Cable's solution to this is middleware software originally called OpenCable Application Platform ( OCAP) and more recently renamed to simply: OpenCable.
OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) would allow the cable company to download the same software to every CableCARD 2.0 host device regardless of the manufacturer.
While it's difficult to really get a handle on what is holding up the works, it seems like the requirement for OCAP support is the biggest point of contention.