Abstract: A system in a subscriber television network for enabling descrambling of a received scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and/or an impulse-purchase basis. A received mask signal uniquely related to the scrambled signal is compared with a received authorization signal indicating whether the subscriber is authorized to receive the scrambled signal on a prepaid basis and a prepaid signal for enabling descrambling is provided when the compared signals match. A not-prepaid signal is provided when they do not match. A received cost signal indicating the charge for descrambling the scrambled signal and a received credit signal indicating only the subscriber's accumulated credit are processed with reference to a stored record of the subscriber's prior accumulated charges to determine whether the subscriber has sufficient available credit to pay for descrambling of the scrambled signal.