"I talked to the FCC and they said ….."

I hear that phrase a lot, and who can argue. However, here are some additional thoughts:

If the comments you received from the FCC don't seem to agree with what's written in part 76, are you really comfortable going with the verbal comments over the written requirements?

Has the FCC said it will back you up if challenged by the consultant hired by the franchise authorities?

In talking with folks at many systems, it seems to me that a more likely source of grief for the cable system is the local franchise authorities. The FCC seems to be pretty pragmatic about things. If you've been running the proofs and working on things that didn't "pass", the feeling I get is that the FCC may be the least of your concerns (as long as you're keeping CLI under control). You may get more flack from your subscribers and franchise authorities.

Here's the thing: With the possible exception of coherent disturbance tests (especially CTB), there are no good technical reasons to not follow the rules – and there are a lot of advantages to doing the job "right".

Take a look at the article "To test at the tap, or the converter. THAT is the question" for some examples.

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Gary Andrews
Television Measurement Services
garya@tvms.net
www.tvms.net