On January 29, 2003, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made important changes to its inside wiring rules that will make it easier for firms to switch or add cable providers.

For most properties, the FCC essentially moved the demarcation point, or the point at which an incumbent cable provider will cut its cable if the owner does not renew an agreement, to 12 inches outside the lock box or the junction box, instead of 12 inches outside each apartment unit. Since the latter is often behind sheet rock, under the prior rules, owners hoping to change or add providers risked service outages and property damage.

The rules also force the incumbent operator to cooperate with the incoming provider to minimize service disruptions.

This White Paper reviews what owners must know to take advantage of the amended inside wiring rules.

NMHC Contact Information:
Jim Arbury
NMHC Vice President
202/974-2321
jarbury@nmhc.org