# Is Cox breaking the law? (FCC - Cablecards)



## delgadobb (Mar 6, 2004)

In the midst of setting up my new Roamio, I was going through the usual headaches with Cox regarding cablecards. I picked up another cablecard & tuning adapter - the girl at the Cox store said they were out of install directions, but it was 'easy to find on the website'. Yeah, right. Nothing on how to connect the tuning adapter, all while they expect you to do it a certain way with nonstandard parts (I don't keep MoCa filters around; they give you one piece of Coax, but expect you to have 3 pieces of RG6, a splitter & a MoCa filter.) 

It took the usual back-and-forth with the card not pairing correctly, then things working part way, then scheduling a tech visit because 'everything seems to be configured & the cablecard is paired'. Most channels were not coming in even after multiple reboots of each device (tivo & tuning adapter, along with them resetting the cablecard). They confirmed that I was supposed to receive some channels (DIY & Cooking channel, for example) in HD. Then the tech arrives today, taking 10 MINUTES to find the cablecard on the HD! He claims those channels are only available on Contour (Cox's new attempt at a all-in-one 'solution') according to both his supervisor & DC. Huh? I've gotten the speech numerous times about how tuning adapters are necessary to make more HD channels available, then they're not ... all this after three different people at Cox confirmed I'm supposed to receive these channels in HD. Color me confused. 

Here's the crux of my question: Is Cox violating the law (or FCC mandate) by not making programming available via cablecard that other customers receive? I'm not talking two-way stuff like on-demand or PPV. I'm talking normal high-def versions of channels that I already get in standard definition. Cox has marketed that they don't charge for high-definition channels; whenever I've asked the question, they've confirmed that if I receive the channel in standard definition, then the HD version is also supposed to be there. 

A couple of the channels in question are DIY (1348 in the local lineup) & COOK (1353). To add insult to injury, I have the Encore movie pack including IndiePlex (1296) & RetroPlex (1297). I'm told I can't receive those channels without signing up for their Contour system. They're part of the package to which I'm subscribed & I do get the standard definition versions (296 & 297). 

This sure seems like extortion. "You can have what you want as long as you sign up for our more expensive proprietary solution." A subsequent call to a different tech support person at Cox indicates those channels ARE restricted to Contour. I guess at least they're consistent at being inconsistent.

I'm sure there are many people here more experienced with this stuff that can make insightful commentary. Thoughts? Suggestions?


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

The Cox Contour HD channels are available on the Premieres and the Roamios, at no additional cost, they just work, nothing special Cox needs to do, as long as you subscribe to the SD channel package.

See bottom of page 4 for which channels are the Contour HD
http://media.cox.com/support/print_media/tv/cls/lasvegas/cl_lasvegas.pdf

Cox Support regarding CableCARD and Contour HD
http://ww2.cox.com/residential/support/tv/article.cox?articleId=b8889a60-d706-11df-66a2-000000000000

These channels are H.264/MPEG4 not MPEG2.
The TiVo Series 3 and TiVo HD are not capable of tuning H.264/MPEG4 (most markets the Contour channels are also above 900MHz, many older tuners cannot tune above 860MHz, this includes legacy Cox SA equipment)

Here is some other useful info:
Cisco Tuning Adapter Status Troubleshooting


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

They are required by law to support all linear (meaning everything except on-demand) channels that are available with their equipment. This even includes PPV and sports packages.


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

The FCC rules do not apply or help, if the equipment is not capable of both H.264/MPEG4 and 1GHz tuners.

The Series3 and TiVoHD will never have access regardless of the law. Unless Cox changes the frequency and format or TiVo updates the TiVoHD to support H.264, both are not going to happen.

If you want the Contour HD channels you need a Premiere or Roamio series, both Cox does support.

The vast majority of Cox equipment, both Legacy Scientific Atlanta and Motorola equipment will never have access, they simply are not capable.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

The OP has a Roamio- so anything up to 1ghz and MPEG-4 should be available.


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## KennethW (Dec 16, 2003)

CoxInPHX said:


> The FCC rules do not apply or help, if the equipment is not capable of both H.264/MPEG4 and 1GHz tuners.
> 
> The Series3 and TiVoHD will never have access regardless of the law. Unless Cox changes the frequency and format or TiVo updates the TiVoHD to support H.264, both are not going to happen.
> 
> ...


I have Cox in Omaha and am struggling to get all my channels on my Tivo Premiere (2 tuner) after moving to a new home. I do not get many channels in the Sports and Movie Pak (in either stanard def or HD). I have since added a Moca network (Actiontec adapters) but disconnected MOCA and verified that I am still not receiving all of the channels without MOCA in the mix.

