The Ancillary or Supplementary Use of Digital Television Capacity by Noncommercial Licensees

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This document amends the Commission's rules to require that noncommercial educational ("NCE") television licensees primarily provide a nonprofit, noncommercial educational service over their entire digital bitstream, including ancillary or supplementary services; clarify that they may provide subscription TV service as an ancillary or supplementary service; and apply to them the same program to assess and collect fees as that established for commercial DTV licensees' use of DTV capacity for the provision of ancillary or supplementary services. This document also determines that the Communications Act of 1934 prohibition against the provision of advertising by NCE licensees does not apply to nonbroadcast services, such as subscription services provided on their digital television ("DTV") channels. The intended effect of these actions is to clarify the manner in which NCE licensees may use their excess DTV capacity for remunerative purposes.