EFFECT OF FCC RULING EXPECTED TO BE MINIMAL

The Federal Communications Commission ruled Monday that cable-television operators do not have to provide both analog and digital versions of TV stations' programming. Broadcasters and cable-TV operators don't expect the new ruling to have any immediate local effect.

Broadcasters and the cable industry have been carrying on a heated debate over the issue. Broadcasters contend that cable companies should be required to carry both analog and digital signals until more consumers own digital TV sets. Cable companies say they would have to delete other programming if required to carry two channels -- one analog, one digital -- with identical programming.

Roger Harms, manager of Charter Communications, said the FCC ruling will have more of an effect on small cable companies with little band width. Charter has more capacity and will carry both analog and digital signals when provided until the transition to digital is complete. "We'll make the arrangements that we will be able to get analog or digital," he said.

A test of the digital signal is to begin this summer, a first step in the complete transition to the digital signal. KFVS-TV will air whatever digital programming CBS provides. But the station is far from being able to generate its own digital programming, according to acting general manager Mike Smythe.

The conversion cost for a digital studio could be $10 million to $30 million, he said.

He thinks the FCC ruling will slow the switchover to High Definition TV, as the digital system is called.

"I think it will hurt until the set prices come down."

Prices for HDTV sets currently can cost thousands of dollars. TVs that receive the current analog system can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.

Current analog TV sets can be converted to received the digital signal for $700 to $900, according to Arnold Killian, KFVS's chief engineer.

Congress has scheduled the transition to the digital signal for 2006 or when digital TV reaches 85 percent of the market, whichever is later.

The Associated Press contributed some information to this story.