HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-10-27 City Council (12)City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT:ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES
DATE:OCTOBER 27, 2003 CMR: 478:03
SUBJECT: STATUS OF CABLE SYSTEM UPGRADE AND INSTITUTIONAL
NETWORK (I-NET)
This is an informational report and no Council action is required.
BACKGROUND
In 1983, a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (JPA) was entered into by Palo Alto,
Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Atherton, and portions of San Mateo and Santa Clara
counties for the purpose of obtaining cable television services for residents, businesses,
and institutions within these jurisdictions. The JPA gives Palo Alto the authority to grant
and administer a cable television franchise agreement on behalf of all of the JPA
members.
In 1986, a cable television franchise agreement was executed with Cable Co-op. In 2000,
the City Council approved a transfer of the cable system from Cable Co-op to TCI, a
wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T, and a new franchise agreement with TCI. In July
2002, the Council approved the transfer of the franchise agreement to Comcast
Corporation after Comcast Corporation acquired AT&T Broadband. In March 2003,
Comcast Corporation began running the cable system under the name Comcast.
The cable franchise agreement requires Comcast to complete an upgrade of the cable
system, which includes the construct an institutional network (I-Net), within 36 months
of the effective date of the franchise agreement, which is July 24, 2000. Comcast
initiated the project in May 2002. As one of the key conditions of the AT&T Comcast
transfer, approved by Council in July 2002, Comcast reaffirmed its commitment to
meeting the upgrade deadline. This report provides the status of upgrade project and
informs Council whether Comcast met the deadline as required in the franchise
agreement.
CMR: 478:03 Page 1 of 6
DISCUSSION
The existing cable system, constructed in 1983, that serves Palo Alto and the JPA
communities was built entirely of coaxial cable. The cable system upgrade required in
the cable franchise agreement requires replacing sections of the cable system
infrastructure with new coaxial cable, installing a new fiber-optic-cable system backbone
and replacing power supplies and connection equipment. The upgraded system
anticipated by the franchise agreement with Comcast should result in enhanced signal
quality, greater system reliability, improved picture quality, and new services. In
addition, customers should experience fewer outages and better audio and video
performance.
Institutional Network
The cable system upgrade also includes the construction of an I-Net. The I-Net that
Comcast is obligated to construct is a network of fiber optic cable connecting the public
facilities and schools within the JPA communities, comprising 70 sites. It will have the
capability of providing voice, video and data communication between the I-Net sites.
Also connected to the I-Net will be the Media Center, serving as the community access
organization (CAO). With the Media Center connected to the I-Net and with each I-Net
site connected to the Media Center, the broadcast and video capabilities in the JPA
communities will be greatly expanded. In addition, the I-Net can also provide
connectivity between sites that are now served by other telecommunications services. By
connecting sites over the I-Net, K-12 educational institutions, the cities, and community
organizations may be able to eliminate current leased line telecommunication costs and
gain significantly greater network performance. The JPA communities continue to
discuss the I-Net to develop an implementation plan and timeline. The JPA anticipates
that organizations will start using the I-Net once its completion is verified.
New Government Channel 29
Another result of the cable system upgrade is the addition of a new government channel
to the basic tier of service. Channel 29 is the new government channel that will join the
existing channel 26, making for two dedicated government channels serving the JPA.
The Media Center manages both channels on behalf of the JPA in their role as the CAO.
Government channel 29 provides an increase in much needed scheduling capacity. This
added capacity will reduce conflicts in the schedule of live city council meeting
broadcasts in the JPA communities. Currently, only Palo Alto and Menlo Park broadcast
live city council meetings. On certain dates during the year, both Palo Alto and Menlo
Park may have a live city council meeting scheduled and currently only one meeting can
be broadcast live on channel 26. With the addition of channel 29, both meetings can now
be broadcast live simultaneously. Channel 29 will also provide added capacity for the
broadcasting of live committee and commission meetings that are currently only
broadcast as replays on channel 26. The JPA is working with the Media Center on a plan
to fund the costs involved in activating the additional government channel.
CMR: 478:03 Page 2 of 6
In the future, both the Town of Atherton and the City of East Palo Alto may consider
broadcasting meetings live. Should these cities decide to broadcast, then the broadcast
capacity on channel 26 and 29 would be further shared until the point that an additional
government channel could be added, as allowed for in the franchise agreement.
Channel 29 will be officially live starting in November and the broadcast schedule for
channel 29 and 26 will be publicly noticed and advertised.
Project Review
In February 2003, staff provided Council with a status report on the cable system upgrade
and I-Net project, which included a discussion of the design review, permitting and
construction monitoring processes employed by the City to oversee the project (CMR:
138:03). Comcast started construction on the cable system upgrade and I-Net project in
July 2002. As required by the franchise agreement, Comcast must have completed the
project by July 24, 2000.
In order to determine whether Comcast has completed the cable system upgrade in the
manner required by the franchise agreement, the City retained the services of The Buske
Group, and Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (Columbia). Both firms have
provided services to the City during the past cable franchise agreement renewal process
in 2000 and subsequently in matters related to Comcast’s franchise agreement
compliance and design and construction review.
Columbia reviewed the system design submitted by Comcast in April 2002 and
construction status in December 2002 and April 2003.
In order to determine whether Comcast completed construction in the manner and by the
deadline required in the franchise agreement, Columbia began reviewing system test
reports immediately after the July 24, 2003 construction completion deadline. In August,
Columbia spent time in the field performing inspection and testing activities throughout
the system. These activities were coordinated with Comcast and were designed to
confirm to the City that the cable system upgrade was complete. Columbia reviewed
both the subscriber portion of the cable system (used to provide cable TV and cable
Internet services) and the I-Net during this time and delivered their findings in a report
(Attachment A).
The key findings of the Columbia report are:
¯The I-Net has not been completed as required by the franchise agreement
¯The Cable System rebuild is substantially complete, however a number of
construction-related cable system issues remain to be completed
¯The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is not configured correctly
¯Comcast customers are now receiving service on the upgraded cable system
Each of the key findings is discussed below in further detail.
CMR: 478:03 Page 3 of 6
I-Net has not been completed as required by the franchise agreement
The franchise agreement, in sections 7.3.2 and 7.3.3, requires that six optical fibers (I-Net
links) connect each I-Net facility (schools and government sites) to a hub site located at
the city hall in the community in which that I-Net facility is located. Each city hall hub
site is then connected to the Community Media Access Center (CMAC) and the CMAC
is connected to the Comcast cable system head end. These six fibers are designated for
the sole use of the site they serve and no other site is served by those fibers. Under the
cable franchise agreement, the organization that manages the CMAC is the Media Center,
located at 900 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto.
The I-Net is structured around the cable system, which is organized into buses. These
buses are portions of the system infrastructure that run from the system head-end to serve
a single large geographic area, i.e. South Palo Alto. The system is divided into five buses
(A, B, C, D and E). The I-Net is constructed on four of these buses (A, C, D, and E). On
buses A and C, Comcast used six optical fibers to connect each I-Net site to the hub
location. This is consistent with the I-Net plan approved by the City. However, on buses
D and E Comcast used, in some cases, as few as three optical fibers to connect multiple I-
Net sites back to the hub location. This discrepancy is a clear violation of the
requirement in the franchise agreement.
The Cable System rebuild is substantially complete, however a number of construction-
related cable system issues remain to be completed
Columbia’s review indicated that Comcast had, in large part, constructed the subscriber
portion of the cable system in conformance with the franchise agreement and industry
practice and safety codes. However, the report identified a number of "clean-up" issues
that the company should address. The findings point primarily to instances where cable
drops are not grounded properly or missing guide wires were not in place.
Emergency Alert System (EAS) is not configured correctly
The franchise agreement, section 7.14.1, requires that Comcast install as part of the cable
system, an emergency alert system (EAS) for the purposes of sending emergency
broadcasts. The EAS system required should be installed and function in a manner that
permits authorized emergency authorities of the JPA cities to override the cable system to
provide local emergency messages to residents. The EAS system installed by Comcast is
functional; however, the system cannot currently accept remote override from the
representatives of the JPA.
