Members of the American Cable Association ratified a major digital carriage agreement with the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) that will guarantee more than three million American households will view local Public Television stations' multicast programming after the February 2009 digital television transition.

"APTS' goal has been to ensure that Public Television stations' local services are available to everyone they serve," said APTS Acting President and CEO Mark Erstling.

"This ratification by ACA members of our carriage agreement is a significant step forward toward meeting that goal."

PBS President-CEO Paula Kerger said: "PBS is committed to being everywhere our viewers want to access our expanded multicast content, made possible by the digital transition. This agreement helps ensure that all Americans will be able to enjoy all that public service media has to offer."

The agreement was ratified following the FCC's recent adoption of an order exempting small cable operators that are not affiliated with a major cable operator from being required to carry a high-definition version of local broadcast signals.

The 10-year agreement applies to participating ACA members' HD cable systems and includes digital television carriage of public television stations after the DTV transition.  Under the agreement, cable operators would carry the primary signal of the participating public television station on the lowest-priced tier, while multicast channels would be carried on the tier where other multicast channels are carried.

"This agreement is a milestone for Hometown America and an example of how cooperation between broadcasters and cable operators benefits consumers who will now receive the best in national and local PBS programming," said ACA President-CEO Matthew M. Polka.  Polka added he expects more ACA members to sign onto the agreement now that the agreement has been ratified and the FCC has finalized its DTV order.