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j' RECEIVED 909 KANSAS ST.EET J BEJ~ 2 1 ~ I December 20, 1989 Mr. Michael Ruffin County Manager PO Box 707 Concord, NC 28026-070? Dear Mr. Ruffin: May I take a'moment to tell you how we are preparing for compliance with the FCC's new syndicated exclusivity and network non-duplication rules that are scheduled to take effect January 1~ 1990. We carry a wide variety of channels on our cable system, including our local Charlotte broadcast stations (channels 3, 9, 18, 36 and 46) and distant broadcast stations (channels 2, 8, 12 and Atlanta, Chicago, and New York "Superstations"). The new FCC syndex and network non- duplication rules will require us to "black-out" some of our customers' favorite programs which appear on out-of-town stations because local broadcasters have claimed exclusive program rights in the communities served by our cable system. The thought of having to "black-out" any program is distasteful, but like it or not, we are forced, by law, to comply with these rules. Our primary concern is for the possible consumer confusion and frustration that these rules may create. You can be assured that Vision Cable is taking steps to keep our customers up-to-date on what these rules may mean to their viewing options. We are informing our subscribers with billstuffers, advertisements, a notice in our monthly guide, TV ads, and finally through a full screen graphic announcement which will appear in the place of any prpgram which must be "blacked-out". If the gaps are severe enough, they could illustrate a need to replace a channel. We will leave that for our customers to decide. These rules do not affect cable networks such as ESPN, USA, CNN, etc. Only the six distant broadcast stations mentioned above are currently subject to "black-out".