The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has desired, for many years to create an environment in which a consumer could purchase a set top device from a retail outlet to receive video signals. The consumer could than choose any cable operator to provide them video services and the set top device they chose to use would be able to decrypt those signals. Since cable providers use different conditional access systems (CAS) to secure their video signals, this environment has been impossible to provide.
The FCC believes that current technology has risen to a level that it is now possible to build just such an environment. Because of this belief the FCC has mandated that by July 1, 2007 all set top devices must provide a method that will support removable security. Removable security allows a set top device to be used with any cable system, thus creating the environment the FCC desires. The CAS on the set top device can be removed and replaced with another CAS and used with a different cable provider.
The most commonly accepted method to support removable security is through the use of a removable smart card or what is being called a CableCard. This device contains the CAS used by a single cable provider and can be used in any device that is designed with a CableCard slot. Once a CableCard is placed in the appropriate slot, that set top device can decrypt the video signals provided by that cable operator. When the CableCard is removed the CAS for that provider is removed and meets the FCC.s mandate to support removable security.
There have been many debates over the cost and viability of a CableCard. Most manufactures and purchasers of set top devices that support CableCards feel that the cost of this method is exorbitant and the long-term viability is questionable. It has been suggested, and the FCC has accepted, that other methods could be used to meet the removable security mandate. One of these methods is through the use of downloadable security.
Downloadable security is a concept in which the set top device is built with an embedded Secure Microprocessor that is designed to accept the download of the chosen CAS for use with a specific cable operator. A Secure Microprocessor is an integrated circuit that is built into the set top device and has the ability to protect any content, that is loaded, from being read or accessed by any outside means. The integrated circuit is designed to meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard 140 (FIPS) levels 1,2,3 & 4. FIPS-140 is a series of U.S. government computer security standards that specify requirements for cryptography modules
Downloadable security reduces the cost of a CableCard enabled device by at least one order of magnitude and has an indefinite life span due to its ability to accept any CAS. This system does not require the replacement of the CableCard if the current CAS system needs to be replaced to improve the level of security or due to a security breach. This system can support many if not all CAS systems that are currently in use thus allowing any device supporting this method to be used in currently deployed cable systems.
Beyond Broadband Technology, LLC