Comcast Customers are now receiving service on the upgraded cable system
Comcast began migrating customers to the upgraded portion of the cable system in May.
Virtually all customers were on the upgraded system by the end of July 2003.
Columbia’s review of performance tests showed that the upgrade system serving
customers met the requirements of the FCC proof of performance tests.
CMR: 478:03 Page 4 of 6
Comcast’s upgrade of the cable infrastructure in the JPA communities has enabled
Comcast to deliver reliable service, good picture and sound quality, and advanced
services such as digital content and high-speed cable Internet access. For the first time
since 2000, customers can now obtain new cable Internet access. In the future, this
infrastructure should enable Comcast to provide services such as high-definition
television (HDTV), video-on-demand and even faster Internet access.
Franchise Violation
Based upon detailed construction and engineering review prepared by Columbia, and
summarized in the key findings above, the City concludes that Comcast did not complete
the cable system upgrade and I-Net consistent with the franchise agreement and failed to
meet the cable system construction deadline of July 24, 2003 as required in the franchise
agreement. City staff has provided Comcast with a copy of the Columbia report and has
met with Comcast to discuss the findings of that report.
A notice of Franchise Violation was provided to Comcast on October 23, 2003.
The franchise agreement requires, when a franchise violation has been identified, that the
City provide Comcast written notice of the alleged franchise violation. Comcast is given
30 days to respond to the violation notice and to indicate whether the company intends to
contest the violation or provide a plan to cure the violation. Should Comcast choose to
contest the alleged violation or the City deem the cure to be unacceptable, the City may
schedule an administrative hearing where Comcast can show cause as to why it is not in
violation of the franchise agreement. If, after the administrative hearing, the City
concludes that Comcast is in violation of the agreement, the City may assess liquidated
damages of $1,250 per day.
The City issued a letter to Comcast alleging a violation of the franchise agreement on
October 23, 2003. Comcast has 30 days to respond to the letter. When the City receives
Comcast’s response, staff will evaluate it and make a determination whether to proceed to
the next phase of the violation process, an administrative hearing before the City Council.
Should such a hearing be necessary, it would likely be held in January.
RESOURCE IMPACT
The costs associated with The Buske Group and Columbia performing a review the cable
system upgrade are covered through cable franchise fee revenue paid to the JPA
Communities. The franchise agreement also includes a one million dollar performance
bond paid by Comcast that covers any damages or loss suffered by the City as related to
Comcast not completing the rebuild. Any determination of damages or loss will be made
at a later time.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This report does not represent any change to existing City policy.
CMR: 478:03 Page 5 of 6
ENVIRONlVIENTAL REVIEW
This is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A:Columbia Report
PREPARED BY:
DAVID RAMBERG
IT Manager, External Services
Cable Franchise Manager
DEPARTMENTAL HEAD APPROVAL: Q~’~_,~_._..
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
Director, ~dministrative Services
EMILY HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
cc:JPA Members
CMR: 478:03 Page 6 of 6
COMCAST CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM
INSPECTION AND TESTING REPORT
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
October 2003
Prepared by
Columbia Telecommunications Corporation
5550 Sterrett Place, Suite 200
Columbia, Maryland 21044
(410) 964-5700 ¯ fax: (410) 964-6478
~vww.internetCTC.com
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................1
1.1 Subscriber Network ........................................................................................................1
1.2 Institutional Network (I-Net) ..........................................................................................2
1.3 Recommendations ...........................................................................................................2
II.SYSTEM DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................5
2.1 Headend ..........................................................................................................................5
2.2
2.3
Distribution System ........................................................................................................6
Channels ..........................................................................................................................6
2.4
2.5
2.6
Emergency Alert System (EAS)/Local Emergency Override ........................................6
PEG Identification ..........................................................................................................7
Cable Modem Service .....................................................................................................7
2.7
III.
3.1
Subscriber Services .........................................................................................................7
PERFORMANCE TESTING .............................................................................................8
Test Standards .................................................................................................................8
3.2 Proof-of-Performance Test Review ................................................................................8
3.3 Test Procedures ...............................................................................................................8
3.5
IV.
4.1
3.4 Test Equipment ...............................................................................................................8
Test Result Findings .......................................................................................................9
PHYSICAL PLANT INSPECTION .................................................................................11
Inspection Procedures ...................................................................................................11
4.2 Inspection Standards and Authority ..............................................................................11
4.3 Types and Numbers of Violations ................................................................................12
4.3.1 Plant Violations:
4.3.2 Plant Violations:
4.3.3 Plant Violations:
4.3.4 Plant Violations:
4.3.5 Plant Violations:
4.3.6 Plant Violations:
4.3.7 Plant Violations:
4.3.8
4.3.9
Bonding and Grounding ................................................................12
Lashing Wire .................................................................................13
Construction .............; ....................................................................13
Physical Clearances ......................................................................13
Pedestal .........................................................................................14
Guying ...........................................................................................14
Anchor...........................................................................................15
Plant Violations: Miscellaneous ...............................................................................15
Drop Cable Violations ..............................................................................................15
4.4 Summary of Inspection Results ....................................................................................16
4.4.1 Plant Violations .........................................................................................................16
4.4.2 Drop Violations .........................................................................................................16
V.I-NET EVALUATION .........................................................................................................17
5.1 I-Net Overview .............................................................................................................17
5.2 I-Net Site Inspections ....................................................................................................17
5.3 Additional Design Information .....................................................................................18
VI.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT ....................23
Figure 1 :
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Fignre 4:
Figure 5:
Figure 6:
Figure 7:
Figure 8:
Table of Figures
I-Net Schematic (provided by Comcast) .......................................................................19
I-Net Schematic of Busses A, B, and C ........................................................................20
I-Net Schematic of Buss D ............................................................................................21
I-Net Schematic for Buss E ...........................................................................................22
I-Net Schematic for Buss D (provided by Comcast) .....................................................53
I-Net Schematic for Buss E (provided by Comcast) .....................................................53
I-Net Signal Flow Diagram for Buss D .........................................................................54
I-Net Fiber Distance Diagram for Buss D .....................................................................55
Figure 9: I-Net Signal Flow Diagram for Buss E .........................................., ..............................56
Figure 10: I-Net Fiber Distance Diagram for Buss E ...................................................................57
APPENDICES
Appendix A -- Electrical Performance Standards
Appendix B -- Headend and I-Net Pictures
Appendix C -- Test Results
Appendix D -- Physical Inspection Results
Appendix E -- Detailed I-Net Schematics for Busses D and E
Appendix F -- About Columbia Telecommunications Corporation
I.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In early August 2003, Columbia Telecommunications Corporation ("CTC") conducted a detailed
technical review of the cable system in the franchise area served by Comcast in Palo Alto, East
Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, and portions of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. This
review included inspection of the headend and electrical testing and inspection of a sampling of
the physical plant. This review also included inspection of selected Institutional Network (I-Net)
sites and an analysis of the network infrastructure.
1.1 Subscriber Network
CTC’s technical evaluation was intended to determine the physical condition of the cable system
and the overall quality of its construction, and to verify the status of the upgrade required under
the franchise agreement. Prior to performing the inspection, CTC staff met with Comcast at the
construction office to discuss I-Net and upgrade status and to inspect the headend. Electrical
testing was performed to determine the signal quality delivered to subscribers on the system.
CTC staff inspected two areas, or categories, of cable plant: (1) aerial cables and equipment
("plant"), and (2) subscriber residence service connection installations ("drops"), for compliance
with upgrade requirements and applicable safety and construction standards.
Signal quality testing was conducted at the headend and four locations on the cable system. Two
of these locations were selected to compare Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proof-
of-performance tests with current system operation. The electrical testing performed at the
headend and each of the four locations met FCC signal quality requirements.
From our survey of the cable plant, we concluded that, with the specific exceptions noted herein,
the cable plant has generally been constructed to conform to safety codes and industry practice.
However, removal, or "wreck out" of old equipment was not completed in most inspected areas.
