Verizon gets greedy, asks for three year waiver from FCC
By Darren Murph 
posted Jul 31st 2007 8:14PM
posted Jul 31st 2007 8:14PM
Not even a month after the FCC caved to Verizon's requests for a CableCARD waiver, the telco is now shamelessly petitioning for an additional two-years so that it is not forced to comply with the integration ban until 2010. In the appeal, Verizon reportedly "noted that a common standard for software-downloadable set-top security is not expected to be available by July 2008," and also whined that it would have to "expend enormous resources" for an interim solution as it doesn't have "the existing, off-the-shelf option for complying with the integration ban that traditional cable companies possess." Of course, it remains to be seen whether the pleading will work this go 'round, but who knows if CableCARD-equipped STBs will even be necessary by the time Verizon is ready to comply.
Does Verizon serve conventional cable? Aren't they doing something like IPTV over fiber? If that's true, then I'd say that they would be at a major disadvantage, I think that's a fairly new delivery method, though a five year reprieve seems like a bit much.
No, at first, they're doing QAM (cable's modulation method) over Fiber at first. All VZ STBs have a QAM tuner and an IP "Tuner" for the future.
The law driving the separable security law was targetted at cable companies but the wording says the law applies to services based on QAM. Congress meant to get cable but by doing that also by chance made it apply to VZ as well. Therefore, Verizon is bound by the law, and that's why they're at the mercy of the FCC.