Speaking to the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers Friday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the agency is relying on engineers to work through the broadcast channel repack as the workload increases.
He noted the original plan called for 90 TV stations to be moved to their new channel by the end of phase 1, on November 30. However 143 had moved by that date. So far, 20 of approximately 115 stations assigned to Phase 2 have moved to their new channel.
“So the next two months will be busy ones for tower crews, broadcast stations, and engineers,” he said.
Successfully completing the repack on schedule will require continued coordination among the groups mentioned above, as well as government officials, towercos, equipment manufacturers, and consultants, he noted. FCC staff is in “daily contact” with AFCCE members who are helping stations with the logistics, he explained. “We’re working to make sure that stations are on pace to move by their phase completion dates, and to help stations find flexible solutions to transition problems in ways that don’t harm other repack stations,” he said.
The Chairman also highlighted the agency’s Honors Engineering Program that brings new engineering graduates to the Commission. The program began last year and Pai announced Friday, the agency hired a new class that will start at the Commission later this year. “Replenishing the ranks of the FCC’s engineers will only grow in importance as the technologies that we regulate become more complex,” he said, encouraging anyone who knows an engineer who wants to work in public service to refer that individual to the FCC.
February 25, 2019
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