In addition, grounding of end-of-lines (EOL), as required by the National Electric Code and the
California Safety Code, was still in progress. CTC’s physical plant inspection concentrated on
EOLs because they are the most likely to have grounding and guying infractions. Aerial plant in
backyard easements was visually inspected from the street where possible. Areas in Palo Alto,
East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Atherton were reviewed, and similar problems were found in all
areas inspected. Appendix D contains pictures and locations where infractions were found.
The plant inspection revealed a number of code violations and deviations from accepted industry
practices. Specifically, CTC’s inspector identified 23 plant violations in approximately 50 miles
of cable plant inspected. These areas represent approximately ten percent of the entire system
based on plant mileage. We regard this percentage of violations to be on the high side of
acceptability, especially considering that we are dealing with cable plant that has just recently
been upgraded. The majority of plant violations fell into the grounding and guying categories.
Specifically, twelve of the twenty-three violations identified involved grounding and four
involved guying violations. Many of these violations occurred at EOLs, where many were not
grounded properly or were missing guy guards.
Eleven service drops were inspected to verify correct grounding of the drops. The drops that
were inspected were observable without contacting residence owners. Two of the drops were
1
improperly grounded to waterlines. One location had disconnected drops left dangling from the
pole. Appendix D contains pictures and locations where infractions were found.
Generally, it appears that new drops are installed correctly. There were no observed clearance
issues with drops. Older drop grounds may still be connected to waterlines instead of power
grounds.
1.2 Institutional Network (I-Net)
Based on the original System Level Design for the I-Net submitted by AT&T, and the
requirements listed in the Franchise Agreement, we fred the I-Net to be out of compliance with
the Franchise Agreement. The I-Net is divided into individual sub-networks or Busses. Each
Buss supports a specific geographical area and I-Net sites within those areas. In the initial
construction phase, Busses A (Palo Alto), B (Palo Alto), and C (East Palo Alto) were built with
six independent fibers connected to City hub sites in a point-to-point configuration in a fashion
that we judge to be in compliance with the requirements of the Franchise and consistent with the
parameters of the original System Level Design as described by AT&T to the City Staff.
However, in Busses D (Menlo Park) and E (Atherton), the design has been abruptly modified so
that most sites are not directly linked to the hub site. Rather three fibers come into each site and
then exit to the next site. Only one site in the chain eventually directly connects to the hub site
and through only three fibers. The design modification on Busses D and E affect 27 of the total
70 I-Net sites (including the hub sites and the CMAC). The resulting implementation for Busses
D & E is unacceptable to meet the needs as defined in the Franchise Agreement. Specifically,
the design provides both greatly reduced capacity and creates a reliability and maintenance
nightmare since all sites are in series in the Buss, in a manner much like the old Christmas tree
light bulbs, i.e. if one site goes out, then all sites behind it in the series go out. While ring
architecture has been long used in networks, it is not appropriate in this instance since many
fibers travel the same physical routes and therefore provide no true route diversity for the system.
Ring architectures with route diversity utilize geographically distinct routing of the fiber optic
sheaths to provide multiple physical paths for the data to travel, and increase the physical
redundancy and reliability of the network. Busses D and E do not achieve this level of reliability
or redundancy with the current physical architecture. In the event of a fiber cut on Busses D or
E, many sites may be isolated from the rest of the network.
In the inspections of a sampling of I-Net facilities, we found they were of uniform construction.
However, there were problems noted including: (1) missing fiber waming tags at certain
facilities; (2) a fiber drop was secured to a tree; (3) a patch panel at the East Palo Alto hub site
was improperly secured; and (4) fiber path loss tests could not be conducted due to lack of
available fiber testing equipment from Comcast.
1.3 Recommendations
The Franchise Agreement between the JPA and AT&T contains a number of specific technica!
requirements that must be met by the cable provider in order to be in compliance with the
Ageement.
2
A number of these requirements are either pending, ongoing, or require City action, and include:
¯§ 7.3.3 - This section describes the requirements for I-Net configuration. The
system as implemented does not meet the requirements of this section.
¯§ 7.11.5 - CTC did not address the cable drops for PEG locations;
o This matter will be addressed in the Buske Group report for Triennial
Review;
¯§ 7.11.5 - CTC did not address cable modem access for schools and libraries;
o This matter will be addressed in the Buske Group report for Triennial
Review; and
¯§ 7.14.1 - The ability to override the audio and video on all channels of the
cable system by authorized local government emergency officials is not
available on the current EAS system.
Based on our testing and inspection process, CTC recommends the Cities take the following
actions to ensure that the cable system and I-Net perform reliably:
Conduct, in the next 30 to 60 days, a physical plant re-inspection and drop re-inspection
after notification to Comcast of their current violations to ensure that violations have
been corrected in a permanent manner, including issues such as completed wreck-out,
proper grounding and guying of EOLs, and proper grounding of drops;
¯Review system physical construction when completed, due to incomplete wreck-out;
Follow up with Comcast to ensure they provide designated City officials with the
ability to control local emergency override of the cable system;
Review system physical construction for proper grounding of the physical plant,
including EOLs and active devices, as this was still ongoing during CTC’s inspection;
Follow-up with Comcast to resolve issues regarding grounding of old drops to power
grounds instead of water lines;
Review deviations from original I-Net design for Busses D and E, and follow-up with
Comcast regarding these changes;
Require Comcast to have available on site fiber optic power meter test equipment and
trained technical staff able to use this equipment. At the time of our I-Net inspections,
CTC was unable to test link continuity and path losses because Comcast did not have
equipment available. This equipment, while low in cost, will be critical for
maintenance purposes to ensure continual performance and minima! downtime on the
subscriber and institutional networks; and
Follow up with Comcast regarding the fiber drop that was secured to a tree and
installation of proper fiber warning tags at facilities.
Follow up with Comcast regarding the fiber patch panel mounting in East Palo Alto.
This report documents CTC’s testing and inspection processes and findings. Section II describes
cable system components. Section III describes the testing process, testing standards, and results
of the testing performed. Section IV describes the inspection process, inspection standards, types
of violations, and significance of each type of violation. Section V describes the I-Net
architecture and deviation from the original design. Section VI details the technical requirements
of the Franchise Agreement and Comcast’s compliance with these requirements.
Appendices at the end of the report contain the data collected by CTC during its testing and
inspection.
4
II.SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
The Comcast system serving the Palo Alto area consists of 63 nodes covering approximately 500
miles of plant. The headend is located at 3450 Garrett Drive in Santa Clara, California. The
Santa Clara facility is one of three interconnected headends that serve the San Francisco Bay
Area. The system configuration is a hybrid fiber/coaxial design with a maximum cascade of five
amplifiers and an upper bandwidth of 860 MHz. The reverse portion of the plant has been
activated and is currently used for subscriber high-speed data services, converter control, and
status monitoring. The nodes are manufactured by Antec/Scientific Atlanta and are from the
Proteus series. Amplifiers are manufactured by General InstmmenffMotorola. The entire plant
has battery operated stand-by power.
Subscriber taps and passive devices are rated for 1 GHz. Taps can supply power for future
telephony operation by changing the tap faceplate. Some power passing taps are currently
installed in the system. Power passing taps allow Comcast the ability to integrate cable
telephony into the Palo Alto system in the future.
2.1 Headend
The Comcast headend is a state-of-the-art facility containing all reception equipment, switching
equipment, status monitoring, commercial advertisement insertion, and digital television
equipment. The headend is connected with fiber to three other headends that service the Bay
area. The site also contains a master-control monitoring center that makes visual and electrical
tests on each channel. A telephony switch is also co-located at the site.
To service Palo Alto, new Scientific Atlanta Continuum modulators were added to the existing
facility. Additionally, new Arris Laser Link III lasers and reverse receivers were added to
service the Palo Alto fiber optic nodes. The existing digital control, status monitoring, high-
speed data equipment, and reception equipment were expanded to provide the programming
necessary for the Palo Alto subscriber system.
The headend facility is powered by a Balanced Power III 65-kilowatt UPS, two Argus redundant
-48 Volt DC supplies, and a 500-kilowatt diesel Caterpillar generator. The entire facility has FM
200 fire protection and is cooled by three redundant 24-ton Liebert air conditioning systems.
Most broadcast television reception is obtained via fiber and the interconnected headends.
