Editing CableCARD (section)

{{short description|Digital cable smart card}}
[[File:Motorola CableCARD.jpg|thumb|A Motorola CableCARD.]]

'''CableCARD''' is a special-use [[PC Card]] device that allows consumers in the United States to view and record [[digital cable]] television channels on [[digital video recorders]], [[personal computers]] and [[television set]]s on equipment such as a [[set-top box]] not provided by a [[cable television]] company. The card is usually provided by the local cable operator, typically for a nominal monthly fee.

In a broader context, CableCARD refers to a set of technologies created by the [[cable television in the United States|United States cable television]] industry to allow devices from non-cable companies to access content on the cable networks. Some technologies not only refer to the physical card, but also to a device ("Host") that uses the card. Some CableCARD technologies can be used with devices that have no physical CableCARD.

The CableCARD was the outcome of a U.S. federal government objective, directed in the [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]], to provide a robust competitive retail market for set-top boxes so consumers did not have to use proprietary equipment from the cable operators. It was believed that this would provide consumers with more choices and lower costs.

A 2020 FCC decision removed the requirement for cable companies to provide CableCARDs, but they are still required to provide consumer access options via "separable security".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=September 2020|first=Gary Arlen 10|date=2020-09-10|title=FCC Abandons CableCARD, Navigation Devices Rule Review|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-abandons-cablecard-navigation-devices-rule-review|access-date=2021-07-31|website=Multichannel News|language=en}}</ref>