A Survey of Cable Television's Past, Present and Future Challenges.

The purpose of this thesis is to bring together in a single volume the pertinent information about the Community Antenna Television industry's early beginnings, federally regulated existence, and its future possibilities without federal regulation. It is intended as a primer; a survey of the CATV industry. It was researched and written on a nontechnical level for those who desire a basic understanding of how a CATV system works and the ways in which new technology may hasten CATV's future growth. While the cable television industry faces many problems such as the copyright and public access issues, there are two paramount issues effecting the future of CATV. Cable television must penetrate the major TV markets to insure continued growth; however, it faces the possibility of competition with the telephone company in these markets. This thesis addresses those two problems.