Small Cable Operators Face 'Nightmare' of C-Band IRD Issues
Big cable distributors, with headends staffed 24/7 and often heavy use of fiber instead of C-band satellite downlinks, shouldn't have difficulties with the integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) changes for the C-band repacking. Smaller operators with fewer resources face far bigger challenges. That's what experts told us. There aren't broad expectations of an IRD shortage due to the repack.
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WinDBreak Cable CEO Bill Bauer said there's uncertainty about who will buy the IRDs and from where for small cable operators like him with headends not registered with the FCC (see 2007230001). He hoped C-band lump sum funds for his registered antennas more than cover costs, leaving enough left over to cover unregistereds.
The repacking "is going to be a nightmare" for many small operators with limited engineering staffing doing other work and having to replace receivers atop that, said MCTV network systems engineer Benjamin Slagle. "I really feel for those guys; they're going to be in trouble." IRDs are supposed to be essentially plug-and-play and take minutes for installation, he said, but "one out of 10 goes as easily as it should."
They are somewhat like cable set-top boxes, receiving and decrypting signals from the satellite dish and converting them to L band. IRDs aren't designed for display purposes, a cable distributor engineer said.
Traditionally in video delivery to cable headends via C band, IRD decisions are the domain of cable programmers, with satellite not having a voice in what technology is used, cable and satellite interests said. Big programmers, when launching a new channel, would send out IRDs to cable distributors.
Spare IRDs often end up the cable distributor's responsibility, said WinDBreak's Bauer, saying programmers often won't replace one that goes bad. Slagle said programmers often provide the IRDs, but a cabler often has to buy its own.
C-band consolidation is forcing programmers to condense channels into less of the 3.7-4 GHz band, so new receivers will be more sophisticated, dealing with multiple channels, and could command higher prices of $5,000 to $15,000 each, said Technology Planners Senior Technologist Robert Schaeffer. That could mean higher content costs passed onto distributors, he said.
Programmers have been deciding the type of compression and modulation used on uplink signals to distribute to cable operators, added Dave Higgins. The former Comcast executive is a consultant to strategy consulting firm Cartesian, which works for ACA Connects. For the spectrum move, some IRDs will require a simple remote tuning to another frequency, while others will need to be new IRDs, Higgins said.
A satellite official said discussions have been held with customers about tech upgrades they could undertake that would free up 3.7-4 GHz spectrum bandwidth capacity and about their possible compression of content.
ACA, in a reply Wednesday (docket 18-122) in support of its application for review of the C-band clearing lump sum amounts (see 2008140033), said opponents haven't explained away that governing regulations are clear that IRD costs are earth-stations costs to be included in the lump sum.
Satellite and wireless interests opposed MCTV's ask for a stay of the lump-sum election deadline pending consideration of its petition asking that unregistered antennas be added to the incumbents list (see 2009030031). SES said it faces pecuniary and not irreparable harm. "Any delay -- even stalling the lump sum election deadline -- could derail the complex transition, frustrate stakeholders’ ability to satisfy clearing obligations, and ultimately stymie prompt 5G deployment," it said. Intelsat and Telesat said similar. CTIA also filed an opposition.