STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MIGNON L. CLYBURN
Re: Video Device Competition, MB Docket No. 10-91; Implementation of Section 304 of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996: Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices, CS 
Docket No. 97-80, Compatibility Between Cable Systems and Consumer Electronics 
Equipment, PP Docket No. 00-67.
By unveiling today’s NPRM and NOI concerning navigation devices, the Commission is 
taking important steps towards retooling a set-top box regime that has long been broken.  Just 
one measure of this failure is the fact that, since July 1, 2007, cable operators have deployed 
more than 18.5 million leased devices pre-equipped with CableCARDs, compared to only 
489,000 CableCARDs installed in retail devices connected to their networks.  The proof, as they 
say, is in the pudding.
I therefore applaud the Chairman and his staff for acting swiftly on the recommendations 
in the National Broadband Plan to find a new solution to a too-familiar problem.  If we are to live 
up to the directive by Congress to the Commission in Section 629, we must engage with industry 
and listen to consumers in order to develop more effective preconditions to an environment in 
which navigation devices can flourish at the retail level.    
The time has undoubtedly arrived for us to examine the potential for any electronics 
manufacturer to offer smart video devices at retail that can be used with the services of any
MVPD.  In addition, given that the current process for obtaining MVPD certification is so 
cumbersome and expensive, I am eager to explore ways in which such manufacturers can forego 
unnecessary coordination and negotiation with MVPDs.   These elements of a new video device 
landscape – however designed – can help us achieve what is best for consumers:  a competitive 
retail market where innovation is not only permitted but championed.
In the interim, the CableCARD NPRM seeks to address the most immediate flaws in the 
current system.  The Media Bureau has devised what appears to be a comprehensive set of basic 
proposals that can help consumers while we attempt to revamp the entire system.  Important 
suggested changes include reforms to the handling of switched-digital technology, the industry’s 
pricing and billing practices for CableCARDs, CableCARDs installation, and the process of 
CableCARD device certification.  I look forward to input from all parties to help guide us 
towards the most effective and creative interim solutions to this broken regime.
I encourage all industry players to follow the lead of those who have already signaled 
their constructive involvement in the process.  I look forward to engaging on these issues, and 
will rely on industry and public interest experts alike as we take a second crack at fulfilling the 
mission given to us by Congress.