(a) An original application for advance approval of a subscription TV (STV) system and one copy thereof must be filed by the party who will be responsible for the conformance of the system with the subscription TV standards specified in part 73 of the Rules. The application must include information to show that the system conforms to the requirements of §73.644(b).

(b) Advance approval may be applied for and granted in accordance with and subject to the following conditions and limitations:

(1) A separate request for each different technical system must be made by the applicant in writing.

(2) The applicant must certify that the application was prepared by or under the direction of the applicant and that the facts set forth are true and correct to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief.

(3) The applicant must identify the technical system by a name or type number and define the system in terms of its technical characteristics; a functional block diagram must be included. In addition, a complete description of the encoded aural and visual baseband and transmitted signals and of the encoding equipment used by the applicant must be supplied. These descriptions must include equipment circuit diagrams and photographs, and diagrams or oscillographs of both baseband and transmitted aural and visual signal waveforms and of the signal basebands and occupied bandwidths. If aural subcarriers are to be used for transmitting aural portion of the subscription program, for decoder control, or for other purposes, a full description and specifications of the multiplex subcarrier signals and all modulation levels must be included.

(4) Preliminary test data must be submitted to show system capability with regard to compliance with the criteria set forth in §73.644(b).

(5) The applicant must identify the specific requirements of §§73.682, 73.687 and 73.699 (Figures 6 and 7) from which the transmitted signal will normally deviate.

(6) The applicant must specify the method to be used in determining and maintaining the operating power of the transmitter if the procedures given in §73.663 cannot be used due to suppression of the synchronizing pulses or for other reasons. If the operating power of the station must be reduced to accommodate the encoded aural or video signal, the operating power limitations must be specified.

(7) The applicant must supply any additional information and test data requested by the FCC, to show to its satisfaction that the criteria given in §73.644(b) are met.

(8) The information submitted by the applicant may be subject to check by field tests conducted without expense to the FCC or, if deemed necessary, at the laboratory or in the field by FCC personnel. This may include the actual submission of equipment for system testing under the provisions of §2.945 of part 2 of the Rules.

(9) No technical system will be deemed approved unless and until the FCC has notified the applicant in writing of the approval. Such notification of approval will be by letter to the applicant.

(10) Approval by the FCC is limited to a determination that the particular technical system (the scheme for encoding and decoding the subscription TV signal) is capable of meeting the criteria given in §73.644(b).

(11) The FCC will maintain a listing of approved technical systems.

(c) Multichannel sound may be transmitted for stereophonic or bilingual service with encoded subscription programs provided the technical operating specifications for this service are included in the application for advance system approval.

(d) Subscriber decoder devices must comply with any applicable provisions of subpart H, part 15 of the FCC Rules for TV interface devices.

(e) No modifications may be made by either the applicant or the user of a system having advance FCC approval that would change any of the operating conditions as submitted in the application for advance approval. Should system modifications be necessary, a new application must be submitted in accordance with the requirements of this section.

[48 FR 56391, Dec. 21, 1983]