The analog signaling rate. For complex modulation modes, the digital bit rate is encoded in multiple
bits per baud, for example, 64 QAM encodes 6 bits per baud and 16 QAM encodes 4 bits per baud.

BCP

Binary Communication Protocol

BER

The bit error rate is the ratio of the number of erroneous bits or characters received from some fixed
number of bits transmitted.

binary

A numbering system that uses two digits, 0 and 1.

bit rate

The number of bits (digital 0s and 1s) transmitted per second in a communications channel. It is
usually measured in bits per second bps.

BPKM

Baseline Protocol Key Management encrypts data flows between a cable modem or gateway and the
CMTS. The encryption occurs after the cable modem or gateway registers to ensure data privacy
across the RF network.

bps

bits per second

bridge

An OSI layer 2 networking device that connects two LANs usi ng similar protocols. It filters frames
based on the MAC address to reduce the amount of traffic. A bridge can be placed between two
groups of hosts that communicate a lot together, but not so much with the hosts in the other group.
The bridge examines the destination of each packet to determine whether to transmit it to the other
side. See also switch.

broadband

High bandwidth network technology that multiplexes multiple, independent carriers to carry voice,
video, data, and other interactive services over a single cable. A communications medium that can
transmit a relatively large amount of data in a given time period. A frequently used synonym for cable
TV that can describe any technology capable of delivering multiple channels and services.

broadcast

Simultaneous transmission to multiple network devices; a protocol mechanism supporting group and
universal addressing. See also multicast and unicast.