Satellite reception is currently provided by nine single-feed dishes and one multi-feed dish.
Satellite receivers are manufactured by Standard Communications, General Instrument, and
Scientific Atlanta. The General Instrument/Motorola digital television receiver is currently
controlled by the Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) system. In the future, local control of the digital
programming can be accomplished by the addition of the General Instrument DAC controller.
At present, three channels are groomed using Big Band and Cherry Pickers. Big Band and
Cherry Picker groomers allow Comcast to shift digital channels received from satellite feeds into
their own selected bandwidths. Two 6 MHz, 256-QAM channels of high-definition video are
currently provided to Palo Alto subscribers. All digital converters use the return spectrum for
control and provision of digital services.
Status monitoring of the Palo Alto system is provided using the Cheetah system. High-speed
data services are provided using Cisco UBR Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS)
equipment. Local and Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) programming is received
using Radiant multiple-channel and single-channel baseband equipment and switched onto
corresponding PEG channels. Currently, four fibers are dedicated for PEG and local channels
from the Palo Alto system.
Appendix B contains limited pictures of the Santa Clara headend facility. Comcast restricted
pictures to equipment used by the Palo Alto subscriber system, including generators, satellite
receivers, stand-by generator, and master control.
2.2 Distribution System
In most cases, the existing, unused, "B" cable was spliced with new passive and active devices.
Comcast estimated that 118 miles of cable were replaced. The active devices include Motorola
860 MHz bridgers, mini-bridgers, and line extenders. No more than five active devices were
installed in cascade to improve system performance and reduce service interruptions. All power
supplies are 90-volt stand-by power supplies with battery back-up. The system design was
completed using Computer Aided Design (CAD), which will provide an excellent platform for
future system additions and changes. The fiber optic nodes are capable of return segmentation
through the addition of fiber optic return laser modules in the nodes. Therefore, in the future,
return segmentation can be accomplished with minimal system changes.
2.3 Channels
All basic and expanded basic channels are available without a converter. Premium and pay-per-
view services are only offered as digital services. Presently, basic service includes 30 analog
channels secured using trap technology. Basic service includes broadcast television, PEG and
local origination channels, and limited other services. Expanded basic service includes 38
additional channels. Digital service is available in additional tiers and includes premium, pay-
per-view, high-definition, and music services. Digital services require a digital converter.
2.4 Emergency Alert System (EAS)/Local Emergency Override
The EAS system is not in compliance with the Franchise Agreement. Although the EAS system
is functional, local government emergency officials are not able to override the audio and video
on all channels on the Cable System for emergency broadcasts or tests via remote activation (i.e.
a telephone), as required in §7.14.1 of the Franchise Agreement.
The minimum requirements for EAS system operation are outlined in the FCC rules and
regulations. These regulations detail a testing procedure and the documentation required to be
held by the cable operator.
The EAS equipment for Palo Alto consists of an independent Sage Endec decoder and
Intermediate Frequency (IF) switching of all Palo Alto analog channels. No provision is made
6
for local EAS control of the system. Digital EAS is provided by force tuning the General
Instnnnent/Motorola converters to an analog channel using a General Instrument OM 1000.
Current EAS logs were maintained at the headend.
2.5 PEG Identification
Public, Educational, and Governmental ("PEG") channels offered on the cable system include
two channels for Government Access (Channels 26 and 29), two channels for Public Access
(Channels 27 and 28), the Interactive Community Channel (Channel 30), Channel 75 FTHLL
(Foothill College), and the Stanford Channel (Channel 76). Most access programming is routed
and switched at the CMAC center in Palo Alto.
2.6 Cable Modem Service
Cable modem service is available in the Palo Alto system. Subscribers in Palo Alto, East Palo
Alto, Menlo Park, and Atherton all have high-speed data service available. The data service is
provided using Cisco UBR CMTS equipment at the Santa Clara headend. Currently two nodes
are combined into one UBR input. Combining of nodes at the headend and segmentation of the
nodes is available if additional spectrum is required for high-speed data services for customers.
2.7 Subscriber Services
Subscriber services include basic and expanded basic services without a converter. Digital
services, including premium services, pay-per-view, high definition, and additional programming
all require digital converters. High-speed data services are available without subscriber
television services.
III.
3.1
PERFORMANCE TESTING
Test Standards
Technical performance standards are defmed by the Federal Communications Commission
("FCC") (see 47 CFR §76.601). These rules establish minimum performance standards
acceptable for cable system signal quality.
The FCC standards and procedures originated in engineering practices established for traditional
coaxial cable systems in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Given their age, they address only the operation
of one-way analog cable TV services. The standards have not been updated to address the
performance of contemporary fiber optic networks that offer two-way interactive services and
digital technology. Further, the picture quality acceptable under these minimum performance
standards falls far short of what today’s typical viewer would deem satisfactory, particularly as
compared to that provided by new technologies such as digital video over cable or satellite or by
CD and DVD recordings. As a definitive testing platform, the FCC standards therefore are
limited to only ana!og video systems.
3.2 Proof-of-Performance Test Review
The FCC requires semi-annual testing of the system during a Proof-of-Performance (Proof) test
described in CFR 47 §76.601. FCC Proofs require testing of signal levels for all channels of the
system as well as signal-to-noise ratio, second and third order distortions or other coherent
disturbances on a number of channels determined by the bandwidth of the system, and hum on a
single channel. Frequency measurements of both carrier and separation are also required.
Additional information on the proof of performance test requirements is included in Appendix A.
3.3 Test Procedures
CTC’s standard electrical test procedures include performance of a subset of the FCC Proof tests
required by CFR 47 §76.601 and described in Appendix A including carrier level variation,
carrier-to-noise, distortion and hum tests, adjacent channel difference, video-to-audio, and video
carrier levels.
3.4 Test Equipment
Carrier levels were measured using a Stealth Track Analyzer, serial number 0073520 and the
remaining measurements were made with a Hewlett Packard HP8591C spectrum analyzer, serial
number SN3916A03457. The Stealth was used to measure video signal levels, audio signal
levels, video-to-audio ratio, overall channel level variation, and adjacent channel level variation
on every analog channel. The spectrum analyzer was used to measure distortion, carrier-to-noise
and hum on eight channels coveting the frequency spectrum used for analog cable service
At each test point, CTC subjectively evaluated picture quality for clarity, noise, and beats.
Visual inspection of pictures was completed using a standard Taso rating. During our testing, all
tests points and the headend received Taso grades of 1 for all channels. The following Taso
grades were used:
Grade 1 Excellent Quality Picture is of extremely high quality. No perceptible
interference.
Grade 2 Fine Picture is of high quality providing enjoyable viewing.
Interference is perceptible.
Grade 3 Passable Picture is of acceptable quality. Interference is not
objectionable.
Grade 4 Marginal Picture is poor quality. Interference is somewhat
objectionable.
Grade 5 Inferior Picture is very poor, but watchable. Definitely
objectionable interference present.
Cable System Test Point Locations
Headend 3450 Garrett Drive, Santa Clara
Test Point 1 3852 La Donna, East Palo Alto
Test Point 2 1206 Garden, Palo Alto
Test Point 3 100 Riordan, Menlo Park
Test Point 4 88 Irving, Atherton
3.5 Test Result Findings
Electrical testing of the subscriber cable plant was conducted at the headend and four locations in
the cable plant. Two test points were chosen to compare FCC proof-of-performance tests with
current system operation. Visual observations of the reception were conducted using a standard
television and digital converter. Test measurements were made without interrupting channels.
