About

Two historic initiatives to make set-top boxes and residential broadband equipment more energy efficient, saving consumers money and reducing carbon emissions from power plants.

The Set-Top Box (STB) Voluntary Agreement, established in December 2012, expanded in December 2013 and renewed in March 2018, covers the set-top boxes that consumers obtain from cable, satellite, or telephone companies that service more than 90% of the U.S. pay-TV market.
The Small Network Equipment (SNE) Voluntary Agreement was established in June 2015 and covers Internet modems, routers, and other equipment that deliver broadband service to more than 85% of the residential broadband market.

Agreements & Reports

Set-Top Box
Voluntary Agreement

The Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvements in the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes (STB) was adopted to drive improvements in the energy efficiency of STBs while encouraging innovation and competition. Signatories include all of the major cable, satellite and telco service providers representing more than 90% of the U.S. pay-TV market, as well as major manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates. The Department of Energy hailed both the initial agreement with the advocates in 2013 and the extension of the agreement in 2018.

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Set-Top Box Voluntary Agreement

Service Provider Reporting Template

Small Network Equipment
Voluntary Agreement

The primary objective of the Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvements in the Energy Efficiency of Small Network Equipment (SNE) agreement is to increase the energy efficiency of equipment used to access residential broadband Internet access services while promoting rapid innovation and timely introduction of new features for consumers. Participants in the agreement include all of the largest Internet service providers and many major manufacturers.

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SNE Voluntary Agreement

Annual Reports

One of the requirements of each Voluntary Agreement is publication of an annual report prepared by an Independent Administrator. Each report provides a summary of compliance, trends, and detailed energy measurements of each device for the reporting period.

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Set-Top Box Annual Report 2013

Set-Top Box Annual Report 2014

Set-Top Box Annual Report 2015

SNE Annual Report 2015

Set-Top Box Annual Report 2016

SNE Annual Report 2016

Set-Top Box Signatories

American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

Small Network Equipment Signatories

Supporting Organizations

CableLabs is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to creating innovative ideas that significantly impact our cable operator members' business. CableLabs also serves to define interoperable solutions among our members and their technology vendors in order to drive scale, reduce costs, and create competition in the supply chain. CableLabs membership is comprised of the major cable operators worldwide.

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Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $351 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

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NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable industry, representing cable operators that deliver advanced digital services to consumers and businesses throughout urban and rural America, and more than 200 cable program networks that produce TV's most creative and popular shows. The U.S. cable industry is the largest provider of high-speed Internet access, serving more than 59 million customers, after investing $275 billion since 1996 to build robust fiber optic networks that reach 93 percent of American homes. The cable industry supports 2.7 million American jobs and there are at least 300 cable employees in every congressional district.

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