[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7913-7914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2376]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[CS DOCKET NO. 01-7, FCC 01-15]


Nondiscrimination in the Distribution of Interactive Television 
Services Over Cable

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Notice of inquiry.

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[[Page 7914]]

SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission seeks comment on whether 
rules should be considered to ensure that interactive television 
(``ITV'') services develop in a competitive fashion. In the Memorandum 
Opinion and Order in CS Docket 01-30, the Commission found that 
important questions were raised regarding ITV services that warrant 
further examination in a proceeding of general applicability. 
Accordingly, in this document the Commission considers whether 
industry-wide rules are needed to address any impediments to the 
development of ITV services and markets.

DATES: Comments are due on or before March 19, 2001; Reply Comments are 
due on or before April 20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Parties who choose to file by paper should send comments to 
the Commission's Secretary, Magalie Roman Salas, Office of the 
Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20554. Parties who choose to file by paper should also 
submit their comments on diskette. Parties should submit diskettes to 
Royce Dickens, Cable Services Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 3A729, 
Washington, DC 20554. In addition, commenters must send diskette copies 
to the Commission's copy contractor, International Transcription 
Service, 445 12th Street, SW., CY-B400, Washington, DC 20554. Comments 
filed through the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) 
can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to 
http://www.fcc.gov/e-file/ecfs.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Royce Dickens, Cable Services Bureau 
at (202) 418-7200, TTY (202) 418-7172.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a summary of the Notice of Inquiry 
in CS Docket No. 01-7, FCC 01-15, adopted January 12, 2001, and 
released January 18, 2001 (``Notice''). The complete text of this 
document is available for inspection and copying during normal business 
hours in the FCC Reference Center, 554 12th Street, SW., Washington, 
DC, and also may be purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, 
International Transcription Service, 445 12th Street, SW., CY-B400, 
Washington, DC 20554. In addition, the document is available via the 
Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/csb.

Synopsis of the Notice of Inquiry

    1. In this Notice, the Commission considers whether rules are 
needed to address any impediments to the development of ITV services 
and markets.
    2. The Notice seeks comment on what services constitute ITV 
services, what entities constitute ITV providers, how ITV services will 
be delivered, what business models will govern the delivery of ITV 
services to consumers, and the general status of an ITV services 
market. The Notice seeks comment on whether, if it were determined that 
operators of cable systems (or another delivery platform) had the 
incentive and ability to behave anti-competitively 
vis-a-vis ITV service providers, the Commission should consider 
prohibiting those operators from discriminating between affiliated and 
unaffiliated ITV service providers.
    3. The Notice also seeks comment on the legal classifications of 
ITV services, what public policy and statutory objectives ITV rules 
would promote, and the Commission's authority to protect this market. 
The Notice asks questions about enforcement of any new rules, proposing 
alternatively a voluntary arbitration, subject to judicial review, or a 
Commission complaint procedure.

Filing Procedures

    4. Pursuant to applicable procedures set forth in Secs. 1.415 and 
1.419 of the Commission's Rules, 47 CFR 1.415 and 1.419, interested 
parties may file comments in response to this Notice on or before March 
19, 2001 and reply comments on or before April 20, 2001. Comments may 
be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System 
(``ECFS'') or by filing paper copies. Comments filed through the ECFS 
can be sent as an electronic file via the Internet to http://www.fcc/e-file/ecfs.html>. Generally, only one copy of an electronic submission 
must be filed. If multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the 
caption of this proceeding, however, commenters must transmit one 
electronic copy of the comments to each docket or rulemaking number 
referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, 
commenters should include their full name, Postal service mailing 
address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may 
also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing 
instructions for e-mail comments, commenters should send an e-mail to 
[email protected], and should include the following words in the body of the 
message, ``get formyour e-mail address.'' A sample form and directions 
will be sent in reply.
    5. Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and 
four copies of each filing. If participants want each Commissioner to 
receive a personal copy of their comments, an original plus nine copies 
must be filed. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in 
the caption of this proceeding commenters must submit two additional 
copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. All filings 
must be sent to the Commission's Secretary, Magalie Roman Salas, Office 
of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, 
SW., Washington, DC 20554. The Cable Services Bureau contact for this 
proceeding is Royce Dickens.
    6. Parties who choose to file by paper should also submit their 
comments on diskette. Parties should submit diskettes to Royce Dickens, 
Cable Services Bureau, 445 12th Street SW., Room 3A729, Washington, DC 
20554. Such a submission should be on a 3.5-inch diskette formatted in 
an IBM compatible form using MS DOS 5.0 and Microsoft Word, or 
compatible software. The diskette should be accompanied by a cover 
letter and should be submitted in ``read only'' mode. The diskette 
should be clearly labeled with the party's name, proceeding (including 
the lead docket number in this case CS Docket No. 
01-7), type of pleading (comments or reply comments), date of 
submission, and the name of the electronic file on the diskette. The 
label should also include the following phrase ``Disk Copy--Not an 
Original.'' Each diskette should contain only one party's pleadings, 
referable in a single electronic file. In addition, commenters must 
send diskette copies to the Commission's copy contractor, International 
Transcription Service, 445 12th Street, SW., CY-B400, Washington, DC, 
20554.

Federal Communications Commission.
William F. Caton,
Deputy Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
[FR Doc. 01-2376 Filed 1-25-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712-01-P