[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 112 (Monday, June 10, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 29312-29314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14571]



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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 76

[CS Docket No. 95-178; FCC 96-197]


Definition of Markets for Purposes of the Cable Television Must-
Carry Rules

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Commission amends its rules to continue to use Arbitron's 
1991-1992 ``Area of Dominant Influence'' (``ADI'') market list for 
determining local markets for the must-carry/retransmission consent 
election that must be made by commercial broadcast television stations 
by October 1, 1996. The Commission will switch to Nielsen's 
``Designated Market Area'' (``DMA'') list beginning with the 1999 
election, and will use updated Nielsen market lists for subsequent 
elections. The Commission's previously established procedures to 
determine local television markets for signal carriage purposes assumed 
that Arbitron would continue to publish market designations and that 
updated ADI market lists would be available for each triennial must-
carry/retransmission consent election. However, Arbitron has ceased 
publication of its ADI market list and it is now necessary for the 
Commission to adopt a revised mechanism for determining local markets 
for signal carriage purposes. By postponing the change to market 
designation procedures until the 1999 election, the Commission and 
affected parties will have an opportunity to consider transitional 
mechanisms to facilitate the switch from one market designation to 
another. The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking segment of this 
decision is summarized elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 10, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Marcia Glauberman or John Adams, 
Cable Services Bureau, (202) 418-7200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a synopsis of the Commission's 
Report and Order, CS Docket No. 95-178, FCC 96-197, adopted April 25, 
1996, and released May 24, 1996. The full text of this decision is 
available for inspection and copying during normal business hours in 
the FCC Reference Center (room 239), 1919 M Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20554, and may be purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, 
International Transcription Service, (202) 857-3800, 1919 M Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20554.

Synopsis of the Report and Order

    1. The Report and Order amends Sec. 76.55(e) of the rules, 47 CFR 
76.55(e), to continue to use Arbitron Ratings Company's 1991-1992 
Television ADI Market Guide as the source of local market designations 
for signal carriage purposes for the must-carry/retransmission consent 
election that must take place by October 1, 1996, and will become 
effective on January 1, 1997. The rule also is amended to use Nielsen 
Media Research's DMA Market and Demographic Rank Report to determine 
markets beginning with the 1999 election, which becomes effective 
January 1, 2000.
    2. Under the signal carriage provisions added to the Communications 
Act (``Act'') by the Cable Television Consumer Protection and 
Competition Act of 1992 (``1992 Cable Act''), commercial broadcast 
television stations are permitted to elect once every three years 
whether they will be carried by cable systems in their local markets 
pursuant to the must-carry or retransmission consent rules. Section 614 
of the Act, 47 U.S.C. 534, provides that a station electing must-carry 
status is entitled to insist on carriage of its signal. A station 
electing retransmission consent as set forth in Section 325 of the Act, 
47 U.S.C. 325 negotiates a carriage agreement with each cable operator 
and may be compensated for its station's carriage. The next election 
must be made by October 1, 1996, and will become effective on January 
1, 1997.
    3. For purposes of these carriage rights, a station is considered 
local on all cable systems located in the same television market as the 
station. As enacted in 1992, section 614(h)(1)(C) of the Act required, 
through a cross-reference to a Commission rule dealing with broadcast 
ownership issues, that a station's market shall be determined using the 
Arbitron Ratings Company's ``areas of dominant influence'' or ``ADI.'' 
The rules adopted in 1993 to implement these signal carriage provisions 
established a mechanism for determining a station's local market for 
each must-carry/retransmission consent cycle based on ADI market lists. 
For the initial election in 1993, Arbitron's 1991-1992 Television ADI 
Market Guide was used to define local markets and for each subsequent 
election cycle an updated ADI market list was to be used. For example, 
the rule specified that Arbitron's 1994-1995 ADI list would be used for 
the 1996 election.
    4. However, since we established these procedures, Arbitron left 
the television research business and the market list specified in the 
rules for this year's election is unavailable. Congress recognized that 
Arbitron no longer publishes television market lists and the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996 (``1996 Act''), Pub. L. 104-104, 110 
Stat. 56 (1996), amended the definition of local market that referenced 
ADIs. Specifically, section 614(h)(1)(C) of the Act was amended by 
Section 301 of the 1996 Act to provide that for purposes of applying 
the mandatory carriage provisions, a broadcasting station's market 
shall be determined ``by the Commission by regulation or order using, 
where available, commercial publications which delineate television 
markets based on viewing patterns * * *.''
    5. In addition, section 614(h) of the Act requires the Commission 
to consider petitions for market modifications to add communities to or 
exclude communities from a station's local market based on historical 
carriage, signal coverage, local service, and viewing patterns. The 
1996 Act modified this provision to require the Commission to act on 
all petitions for market modifications within 120 days.
    6. Prior to the 1996 Act, but consistent with its amended 
definition of local market, we issued the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
(``NPRM'') in this proceeding, summarized at 61 FR 1888 (January 24, 
1996), seeking comment on three proposals for revising the mechanism 
for determining local markets. First, the Commission could substitute 
Nielsen Media Research's ``designated market areas'' or ``DMAs''