Typically, results obtained with in-service measurements are slightly worse than measurements
made by removing channels and modulation. All signal measurements at the headend and each
test site exceeded FCC requirements. Summarized test results are included below:
WORST CASE SYSTEM MEASUREMENTS BY SITE
PARAMETER
TP Address
"Min. Visual Level
Max. Visual Delta
Carrier/Noise
Low Frequency
Disturbance
Adjacent Carrier
Delta
Audio/Video delta
Distortion
Signal Leakage
TPt
3852 La Donna
East Palo Alto
7.3 dBmV
8.2 dB
44.8 dB
.9%
1.5 dB
16.9 dB
-66.5
Not Measurable
TP2
1206 Garden
Palo Alto
6.6 dBmV
5.6 dB
45.1 dB
1.0%
2.9dB
TP 3
100 Riordan
Menlo Park
19.3 dBmV
2.3 dB
48.2 dB
1.1%
TP4
88 Irving
Atherton
16.0 dBmV
5.7 dB
46.9 dB
1.2%
1.3 dB
16.8 dB
-65.3 dB
16.9 dB
-66.5 dB
16.8 dB
-66.1 dB
Not Measurable Not Measurable Not Measurable
SYSTEM WORST CASE MEASUREMENTS COMPARED TO FCC REQUIREMENTS
PARAMETER LOCATION DATA FCC PASS!FAIL
REQUIREMENT
1206 Garden 6.6 dBmV 0 dBmV Min.PASS
3852 La Donna 8.2 dB 12 dB Max.PASS
3852 La Donna 44.8 dB 43 dB Min.PASS
88 Irving 1.2%3% Max.PASS
1206 Garden 2.9 dB 3.0 dB Max.PASS
AVERAGE
12.3 dBmV
5.5 dB
46.3 dB
1.1%
1.8 dB
16.9 dB
-66.1 dB
Not Measurable
Min. Visual Level
Max. Visual Delta
Carrier/Noise
Low Frequency
Disturbance
Adjacent Carrier
Delta
Audio/Video delta
Distortion
..... Signal Leakage
100 Riordan
1206 Garden
All Sites
16.9 dB
-65.3 dB
Not Measurable
17 dB Max
-51.0 dB Max
20uV/M
PASS
PASS
PASS
Appendix C contains the data collected from the spectrum analyzer and the analysis of the
measurements taken with the Stealth meter at each test point.
10
IV.PHYSICAL PLANT INSPECTION
4.1 Inspection Procedures
CTC conducted an inspection of approximately ten percent of Comcast’s cable television system
in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Atherton. The inspection was intended to
determine the state of the existing physical trunk and distribution cables and equipment in the
cities’ rights-of-way. CTC checked to see if system components had been properly installed and.
maintained to preclude accidents or service interruptions. We inspected to determine whether
cable plant was in the proper order and appearance so as not to present a public nuisance. CTC
also inspected to determine whether cable plant posed a potential safety hazard to the public,
Comcast employees, and employees of the public utilities with which cable television plant
shares space in the private and public rights-of-way. CTC also inspected to verify that, where
there had been disturbances in the cable system construction or damage to property from
construction, the areas were properly restored or repaired and that all installations were of a
permanent nature.
In preparing for the inspection, CTC selected ten percent of the plant in the franchise system on a
random basis to enable a reasonable overview of the system. CTC attempted to conduct the
inspection on a random basis and designed the sampling in order to enable a reasonable overview
of the system.
CTC’s experience indicates that this type of sampling results in a valid overall conclusion
regarding the quality of construction and the state of the cable system, without necessitating a
full system-wide inspection. A full inspection would entail "walking-out" an entire system to
identify each and every violation - a very costly and time-consuming process. Generally, the
types of problems identified in randomly selected inspection sites are representative of the
condition of the poI~ions of the system that are not actually inspected.
4.2 Inspection Standards and Authori _ty
Construction and maintenance of cable systems are governed by two types of authority: (1)
national and local standards and codes, and (2) generally accepted industry practices and
procedures. These requirements are usually reiterated in the individual Operator’s construction
manuals and policy. The cable system must abide by all national, state, and local codes and
standards, as specified by §8.2.3 of the Franchise Agreement.
CTC’s inspection was intended to verify compliance with the following generally accepted
sources of authority:
National Electric Safety Code ("NESC"), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
Inc., 2003 and California General Orders 95 and 128. These codes provide standards to
protect against hazards from electrical systems and communications lines and sets out rules
for construction, operation and maintenance of communications and electrical lines and
equipment;
11
4.3
National Electric Code ("NEC"), National Fire Protection Association, Inc., 2003 and
California Safety Code ("CSC"). These codes establish rules for ensuring safety during the
installation of electrical conductors and equipment;
The Blue Book Manual of Construction Procedures, ("Blue Book"), Telcordia, 1998. This
manual provides uniform procedures for construction of communications lines where there
are telephone lines and equipment;
Recommended Practices for Coaxial Cable Construction and Testing ("SCTE Construction"),
Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, 1996. This publication, which is
universally accepted within the cable industry, sets out uniform procedures and practices for
the placement of aerial and underground cable television plant, equipment, and equipment
housings; and
From the Tap to Home: The SCTE Installation Manual ("SCTE Installation"), Society of
Cable Telecommunications Engineers, 2001. This publication, which is also universally
accepted within the cable industry, provides uniform procedures for service connection
(drop) installation.
Types and Numbers of Violations
CTC’s inspection was organized according to a number of different categories of violations.
Each category’s significance is explained below, with relevant citations. In addition, the total
number of violations found in that category is noted. Specific data are included in Appendix D.
4.3.1 Plant Violations: Bonding and Grounding
The cable system must be bonded and grounded to reduce safety hazards such as electrical shock
and arcing. Lightning strikes, power surges, and contact with electrical lines can create
excessive electricity or surges on the system, which can result in electrical shock, electrocution,
and damage to the cable plant and subscriber equipment.
Grounding is required for electrified system components and at specified locations along the
plant itself. The cable system should be bonded to the other utility grounding system or it should
be directly grounded.
The requirements for bonding and grounding are provided in the following authorities:
¯NEC, Rules 820-10, 820-33,820-40;
¯Blue Book, Sections 10 and 20; and
¯NESC, Section 9.
CTC documented 12 physical plant bonding and grounding violations.
12
4.3.2 Plant Violations: Lashing Wire
In aerial portions of the cable system, the cables are attached to steel cables or "strand" that is
bolted to the poles. A strong thin lashing wire is wrapped around both the cable and strand to
secure the cable to its supporting strand. This practice places the weight of the cable on the
strand rather than on the cable itself.
Improper lashing can result in undue stress on the cable and connectors, potentially causing
signal quality problems. If the lashing wire breaks and unravels, it usually causes the cable to
fall from its supporting strand toward the ground, thereby reducing clearances over streets,
driveways, or sidewalks and presenting hazards to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
This report documents violations such as improper, loose, or broken lashing, as established by
the following source:
SCTE, Sections 3.12.5 and 3.12.6.
CTC’s inspector noted no lashing violations.
4.3.3 Plant Violations: Construction
The construction category addresses the manner in which the cable system is built. Poor
construction practices are evident in such violations as bolts of improper length, which, if too
long, create hazards for personnel climbing the poles, or, if too short, fail to secure the cables to
the poles. Other violations in this category include missing bolts; strand that is not attached to
poles; strand that does not have the proper tension; cable supports and spacers that are missing or
improperly installed; and equipment that is improper for the system.
The violations documented in this report are based on practices and standards that are generally
accepted within the industry.
CTC noted no construction violations.
4.3.4 Plant Violations: Physical Clearances
Al! cables on the utility poles and in the ground are required to be placed in a manner to avoid
contact with one another. The codes establish acceptable distances between power, telephone,
and other communications lines placed on the same poles and in the same area in the public
right-of-way and public utility easements.
Clearance requirements arise in part from significant safety concerns. Inadequate distance
between cable television lines and power utility lines can result in electrica! arcing between the
two or in unwanted electrical current on the cable lines, which can cause fires, electrical shock or
electrocution. In addition, improper clearance can cause workers to accidentally come in contact
with high power electrical lines when working on the cable system, which can result in severe
injury and death. Improper clearance can cause cable to rub together, deteriorating the cable’s
protective covering and causing poor signal quality and even service outages.
13
The standards for physical clearance are established by the following authorities:
¯Blue Book, Section 3;
¯NESC, Part 2, Section 23; and
¯SCTE, Section 3.4.
CTC noted one clearance violation.
4.3.5 Plant Violations: Pedestal
The pedestal is an enclosure for buried plant equipment. This category of violations addresses
such issues as enclosures that are not installed correctly, are missing covers or doors, or do not
have sufficient capacity for the equipment they contain.