Your reply was interesting to me because it mentioned not receiving Contour Channels. I do not have the Contour Service but received all these channels at my previous home with the Motorola Tuning adapter. I also swapped out a Cox SD cable box that was being used with my Tivo Series 2 with a Motorola HD cable box. It is not tuning all the channels either. In fact, many do not even appear in the guide channel. The Cox installer said that it will not tune any channels over 1301 (HBO2,3,4, etc) even some come thru on my Premiere. I was shocked and asked him how I am supposed to get them and he mentioned Contour.

So my question is, are there now channels specific to Contour and is that the reason they will not tune on the Motorola Tuning Adapter and Motorola HD cable box ?

I have a Cox tech coming tomorrow. Can I get a Cisco Tuning Adapter and another type of Brand of Cable Box in Omaha.

Also, recently switched between old cable modem and the new DOCSIS 3 modem because I was told it was faster. Is that true? It seems I am no longer able to use my fax machine now. I am guessing it is because of this new modem

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

-Ken


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

KennethW said:


> I have Cox in Omaha and am struggling to get all my channels on my Tivo Premiere (2 tuner) after moving to a new home. I do not get many channels in the Sports and Movie Pak (in either stanard def or HD). I have since added a Moca network (Actiontec adapters) but disconnected MOCA and verified that I am still not receiving all of the channels without MOCA in the mix.
> 
> Your reply was interesting to me because it mentioned not receiving Contour Channels. I do not have the Contour Service but received all these channels at my previous home with the Motorola Tuning adapter. I also swapped out a Cox SD cable box that was being used with my Tivo Series 2 with a Motorola HD cable box. It is not tuning all the channels either. In fact, many do not even appear in the guide channel. The Cox installer said that it will not tune any channels over 1301 (HBO2,3,4, etc) even some come thru on my Premiere. I was shocked and asked him how I am supposed to get them and he mentioned Contour.
> 
> ...


 you might need a Trio code or the code for the plus pack on your account. what model modem did you have and what do you have now? I'm in Omaha also and get the extra hd on tivo premiers.


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## KennethW (Dec 16, 2003)

Thanks AJWees41.

Cisco DPQ3212 is the new DOCSIS3 modem. Old modem was the Motorola SB5101.

I will mention the codes to the Cox guy tomorrow. I really hope I can get this resolved as I have been struggling with it for almost a month now. I am new to MOCA though.

Do you have the Motorola tuning adapter with the Premiere. Also are you running a MOCA network ? I would be interested in how our configurations compare. I have another post here that outlines my config. I have modified it slightly since the post but it is mostly the same.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10365065

I guess I will see what happens with the Cox truck roll tomorrow.

Thanks - Ken


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

KennethW said:


> Thanks AJWees41.
> 
> Cisco DPQ3212 is the new DOCSIS3 modem. Old modem was the Motorola SB5101.
> 
> ...


 I have the tuning adapters just not hooked up right now doing some redoing of cable since one room has the cable modem and tivo and now need the tuning adapter need to re wire and the internet is cable modem wireless router and the second tivo has a wireless ethernet bridge. you you pan on wireless or need to wireless router the netgear nighthawk Ac1900 is a good router for a medium to large size house.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

JosephB said:


> They are required by law to support all linear (meaning everything except on-demand) channels that are available with their equipment. This even includes PPV and sports packages.


How do you receive PPV on a TiVo from Cox?


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## KennethW (Dec 16, 2003)

With a CableCard for the Premiere. You cannot get on-demand and two way pay per view programming. You can call and order a PPV if it is in a channel on the guide. We do not use PPV with our Tivos as they have Netflix and Amazon included in the UI.

Thanks
Ken


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## gville (May 9, 2015)

delgadobb said:


> In the midst of setting up my new Roamio, I was going through the usual headaches with Cox regarding cablecards. I picked up another cablecard & tuning adapter - the girl at the Cox store said they were out of install directions, but it was 'easy to find on the website'. Yeah, right. Nothing on how to connect the tuning adapter, all while they expect you to do it a certain way with nonstandard parts (I don't keep MoCa filters around; they give you one piece of Coax, but expect you to have 3 pieces of RG6, a splitter & a MoCa filter.)
> 
> It took the usual back-and-forth with the card not pairing correctly, then things working part way, then scheduling a tech visit because 'everything seems to be configured & the cablecard is paired'. Most channels were not coming in even after multiple reboots of each device (tivo & tuning adapter, along with them resetting the cablecard). They confirmed that I was supposed to receive some channels (DIY & Cooking channel, for example) in HD. Then the tech arrives today, taking 10 MINUTES to find the cablecard on the HD! He claims those channels are only available on Contour (Cox's new attempt at a all-in-one 'solution') according to both his supervisor & DC. Huh? I've gotten the speech numerous times about how tuning adapters are necessary to make more HD channels available, then they're not ... all this after three different people at Cox confirmed I'm supposed to receive these channels in HD. Color me confused.
> 
> ...


