Charter became the 2nd cable operator, after Comcast, to seek a C...

of willingness to entertain such waiver requests -- most recently on May 11, in oral arguments before the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., where Charter petitioned to void the FCC integration ban order. Charter’s application seeks waivers on 7 models of set-top -- Comcast listed 3 -- none with capability for HD, PVR recording, multiple tuners or broadband Internet access, the filing said. Applying the integration ban to them “is not necessary to effectuate the supposed benefits of common reliance, and in fact such application would be counterproductive by inhibiting the development of new and improved digital services as well as video competition generally,” Charter said. All boxes cited cost less than $100 “and are designed to enable cable customers with analog TVs to access digitally delivered programming services and associated features,” it said. Charter still would support CableCARD on “mid-range” and high-end set-tops not covered by the waiver request, it said: “Charter estimates that such devices would collectively encompass more than half of all new Charter set-tops placed into service immediately after July 1, 2007, and would generally be leased to Charter’s highest-revenue, best customers.” CEA and some of its members are certain to oppose the Charter waiver request, as they did Comcast’s. But CEA members Panasonic and Thomson broke ranks and backed Comcast’s waiver request.