The boards of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and Public Broadcasting Service last week okayed a previously announced digital cable carriage agreement.

The next step is ratification, which requires that public television stations in markets that comprise 80 percent of U.S. TV households, and cable MSOs representing at least 80 percent of cable subs to approve the agreement within 60 days. Once ratified, it's expected that operators would begin carrying public stations pursuant to the deal within 180 days.