cable system testing
● business planning
● cable system testing
● community broadband
● engineering design
● grant planning & management
● public networking
● public safety
● rural communications
● smart grid
● wireless tower siting
When a local government franchising authority grants a cable television operator the right to offer service in an area, the cable provider must properly maintain its equipment and adhere to federal requirements for system performance and signal quality.
To ensure that cable operators are meeting the terms of their franchise agreements, CTC supports local governments with independent evaluation and testing of cable systems. We ensure that the system is maintained to a high standard; identify specific problem areas; and make recommendations on system improvements. We travel and inspect numerous sites throughout the community, and conduct field ride-out inspections of cable lines to ensure cable equipment is properly installed and that safety procedures are followed.
CTC has also provided testing oversight for public, educational and governmental (PEG) access channels, which are typically provided as part of a franchise agreement. We review programming origination transmission links to ensure that the PEG signals are maintained to the same standard as the other cable channels.
We also maintain a test results database based on our extensive experience in cable performance testing. This data set allows us to discuss a cable system’s performance in greater detail and provide analysis that goes somewhat beyond the FCC’s minimum required performance measurements.
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Arlington County, VA
CTC performed a series of technical engineering reviews for Arlington County as part of their cable franchise renewal process. Our staff performed inspections of the physical cable lines to ensure proper compliance of safety procedures for the aerial and underground cable lines and networking equipment. We then examined the performance of the equipment itself to ensure the television signal quality meets federal standards free from interference and distortion.
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Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista, CA
CTC performed a technical evaluation of these municipalities’ internal fiber and video transmission facilities as part of a review of the area’s cable franchise agreement. While performing physical inspection of equipment our staff found several instances where the cable provider was in violation of the franchise agreement. We also documented examples of noncompliance. The report allowed the communities to reach a settlement with the area cable franchisee to address network and equipment upgrades. CTC then prepared a second report to outline migration strategies to transport all video, data, and voice traffic through a common digital platform.
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New Orleans, LA
CTC performed series of technical engineering evaluations for the City of New Orleans as part of their cable franchise renewal process. Our staff performed inspections of the physical cable lines to ensure proper compliance of safety procedures for the aerial and underground cable lines and networking equipment. The transmission performance of cable lines and equipment were also tested to ensure the television signal quality meets federal standards free from interference and distortion, with particular attention paid to the facilities of public access channels. The report concluded with the results of our evaluation and technical recommendations to consider during a future analog to digital video signal conversion.
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Brunswick, OH
CTC performed extensive tests of the Brunswick cable television system as part of the franchise renewal with Cablevision. On the basis of our testing report, CTC Principal Engineer Andrew Afflerbach served as an expert technical witness in the preliminary hearing for denial of the renewal. Dr. Afflerbach provided expert testimony regarding the status of the Cablevision system in Brunswick and its status relative to other cable systems around the country.
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Loudoun County, VA
As part of the Loudoun County cable franchise renewal process CTC performed series of technical engineering reviews. Our team inspected the physical cable lines to ensure proper compliance for aerial and underground cable lines. We also examined the performance of the equipment itself to ensure the television signal quality meets federal standards free from interference and distortion. This review also included visits to randomly selected residential cable subscribers.
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