Cable television has its roots in community antenna television (CATV), which was developed to bring television to communities that did not have their own channels in the early days of television broadcasting. Just as television was starting to grow in popularity, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pulled the plug. In 1948, the FCC initiated a television broadcast license freeze in an effort to cope with the demand for frequencies. For four years, no new television stations were authorized to begin operation, and with only 108 stations already established, many communities were left without stations. The solution was CATV.

Early Development of Cable Television

One of the first CATV systems was established in 1950 by Robert J. Tarlton in Lansford, Pennsylvania. Because they were cut off by the Allegheny Mountains, the community had extremely weak signals from Philadelphia-based stations. Tarlton, an appliance salesman who was looking...