;# NEWS - X   #|\  P6G; _P#FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  }&nJ  NEWS MEDIA CONTACT  a 4` `  ,hh]  }&nJ  MORGAN BROMAN (202) 418 }&nJ ԩ }&nJ 2358# Xj\  P6G; ynXP# Report No. CS 994 CABLE SERVICES ACTION March 29, 1999  X'm/ }&nJ   }&nJ CABLE TELEVISION UPPER TIER RATE REGULATION ENDS MARCH 31, 1999 }&nJ   }&nJ   cPursuant to a sunset provision adopted by Congress in the 1996 Telecommunications Act, rates for cable television upper tier programming services ("cable programming service tier" or "CPST") provided after March 31, 1999 will not be subject to Commission review and regulation. The 1992 Cable Act established a process whereby cable equipment and "basic" tier cable rates would be subject to regulation by state and municipal governments in those areas where effective competitive was absent. For regulatory purposes, basic tier service includes broadcast signals, local public, educational, and government access channels and other services the system operator chooses to include in the same package with these channels. Basic tier service is typically the lowest price tier of service that all subscribers receive. The cable programming service tier includes all video programming distributed over a system that is not on the basic service tier and for which there is no per channel or per program charge. It is this cable programming service tier that will no longer be subject to rate regulation after March 31, 1999. The Commission, however, will continue to process complaints regarding rates for services provided prior to March 31, 1999. Since 1993, the Commission has been receiving and disposing of complaints from cable television subscribers and local franchise authorities regarding rates on the cable programming service tier. During this period of time, the Commission has resolved almost 18,000 complaints involving 5,700 cable communities. Approximately $100 million in consumer refunds have been ordered by the Commission. In the future, the Commission's rate regulation role will be limited to establishing the framework and rules pursuant to which the local, basic tier regulation will take place. Other statutory requirements contained in the Communications Act will continue to apply to cable television operators after the March 31, 1999 sunset of CPST rate regulation. Among the remaining rules are the program access rules that are designed to foster competitive access to vertically integrated satellite service programming, pole attachment and conduit access and rate regulation, mandatory local broadcast signal carriage, ownership, technical standards and signal leakage, retail availability of customer premises equipment ("navigation" devices), closed captioning, and commercial leased access requirements. }&nJ  p.TTY: (202) 4187172 }&nJ  }&nJ