[[Page 29313]]

for Arbitron's ADIs. While similar in many ways, the differences 
between DMA and ADI market areas could result in a change in the area 
in which a station can insist on carriage rights and a change in the 
stations that a cable system is required to carry. The second option 
would be to continue to use Arbitron's 1991-1992 Television ADI Market 
Guide to define market areas, subject to individual review and 
refinement through the section 614(h) process. Under this option, the 
local market definition would remain unchanged, subject only to future 
individual market modifications. A third proposal would be to retain 
the existing market definitions for the 1996 election period and switch 
to a Nielsen based standard for subsequent elections.
    7. The Commission concludes that Nielsen's DMA market assignments 
provide the most accurate method for determining the areas served by 
local stations. DMAs have become the television market standard for 
commercial purposes in the absence of any alternative and represent the 
actual market areas in which broadcasters acquire programming and sell 
advertising. Moreover, in general, we continue to believe that our 1993 
decision to use updated market designations for each election cycle to 
account for changing markets is appropriate. Nielsen also provides the 
only generally recognized source for information on television markets 
that would permit us to use updated market designations for each 
election cycle to account for changing markets, consistent with our 
1993 decision.
    8. However, from the data provided in the record, it is clear that 
a greater number of stations, cable systems, and cable subscribers 
would be affected by a switch to DMAs than would be affected by simply 
using an updated ADI market list, as the rules had contemplated. In 
particular, we are concerned about the impact of changing the market 
definition in certain types of situations, such as cases where the 
differences in methodology and procedures between Arbitron and Nielsen 
result in significant changes in market areas. In addition, the 
statements of costs and burdens put forth by cable operators do not 
provide a means to determine whether there are potential problems 
associated with a change in definition that could be ameliorated in 
some manner through transitional procedures. Further, while some cable 
subscribers will be affected by changing signal carriage requirements 
resulting from a switch to a DMA standard, there may be ways to 
minimize the disruptions to their service.
    9. The Commission also is concerned about the impact of changing 
the market definition on the section 614(h) market modification 
decisions already in force. It is unclear whether cable operators could 
face conflicting obligations based on a revised market standard when 
these modifications are considered in conjunction with a new market 
definition. In addition, without extensive evidence, we are unable to 
determine the burden on the Commission to remedy such conflicts that 
might result from an immediate switch to DMAs.
    10. Thus, the Commission decides to continue to use the 1991-1992 
ADI market list for the 1996 election and to establish a framework that 
uses updated DMA market lists for the 1999 and subsequent elections. In 
addition, the home county exception is retained in order to ensure that 
a station is carried in its home county in the limited instances where 
the station is assigned to an ADI market by Arbitron or a DMA market by 
Nielsen that is not the same as its home county's market. For the time-
being, the Commission also will rely on market modifications determined 
pursuant to Section 614(h) to refine market boundaries to account for 
changes in viewing patterns and market conditions.

Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    11. Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, 5 U.S.C. 
601-12, the Commission's final analysis with respect to the Report and 
Order is as follows:
    12. Need and Purpose of this Action: This action is necessary 
because the procedure for determining local television markets for 
signal carriage purposes relies on a market list no longer published by 
the Arbitron Ratings Company.
    13. Summary of Issues Raised by the Public in Response to the 
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis: There were no comments 
submitted in response to the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis.
    14. Significant Alternatives Considered and Rejected. The 
Commission proposed three alternatives in its NPRM and comments were 
submitted that addressed the administrative burdens of each 
alternative. In order to minimize the administrative burdens on 
broadcasters and cable operators, the decision contained herein retains 
the existing market definitions and the existing market modification 
process for the 1996 must-carry/retransmission consent election cycle. 
This decision postpones a change in market definition from Arbitron's 
ADI to Nielsen's DMA until the 1999 election in order to provide an 
opportunity for the Commission and affected parties to consider 
transitional mechanisms that could minimize the effects of changing 
market definitions on broadcasters and cable operators, including small 
business entities.

Ordering Clauses

    15. Accordingly, it is ordered that, pursuant to sections 4(i), 
4(j) and 614 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. 
154(i), 154(j) and 534, and section 301 of the Telecommunications Act 
of 1996, Pub. L. 104-104 (1996), Part 76 is amended as set forth below, 
July 10, 1996.
    16. It is further ordered that, the Secretary shall send a copy of 
the Report and Order, including the Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to 
the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration in 
accordance with paragraph 603(a) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 
Pub. L. 96-354, 94 Stat. 1164, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. (1981).

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 76

    Cable television.

Federal Communications Commission
William F. Caton,
Acting Secretary.

Rule Changes

    Part 76 of Chapter I of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
is amended as follows:

PART 76--CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE

    1. The authority citation for Part 76 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 47 U.S.C. 151, 152, 153, 154, 301, 302, 303, 303a, 
307, 308, 309, 312, 315, 317, 325, 503, 521, 522, 531, 532, 533, 
534, 535, 536, 537, 543, 544, 544a, 545, 548, 552, 554, 556, 558, 
560, 561, 571, 572, 573.

    2. Section 76.55 is amended by revising paragraph (e) to read as 
follows:


Sec. 76.55  Definitions applicable to the must-carry rules.

* * * * *
    (e) Television market. (1) Until January 1, 2000, a commercial 
broadcast television station's market, unless amended pursuant to 
Sec. 76.59, shall be defined as its Area of Dominant Influence (ADI) as 
determined by Arbitron and published in the Arbitron 1991-1992 
Television ADI Market Guide, as noted below, except that for areas 
outside the contiguous 48 states, the market of a station shall be 
defined using Nielsen's Designated Market Area (DMA), where applicable, 
as published in the Nielsen 1991-92 DMA Market

[[Page 29314]]

and Demographic Rank Report, and that Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, and Guam will each be considered a single market.
    (2) Effective January 1, 2000, a commercial broadcast television 
station's market, unless amended pursuant to Sec. 76.59, shall be 
defined as its Designated Market Area (DMA) as determined by Nielsen 
Media Research and published in its DMA Market and Demographic Rank 
Report or any successor publication, as noted below.
    (3) A cable system's television market(s) shall be the one or more 
ADI markets in which the communities it serves are located until 
January 1, 2000, and the one or more DMA markets in which the 
communities it serves are located thereafter.
    (4) In addition, the county in which a station's community of 
license is located will be considered within its market.

    Note to paragraph (e): For the 1996 must-carry/retransimission 
consent election, the ADI assignments specified in the 1991-1992 
Television ADI Market Guide, available from the Arbitron Ratings 
Co., 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD, will apply. For the 
1999 election, which becomes effective on January 1, 2000, DMA 
assignments specified in the 1997-98 DMA Market and Demographic Rank 
Report, available from Nielsen Media Research, 299 Park Avenue, New 
York, NY, shall be used. The applicable DMA list for the 2002 
election will be the 2000-2001 list, etc.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 96-14571 Filed 6-7-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P