I spoke to an FCC agent about this yesterday and she confirmed that Cox is indeed breaking the law and violating FCC regulations by forcing customers to switch to their Contour Box if they want to receive full programming. I pay 60 dollars a month for all the premium HD channels and Cox took about 17 of them (the majority) suddenly this month, claiming that they can deliver their programming however they want and that they can charge me the same price...they say if I want the channels I have to throw away my Tivo boxes (which I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on) and get Contour Boxes, regardless, they will still charge me for the channels that they have blocked from my cable card. When I informed the FCC agent she assured me this is, indeed a violation punishable by law and she is escalating this case to the higher ups and the FCC and filed a report against and will be contacting Cox informing them that they must restore service to customers with cable cards and tuning adapters or they will be served with Federal Fees (7 figures!).

We need to spread the word about this and fight for our rights. IF you have Tivo and Cox has taken away your premium HD channels and claimed you now require a Contour Box to get the channels, contact the FCC at 888-225-5322 to file an additional complaint. That way we could have a class action lawsuit on our hands that will force Cox to restore our program. What they are doing is essentially extortion and it needs to be stopped.

If any Tivo Mods are listening to this, please step up and help us! This is your fight too, otherwise Cox will start forcing your customers to cancel their Tivo subscriptions in favor of Cox Contour Boxes!


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

gville said:


> I pay 60 dollars a month for all the premium HD channels and Cox took about 17 of them (the majority) suddenly this month, claiming that they can deliver their programming however they want and that they can charge me the same price...they say if I want the channels I have to throw away my Tivo boxes (which I have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on) and get Contour Boxes,


What Model TiVo do you have?
Where are you located?

The Premiere and Roamio are perfectly capable of receiving the Contour HD channels, which are MPEG4/H.264

The Series 3 and TiVo HD are not capable of tuning MPEG4/H.264

I receive all the Cox Contour HD channels, which were all moved to SDV a few months ago. If yours were moved from Linear to SDV, it is possible the Tuning Adapter did not get the correct mapping for those channels, I have seen that happen before. In that case you just need to get the message to an engineer at the cable plant, and be very specific.

It sounds like you got some bad information from Cox.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

CoxInPHX said:


> What Model TiVo do you have?
> Where are you located?
> 
> The Premiere and Roamio are perfectly capable of receiving the Contour HD channels, which are MPEG4/H.264
> ...


We will see if he responds but you are of course correct, if he lost the channels because he has an older MPEG-2 only TiVo, Cox is certainly not breaking any laws.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

I can get any channel on the Contour packages in Vegas. I think they are probably lying or acting uninformed to make sales/quotas.


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## gcw07 (Oct 30, 2007)

CoxInPHX said:


> I receive all the Cox Contour HD channels, which were all moved to SDV a few months ago. If yours were moved from Linear to SDV, it is possible the Tuning Adapter did not get the correct mapping for those channels, I have seen that happen before. In that case you just need to get the message to an engineer at the cable plant, and be very specific.


Sorry to hijack this thread, but any suggestions on how to get a hold of a Cox engineer to fix a channel map? I've been missing a single channel for 5 months now and from what I've been able to figure out with my own research is the Tuning Adapter's channel map for that channel is incorrect. Unfortunately tech support is no help and have always attempted to run new cable lines to the house or device which doesn't fix this problem. Any suggestions would help. Thanks.


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

gcw07 said:


> Sorry to hijack this thread, but any suggestions on how to get a hold of a Cox engineer to fix a channel map? I've been missing a single channel for 5 months now and from what I've been able to figure out with my own research is the Tuning Adapter's channel map for that channel is incorrect. Unfortunately tech support is no help and have always attempted to run new cable lines to the house or device which doesn't fix this problem. Any suggestions would help. Thanks.


It is helpful if you know which cable plant and hub you are on, so you can be very specific.

I usually post it to Cox TV Forums and also email [email protected] and ask that they forward the message to an engineer at the cable plant.

Here is the last one I posted, and it was fixed in 2 days.
http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_forum/f/4/t/2249.aspx


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## gcw07 (Oct 30, 2007)

CoxInPHX said:


> It is helpful if you know which cable plant and hub you are on, so you can be very specific.
> 
> I usually post it to Cox TV Forums and also email [email protected] and ask that they forward the message to an engineer at the cable plant.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I know the street my plant is on (right across the street from my neighborhood), but just not the name they call it. But hopefully that will be close enough to get it fixed.


