| addressable technology | technology enabling a program provider to switch access to pay services on and off at the hub
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| basic cable | television channels provided automatically by virtue of subscription to a cable provider
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| BOC | regional Bell operating company
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| bundling | delivering television, VOD, audio, high-speed Internet access, long-distance and local phone service, multiple phone lines, and fax via cable
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| cable modem | modem connecting a computer to the Internet via a specified Internet service provider
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| churn | in cable, turnover in subscribership, whereby new subscriptions are offset by cancellations
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| common carrier | technology required to carry the messages of others with no power to shape or restrict them
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| community antenna television (CATV) | outmoded name for early cable television
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| density | number of households per mile of cable
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| digital cable television | delivery of digital video images and other information to subscribers' homes
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| digital compression | "squeezing" of digital signals to permit multiple signals to be carried over one channel
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| drop cable | cable television line that runs from the feeder to people's homes
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| expanded basic cable | in cable television a second, somewhat more expensive level of subscription
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| feeder cables | television cable that runs from the trunk cable into individual neighborhoods or areas
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| headend | place or equipment necessary for cable television to receive and process a signal
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| hub | cable system operation itself, in which signals are processed and boosted for distribution
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| interactive cable | ability of subscribers to talk back to cable system operators on the same wire used by operators to deliver content
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| interdiction technology | technology that descrambles pay channel cable television signals outside the home
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| local carriage rules | rules requiring cable systems to carry specific sets of television signals
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| master antenna television (MATV) | connecting multiple sets in a single location or building to a single, master antenna
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| microwave multidistribution systems (MMDS) | video distribution system employing a home microwave receiver to collect signals and pipe them through a house via internal wiring
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| multichannel service | fee-based provider (such as cable and DBS) of video content
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| multiple system operator (MSO) | a company owning several different cable television operations
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| pass-by rate | number of homes passed by or with the potential to take cable
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| pay cable | cable television channels delivered to those viewers who pay a fee over and above their basic service charge
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| pay-per-view | cable television viewers pay a set fee for delivery of a specific piece of content
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| penetration | number of homes passed by cable that actually subscribe
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| public access channel | cable channel reserved on a first-come, first-served, nondiscriminatory basis for use by groups or individuals who maintain editorial control of their programming
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| satellite master antenna (SMATV) | video distribution system in which signals are captured by a satellite dish and then distributed throughout a structure
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| subscription TV | early experiments with over-the-air pay television
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| super trunk cable | television cable that leads from the headend to the hub
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| telcos | phone companies
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| tier | groupings of channels made available by a cable or satellite provider to subscribers at varying prices
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| trunk cable | television cable that leads from the headend into the community
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| video-on-demand (VOD) | service allowing television viewers to access pay-per-view movies and other content that can be watched whenever they want
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