By Robert A. O'connor, CBS Television Network
Over the years, the Federal Communications Commission has authorized the transmission of a variety of special signals inserted into or "piggybacked" along with the television program signal. Several proposals are currently pending at the Commission which request authorization for additional such signals, and, what is of most importance, there is an awareness within the industry of the wide variety of special signals that could be accommodated within the time and frequency domains of the television signal -- without, of course, in any way adversely affecting the integrity of the program signal itself. In view of an obvious need for an overall system study of the entire question of these "ancillary" signals, the JCIC Ad Hoc Committee on Television Broadcast Ancillary Signals was established to study the overall question with the goal of a recommendation to the FCC , for their consideration, of a master plan to accommodate the various requirements in the most efficient and desirable manner. Some of the special signal functions under discussion relate directly to the cable television industry-virtually all involve a common industry interest.