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## CentralFl (May 26, 2015)

I am in Gainesville FL and having same issues. And the worst customer experience ever.

I had 4 TiVos working fine (3 are premier, one HD)even when they switched to using tuning adapters. But I guess when they switched to "contour" I stopped getting many premium channels.

3 appointments for technicians were made....with no call no show. Eventually a supervisor explained that they don't do home tech support for premium channels and the appointments were cancelled by the technician. huh? Further, they would not honor the on time guarantee because the appointment was cancelled. huh? Then a tech comes ot house and says he isn't qualified to work on cable cards even though the work order clearly mentioned this. Then finally a supervisor level tech comes out. Checks all hook ups and signals....and says he was made aware that cox wasn't offering certain premium channels without having the contour box. There was nothing he could do.

I called tech support multiple times. Initially they always said they were not aware of any issues. After I asked them to check database...."yes, I found where certain premium channels are not offered with Cable cards. You must have the contour box"

I am amazed at how poorly informed their tech support is.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

CentralFl said:


> I am in Gainesville FL and having same issues. And the worst customer experience ever.
> 
> I had 4 TiVos working fine (3 are premier, one HD)even when they switched to using tuning adapters. But I guess when they switched to "contour" I stopped getting many premium channels.
> 
> ...


go post over in the cox forums or on the cox facebook page they ned to put the contour code or something like that on your account which can be done at least in Omaha

http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_forum/f/4.aspx


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

CentralFl said:


> I am in Gainesville FL and having same issues. And the worst customer experience ever. I had 4 TiVos working fine (3 are premier, one HD)even when they switched to using tuning adapters. But I guess when they switched to "contour" I stopped getting many premium channels. 3 appointments for technicians were made....with no call no show. Eventually a supervisor explained that they don't do home tech support for premium channels and the appointments were cancelled by the technician. huh? Further, they would not honor the on time guarantee because the appointment was cancelled. huh? Then a tech comes ot house and says he isn't qualified to work on cable cards even though the work order clearly mentioned this. Then finally a supervisor level tech comes out. Checks all hook ups and signals....and says he was made aware that cox wasn't offering certain premium channels without having the contour box. There was nothing he could do. I called tech support multiple times. Initially they always said they were not aware of any issues. After I asked them to check database...."yes, I found where certain premium channels are not offered with Cable cards. You must have the contour box" I am amazed at how poorly informed their tech support is.





ajwees41 said:


> go post over in the cox forums or on the cox facebook page they ned to put the contour code or something like that on your account which can be done at least in Omaha http://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_forum/f/4.aspx


And you mention having 3 premieres and one HD, so just an FYI that I think I remember reading that the HD units can't tune to contour channels because they're MPEG 4, which the HD can't tune.


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## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

CentralFl said:


> I am in Gainesville FL and having same issues.


Please post back with any follow-up results.

Send the following Email to [email protected] - This has worked in the past for me.

Subject: Contour HD Channels not Mapped to Retail CableCARDs and Tuning Adapters

Gainsville, Florida - Contour HD Channels not Mapped to Retail CableCARDs and Tuning Adapters.

<Your Account #>
<Name on Account>

<Phone # associated with Account>
<Email Address>

Please have a Cable Plant video engineer investigate why the Contour HD Channels are not mapped to Retail CableCARDs and Tuning Adapters in Gainsville, Florida.

I have 3 TiVo Premieres that previously had access to these channels, the Contour HD Channels vanished on <date>.

Is it possible these channels were moved to Switched Digital Video (SDV) and the channel mapping was not added to the Tuning Adapter?

Thanks for your assistance,
<Your Name>

<Email>​
If you do not get a response from Cox within a few days, and a resolution within a week. I would file a complaint with the FCC:
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

Choose TV > File Complaint > Description of Complaint (use the info provided above) > TV Issues > Availability


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## pmalve (Jul 13, 2012)

It took me 4 calls to tech support to get mine working right but once they did get everything matched up it has worked flawlessly ever since. When it wasn't matched correctly I couldn't get the contour channels or the SDV channels. And only could use 4 tuners on my roamio. They have to make sure adapter and cable cards are synced somehow. I ended up getting a higher level tech guy on the phone and within 10 minutes he had everything working. Now all 6 tuners work to.
The tech they sent out gave me the same speech about how I needed there box to use the contour channels. That is definitely not true and there is a page on coxs website that says so.


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