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

Zusammenfassung

The Commission requests comment on transitional mechanisms to facilitate the switch from a local market definition based on Arbitron's ``Areas of Dominant Influence'' (``ADIs'') to one using Nielsen's ``Designated Market Areas'' (``DMAs'') for purposes of the cable television broadcast signal carriage rules. The Commission amended its rules to continue to use Arbitron 1991-1992 ADIs to define local markets for the triennial must-carry/retransmission consent election that must take place by October 1, 1996, and to switch to Nielsen's DMAs beginning with the 1999 election in a Report and Order adopted concurrently with the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``Further NPRM'') and summarized elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The Commission previously anticipated that updated market lists would be available coincident with the triennial must-carry/ retransmission consent election cycle. However, Arbitron ceased publication of its market lists. The Commission is concerned that a change in market designation procedures will affect a greater number of stations, cable systems, and cable subscribers than would have been affected by simply using a newer ADI market list, as