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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  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).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  May  16,  2002  Margo  Domon  Davenport  at  (202)  418-  2949 
 FCC  EXPANDS  ELIGIBILITY  FOR  CABLE  TELEVISION  RELAY  SERVICE  TO  ALL  MULTICHANNEL  VIDEO  PROGRAMMING  DISTRIBUTORS 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  adopted  a  Report  and  Order  that  expanded  eligibility  for  licenses  in  the  Cable  Television  Relay  Service  (CARS)  to  all 
 Multichannel  Video  Programming  Distributors.  Now,  Private  Cable  Operators  (PCOs),  Direct  Broadcast  Satellite  Operators  (DBS),  Open  Video  Systems  (OVS),  and  others  who  provide  multiple  channels  of 
 video  programming  can  join  Cable  Television  Systems  and  Wireless  Cable  Systems  (MDS,  MMDS)  in  using  CARS  microwave  frequencies  to  support  their  video  programming  distribution. 


 Today’s  action  will  enhance  opportunities  for  additional  competition  to  incumbent  cable  operators.  It  will  increase  the  number  of  frequencies  available  to  more  MVPDs  and  treat  all  MVPDs 
 equally  for  access  to  microwave  frequencies.  Thus,  all  MVPDs  will  have  the  opportunity  to  use  CARS  frequencies  to  support  their  delivery  of  video  services  in  a  balanced  competitive  environment. 


 While  the  Commission  reaffirmed  that  the  predominant  use  of  CARS  should  be  video  transmission,  it  also  reserved  the  opportunity  to  examine  in  other  proceedings  the  flexible  use  of  the 
 CARS  bands  and  the  expansion  of  eligibility  for  these  frequencies. 
 Franchised  cable  systems  and  other  eligible  services  use  the  12  GHz  and  18  GHz  CARS  bands  for  microwave  relays  pursuant  to  Part  78  of  the  Commission’s  Rules.  CARS  is  principally  a  video 
 transmission  service  used  for  intermediate  links  in  a  distribution  network.  CARS  stations  relay  signals  for  and  supply  program  material  to  cable  television  systems  and  other  eligible  entities  using  point-  to-  point 
 and  point-  to-  multipoint  transmissions.  These  relay  stations  enable  cable  systems  and  other  CARS  licensees  to  transmit  television  broadcast  and  low  power  television  and  related  audio  signals,  AM  and  FM 
 broadcast  stations,  and  cablecasting  from  one  point  (e.  g.,  on  one  side  of  a  river  or  mountain)  to  another  point  (e.  g.,  the  other  side  of  the  river  or  mountain)  or  many  points  ("  multipoint")  via  microwave. 


 Action  by  the  Commission  May  16,  2002,  by  Report  and  Order  (FCC  02-  149).  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps  and  Martin. 
 -  FCC  - 
 Media  Bureau  Staff  Contacts:  Wayne  T.  McKee,  (202)  418-  2355,  John  Wong  (202)  418-  7012.  CS  Docket  No.  99-  250 
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