The requirements for pedestals are established by generally accepted industry practices as well as
in the following source:
¯SCTE Construction, Section 5.
CTC’s inspector noted no pedestal violations.
4.3.6 Plant Violations: Guying
In aerial construction, guy wires are necessary to provide additional support to the utility pole
where the weight of cables on the poles is greater than can be safely supported by the poles
alone. Guy wires are not only required for poles that support a large number of cables, but also
for poles supporting very long spans of cable, and on comers or at EOLs where there is also
additional weight on the poles.
Missing or improperly installed guy wires can create a public safety hazard because of a greater
potential for pole failure under stress from high winds, accidents, or pole degradation over time.
The steel cables used to guy the poles must be properly bolted to the poles and anchored in the
ground at prescribed tensions. At ground level, the guy wire itself is required to be covered with
a plastic "guard" to alert passersby to the presence of the wire and protect against injury where
persons may walk or run into the wire by accident.
This report documents cases of slack guy wires, guys that may have been poorly bolted or
anchored, and, in some case, missing guys.
The requirements for guy wire violations are documented as follows:
¯BlueBook, Section 6;
¯NESC, Rules 261B, 261C, 261D, and 264; and
¯SCTE, Section 3.11.
CTC documented four guying violations.
14
4.3.7 Plant Violations: Anchor
An anchor is a device used to terminate a guy wire. The anchor supports the load on the pole
and prevents such problems as poles breaking from the weight of the cable. The anchor category
addresses such violations as anchors that are missing, loose, or installed incorrectly. These
violations are of concern because they can create safety hazards.
The requirements for anchors are documented in the following sources:
¯Blue Book, Section 8; and
¯NESC Section 261,263A-C, and 264.
CTC’s inspector identified one anchor violation in the portion of the plant inspected.
4.3.8 Plant Violations: Miscellaneous
The general physical appearance and condition of the plant is evidence of the level of
maintenance performed on the plant. Poor maintenance results in both immediate and future
problems. For example, safety hazards to pedestrian traffic is created by cables that have come
loose from supports, have become exposed on the ground, have broken, or have been cut but not
repaired.
To protect against damage to the cable’s protective sheathing, guards should be placed on cable
where tree branches have grown to rub against the cable.
The violations documented in this report are based on practices and standards that are generally
accepted within the industry.
CTC’s inspector noted five plant violations under the miscellaneous category.
4.3.9 Drop Cable Violations
"Drops" are the wires that connect the subscriber’s house to the cable system on the street.
Under the NEC, drops are required to meet certain standards for attachment to subscribers’
homes for clearance and for proper grounding to protect against electrocution, equipment
damage, and fire hazards.
Safety is a significant concern in the installation and maintenance of drops. For example, where
a drop cable is attached to a home from a point between poles, or "midspan," a significant safety
hazard is created if the cable is pulled too tight. A tightly pulled cable pulls the strand between
poles out in a "bow string" and places a strain on the point of attachment. Numerous serious
injuries have resulted from such a situation when an installer later cuts the bowstring cable and
the cable snaps back. This problem is known as "cable out of line" or "bow string effect."
15
Standards for drop installation and maintenance are governed by generally accepted industry
practices and by the following sources:
¯Blue Book, Section 22;
¯NESC Section263E;
¯SCTE Installation; and
¯NEC Section III 800.33, Section IV 800.40.
CTC noted four drop violations.
4.4 Summary of Inspection Results
A summary of CTC’s overall findings is as follows:
4.4.1 Plant Violations
In the ten percent of plant inspected, the following 23 violations were identified:
¯12 violations relating to bonding or grounding;
¯No violations relating to construction standards;
¯One instance in which requirements were not met for clearance between cable television
cables and telephone cables, or clearance between cable television cables and the roadway;
*No violations related to pedestal installation or maintenance;
¯Five violations associated with both anchor (down) guys and overhead guys; and
,Five miscellaneous infractions.
4.4.2 Drop Violations
Out of 11 drops inspected, the following violations were identified:
¯Two drops inspected were not grounded properly;
*One I-Net drop was tied to a tree; and
,One location had disconnected drops hanging from the pole.
16
V.I-NET EVALUATION
5.1 I-Net Overview
The I-Net, as installed, does not conform to the minimum requirements set out in the Franchise
Agreement with regard to the routing of the fiber cables and the number of fibers associated with
each I-Net facility. Further, two distinctly differing architectures have been employed in the
system construction. Originally, AT&T provided a design that linked each I-Net facility to the
area hub site (City Hall) through a point-to-point cable containing six fibers linking each site
"directly" to the hub site. This design architecture was reviewed by the City Staff prior to
construction and accepted as the design approach by all parties.
The fiber backbone areas are served by bundles of fibers in a larger cable referred to as "Busses."
Comcast Busses A, B, and C conform with the approved AT&T design. Later in the project,
Comcast unilaterally changed the design, without notification to the City, to substantially reduce
the number of effective fibers in the system. The new architecture moved away from the original
design of connecting every I-Net site directly to the hub site (City Hall) to a relay system in
which each site communicates to a nearby adjacent site that in mm through leap frogs from site
to site to get to the hub site.
The Comcast architecture supporting Busses D and E only have three fibers going to an
individual I-Net facility and three going out to the next facility. On the longest run in Buss E, 15
sites are connected in this daisy-chain configuration. Each site must remain in operation for the
all sites on the link to function. This configuration is analogous to a chain of Christmas lights,
where if one bulb switches off, every bulb behind it would also switch off. In terms of
reliability, this approach is wholly unacceptable, as each I-Net site in the chain is potentially a
point of failure.
In contrast, Busses A, B, and C were built so that each site connects independently to the hub. A
failure at any given site in Busses A, B, and C only effects that particular site. Further, the
communications traffic is secure on the point-to-point link. Under the revised Comcast
architecture, information would flow in series from one site to the next before reaching the hub
site. Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) traffic, Public Safety records, and School
traffic will be forced to share the same highway or require expensive interface equipment to
secure the necessary isolation from other users.
5.2 I-Net Site Inspections
I-Net installations inspected were typically uniform in construction. However, we noted clean-
up problems such as missing fiber warning tags. One facility had the fiber drop tied to a tree.
Fiber patch panels were secured using tie wraps in East Palo Alto. In Palo Alto, the transition
from outside plant was completed using an outdoor splice case. No fiber path loss tests were
conducted due to lack of fiber test equipment available at Comcast.
17
5.3 Additional Design Information
As provided by AT&T during the outset of the I-Net project, the network was originally
designed to have four hub sites, including the Atherton City Hall, the Menlo Park City Hall, the
East Palo Alto City Hall, and the Palo Alto City Hall. Each I-Net site would be connected with
six fiber strands to one of these hub sites in a point-to-point configuration. The four hubs were
to be interconnected by a six-fiber ring. Finally, each hub site would interconnect with the
CMAC via two fiber strands that were independent of the fiber loop, and the CMAC would
connect to the headend via two fiber strands.
The Franchise Agreement requires six fibers be built to each I-Net facility and that PEG
origination points be interconnected to the CMAC and to the headend for bi-directional transfer
of programming to the subscriber network
As shown in Figure 1 (an 1-Net schematic provided by Comcast), the current configuration of the
I-Net meets some of the requirements of the original design. Two fibers connect each hub to the
CMAC, and four fibers connect the CMAC to the Comcast headend. However, the original
design of the I-Net required a six-fiber ring interconnecting the four City hubs. The schematic
shows six fibers connecting Hub A to Hub C and Hub A to Hub D, with 4 fibers connecting Hub
D and Hub E with an additional two in construction. However, there is no fiber connection
between Hub E and Hub C, as was proposed in the original design.
18
Figure 1: I-Net Schematic (provided by Comcast)
Palo Alto Hub I-nets
Comcast
4 Fibers
C-MAC
Hub A
PA
Fibers
Hub D
Hub C
EPA
Hub E
Ather.
[2 Fibers Between City Hubs & C-MACI
As shown in Figure 2, the 1-Net designs for Busses A, B, and C, employ six discrete fiber strands
providing a direct point-to-point connection between I-Net sites and their respective hubs. This
implementation conforms to our understanding of the requirements of the Franchise Agreement,
and is similar to the architecture used on the Institutional Networks that we have worked with
throughout the country.
However, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the I-Net designs for Busses D and E provide only three
fibers coming in and out of each I-Net facility in a ring configuration. These designs do not
conform to the Franchise Agreement or the original proposal submitted by AT&T.
Detailed I-Net schematics of Busses D and E can be found in Appendix E.
19
Figure 2: I-Net Schematic of Busses A, B, and C
Hub A/B
Palo Alto
l-Net Site
t-Net Sites in Buss AfB:
¯Site 53: Addison Elementary
¯Site 54: Bah’on Park
Elementary
¯Site 55: Briones Elementary
¯Site 56: Duveneck
F.Jementery
¯Site 57: El Carmelo
Elementary
¯Site 58: Escondido
Elementary
¯Site 59: Fairmeadow
Elementary
¯Site 60: Palo Verde
Elemenetary
¯Site 61: Hays Elementary
¯Site 62: Hoover Elementary
¯Site 63: Nixon Elementary
"Site 64: Ohlone Elementary
¯Site 66: Jordan Middle
School
¯Site 67: Stanford Middle
School
¯Site 68: Gunn High School
¯Site 69: Palo Alto High
School
¯Site 70: Distdct Office
¯Site 80: Greendell
Elementary
~l~et Sites in Buss C:
Six-fiber point-to-point /I -Site 8: Community
connections between /!Development Center
J-Net site and Hub,/I *Site 9: Recreation Center
~"I o Site 10: Senior Center
/"I -Site 11: Corporation Yard
/"I ¯Site 14: Fire Station #2
,/I -Site 16: Onetta Harris
~I Center
[i I .Site 21: Belle Haven Police
t ,.,,,=, ~,,o I !Substation
J .......I I "Site 23: Belle Haven Child
][/Development
""/*Site 25: Chrysler Ddve
I Pump Station
¯Site 27: Palo Alto Intamet
Exchange
I-Net Site ¯Site 29: Belle Haven
Elementary
¯Site 30: Brentwood Oaks
Elementary
¯Site 32: Costano Elementary
¯Site 33: East Palo Alto
Charter
¯Site 35: Green Oaks School¯Site 36: Ronald Mcnair
Intermediate¯Site 37: Mid Peninsula High
¯Site 40: Districl Office
¯Site 74: Fire Station #77
¯Site 78: San Francisco 49er
Academy
20
Figure 3: I-Net Schematic of Buss D
Site 48
Admin
Office
/
Site 4 [
City
Manager
Site 3
Holbrook
Palmer
Hub D [
¯ Menlo Park,
~between I-Net [ Menlo Park
Three.fiber strands ~
facilities
I
Library ~~,~~~Fire ~ation
between I-Net
[ MeS~o 1p~a,kfacilities
Counci
\
Site 45
Laurel
Elementary
Site 71
Fire Station
#1 Site 37 I[Site 38
Menlo Oaks~Willow
Intermediate Oaks
Elementary
/
I Site 34
James
Magnet
Site 62 J
Atherton High rS~hoo~ ~
21
Figure 4: I-Net Schematic for Buss E
~Hub E
t .~Three-fiber strands ~_
S~e 2 24
La Entrada
Middle
/
22
VI.TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT
The following conditions were outlined in § 7 (System Facilities, Equipment and Services) and §
24 (Open Access) of the Franchise Agreement between AT&T and the JPA.
SECTION 7. SYSTEM FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES
7.1. Cable System Design and Functionality
§7.1.1 (1) Cable System must use an optical fiber-to-the-node architecture or
equivalent
o Requirement met: The information provided by the cable operator indicates
the subscriber system uses a hybrid fiber/coaxial design with 63 nodes
connected by fiber and covering approximately 500 miles of plant.
o The information provided by the cable operator for the 1-Net was presented to
the City in August of 2002 in the form of a system-level design proposal.
§7.1.1 (2) No more than 760 Residential Dwelling Units (RDUs) per Node
o Requirement met: Cable system has fewer than 760 RDUs per node.
§7.1.1 (3) Sufficient fiber-to-the-node shall be constructed to allow segmentation of
the node with no significant additional construction such that no more than 300
homes are required to share the return (upstream) bandwidth allocated for two-way
services.
o Requirement met: The fiber optic nodes are capable of return segmentation
through the addition of fiber optic return laser modules in the nodes.
§7.1.1
GHz
(4) All active electronics will be 750 MHz, all passive components must be 1
Requirement met: Active electronics in the system have an upper bandwidth
of 860 MHz; passive devices are rated for 1 GHz.
¯§7.1.1 (5) Cable system must be two-way activated
o Requirement met: Two-way cable modem service is available throughout
the Palo Alto subscriber network.
§7.1.1 (6) Headend must be supported with 24-hour backup non-interruptible power
supplies; Each node will have 3-hour backups; Hub sites and OTNs will have six-
hour backups; Backups must activate automatically upon failure of utility service and
revert automatically to standby mode when utility service is restored; Power to the
nodes must be monitored remotely
o Requirement met: The headend facility is powered by a 65-kilowatt
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), redundant 48-volt DC power supplies,
and a 500-kilowatt generator; all power supplies in the subscriber network
have stand-by battery backup; power supplies are remotely monitored via the
Cheetah status monitoring system.
23
§7.1.2 (4) Equipment must be installed so that all closed captioning programming
received by the Cable System shall include the closed caption signal, provided that
the closed caption signal is provided consistent with the FCC Standards. Equipment
must be installed so that all local signals received in stereo or with secondary audio
tracks (broadcast and PEG Access) are retransmitted in those same formats.
o Requirement met: All broadcast processors currently carry closed
captioning and secondary audio when provided by the broadcaster. Satellite
equipment and modulators are capable of passing signals with minimal
alteration of quality.
§7.1.2
0
(5) Must deliver 78 channels of programming to subscribers
Requirement met: The subscriber system delivers 30 analog channels in the
basic tier, 47 additional analog channels in the expanded basic tier, and
additional channels in the premium and digital tiers. A total of 77 analog
channels at the time of inspection were available to subscribers.
7.2. Interconnection
§7.2.1 Current Interconnection with Educational Providers. TCI shall continue to
provide at least the level of interconnection that is in place on the effective date of
this Agreement between the Cable System serving the Service Area and those
communities contiguous to the Cable System on the effective date of this Agreement,
including the DeAnza-Foothills Community College and Stanford University.
o Requirement met: Service has been provided since the effective date of the
Agreement.
7. 3 Institutional Network
§7.3.2 PEG/Headend Links. TCI shall, at its expense, construct and maintain
throughout the term of this Agreement, dedicated two-way activated fiber links
between the Headend, the CMAC, and the other upstream PEG insertion points listed
in Exhibit B. Each of these fiber links will be two-way activated with all necessary
associated equipment to transmit and receive:
(1) the upstream feed of PEG programming from each of the PEG insertion
points in Exhibit B to the CMAC (or to the Headend and from the
Headend to the CMAC), and from the CMAC to the Headend for
distribution downstream to Subscribers on the PEG channels; and
(2) the downstream feed of all PEG channels and PEG programming from the
Headend or the CMAC to each of the PEG insertion points in Exhibit B,
so that any other Cable Communications System in the Service Area may
interconnect at either the CMAC or any of the PEG insertion points in
Exhibit B to obtain PEG channel programming to carry on such
Operator’s system. Any switching and routing functions that are
performed at the CMAC are the responsibility of the CAO.
¯Requirement met: There are two fibers interconnecting I-Net hub sites with
the CMAC, providing the upstream and downstream feed; there are four fibers
24
interconnecting the CMAC to the headend, providing distribution downstream
to subscribers on the PEG channels.
§7.3.3 I-Net Links. TCI shall, at its expense, construct and maintain throughout the
term of this Agreement, six optical fibers connecting all of the public facilities listed
in Exhibit C to the CMAC.
o Requirement Not met: I-Net sites on Busses D and E connect via three
optical fibers in a partial ring configuration; I-Net sites on Busses A, B, and C
connect via six optical fibers. Six fiber ring connecting hubs have not been
completed.
§7.3.5 If in the future the City wishes to have the Institutional Network extended
beyond that which is set forth herein, TCI agrees to charge on a time and materials
basis for the construction of such additional Institutional Network plant.
o Ongoing Requirement: This requirement can be triggered at any point
throughout the life of the Franchise.
7. 4 System Design Review Process.
§7.4.1 At least sixty days prior to the commencement date of construction of the
upgrade and/or rebuild required by Section 7.1, TCI shall, subject to Section 19.2
hereof, provide a Cable System design and construction plan and timeline, which
shall include at least the following elements or their contemporary equivalent:
(1) Design type, fiber and coaxial cable design, and the then-planned or known
number and location of hubs and nodes.
Requirement met: This information was reviewed by the City and CTC.
(2) Distribution system-cable, fiber, equipment to be used.
¯ Requirement met: This information was reviewed by the City and CTC.
(3) Plans for standby power at the Headend, hubs and nodes, and satellite
terminals (stating the make, model number and duration capacity of
equipment to be used).
¯ Requirement met: This information was reviewed by the City and CTC.
(4) Longest amplifier cascade in the Cable System (number of amplifiers, number
of miles, type of cable/fiber).
¯ Requirement met: This information was reviewed by the City and CTC.
(5) Design of the Cable System shown on maps of industry standard scale using
standard symbols, depicting, to the extent then known, all electronic and
physical features of the cable plant.
¯Requirement met: This information was reviewed by the City and CTC.
7. 7 Other Construction Procedures.
TCI shall:
¯§7.7.3 Provide quarterly construction reports to the City of the status of the rebuild
and/or upgrade in a form reasonably acceptable to the City;
25
o Requirement met: The City received construction reports at least quarterly
throughout the upgrade.
o
§7.7.6 Provide as-built and design maps in an electronic format agreeable to the City
and any of the Joint Powers, on request, after the completion of construction in any
area within the Service Area; and
o Requirement pending confirmation by City: Fulfillment of this obligation is
pending completion of the construction of the cable system. It is CTC’s
understanding that Comcast does not maintain and have available as-built and
design maps in electronic format.
§7.7.7 Make available to the City, upon request, maps showing the actual location of
additions or extensions to its lines within thirty days of completion of construction in
any area within the Service Area.
o Requirement pending confirmation by City: Fulfillment of this obligation is
pending completion of the construction of the cable system.
7.11 Public, Educational and Governmental Use.
§7.11.1 PEG Access Channel Capacity. TCI shall continue to provide five
downstream channels for PEG Access (exclusive of any channel "SVCC Channel"
provided by TCI to SVCC pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement between TCI
and Co-op).
o Requirement met: Current PEG Channels available on the Subscriber network
include two government access channels, a community channel (referred to as the
SVCC Channel in the Franchise), two public access channels, the Foothill College
channel, and the Stanford Channel.
§7.11.1 After the upgrade is completed, a minimum of six downstream channels for
PEG Access (exclusive of the SVCC Channel) shall be provided. Thereafter, pursuant
to the trigger mechanism set forth to Section 7.11.2, up to a maximum of ten analog
channels (exclusive of the SVCC Channel) or twenty (exclusive of the SVCC
Channel) digital video channels shall be made available for PEG use.
o Requirement met: Current PEG Channels available on the Subscriber network
include two government access channels, a community channel (referred to as the
SVCC Channel in the Franchise, two public access channels, the Foothill College
channel, and the Stanford Channel.
§7.11.1 (1) PEG Channels. Each channel shall consist of 6 MHz of spectrum until
such time as all other channels on the Basic Service tier are delivered in a digital
format, at which time the access channels must be converted to a digital format as
provided in Section 7.11.1(2) below. When such digital conversion of PEG Access
channel capacity occurs, the spectrum available on the Cable System for PEG Access
use shall be sufficient to transmit twenty digital channels (exclusive of the SVCC
Channel), subject to the PEG Access triggers specified in Section 7.11.2.
o Requirement pending: Current PEG channels are analog channels; no
conversion to digital format has occurred.
26
§7.11.5 Cable Drops for PEG Locations. TCI shall install, without charge, one drop
for the highest level of Basic Cable Service and one drop for a two-way interactive
data connection to any educational institution, including, but not limited to, Schools,
within the Service Area, designated PEG Access facility(s), and government
buildings that are either (1) currently served with a cable drop or (2) within 200 feet
of the nearest point or the Cable System. Upon request, TCI shall install a drop to any
educational institution, designated PEG Access facility(s) or government buildings
failing to meet either of the standards in (1) or (2) for a charge not exceeding TCI’s
reasonable time and materials charges or costs associated with extending the drop
beyond 200 feet from the nearest point on the Cable System.
o Requirement pending: CTC does not have information regarding drops to PEG
locations or schools. This matter will be dealt with in a separate performance
monitoring report being prepared by the Buske Group for the Triennial Review.
§7.11.6 Cable Modem Equipment. In deploying and offering any Internet access
service after completion of the System rebuild, TCI shall provide to all public schools
and public libraries meeting the installation standard specified in Section 7.11.5 and
without charge and without offset against the franchise fee owed to the City by TCI
under this Agreement, one free cable modem and free unlimited access to both the
Internet and TCI’s affiliated cable modem service.
o Requirement pending: CTC does not have information regarding drops to
schools or libraries. This matter will be dealt with in a separate performance
monitoring report being prepared by the Buske Group for the Triennial Review.
7.14 Emergency Alert System.
§7.14.1 TCI shall install and maintain an emergency alert system ("EAS") in
conformance with FCC regulations. The EAS shall be remotely activated by
telephone and shall allow an authorized representative of each of the members of the
Joint Powers to override the audio and video on all channels on the Cable System that
may be lawfully overridden, without the assistance of TCI, for emergency broadcasts
from a location designated by each Joint Powers member in the event of a civil
emergency or for reasonable tests. Testing of the EAS shall occur at times that will
cause minimal Subscriber inconvenience.
o Requirement Not met: No provision is made for local EAS control of the
system. The system meets national specifications outlined in the FCC rules and
regulations.
27
APPENDIX A
ELECTRICAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Technical performance tests are conducted to verify the performance of the cable system in
accordance with technical standards set by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") in
47 CFR §76.605 and requirements of the governing franchise agreement. Major elements of
these standards are described in the following paragraphs.
System Frequency Response measures the cable system’s continuity and quality by comparing
the signal levels as they are originated from the headend with levels measured along the cable
path. In an ideal system if each channel is input into the system with the same level, at the
measurement location the levels on each channel will maintain the same relative position.
However, system components such as amplifiers, cables, and taps do not increase or reduce
signal levels on a uniform basis. As a cable television amplifier cascade lengthens, any
frequency response variations over the total system bandwidth are compounded. The frequency
response is measured as the decibel level (dB) difference between the highest and lowest
amplitudes on the system, or dB "peak-to-valley", as referenced to the headend. There is no
specific FCC regulation that requires frequency response tests. However, an indication of the
actual frequency response can be obtained by evaluating the system parameters described in the
following paragraphs.
Visual Carrier Level Variation is the difference, in decibels, between visual carrier levels of two
channels. If the cartier levels between channels on the system vary greatly, the channels can
interfere with one another. The overall carrier level variation is measured between the highest
and lowest carrier levels across the analyzed spectrum. The measurement of the visual carrier
levels can be accomplished without introducing signals onto the system. The maximum
permitted carrier level variation for a 300 MHz system is 10 dB with an additional dB permitted
for each additional 100MHz. The adjacent cartier level variation is the difference in carrier
levels between two adjacent channels within a 6MHz frequency separation. The maximum
adjacent carrier level variation permitted by the FCC is 3 dB.
Video to Audio Ratio is the difference in decibels between the video carrier level and the audio
carrier level for a channel, which must be maintained between 10 and 17 dB below the
associated visual cartier for the channel. Higher audio cartier levels can cause distortions and
interfere with the video signal.
Carrier-to-Noise Measurement (C/N) Excessive noise can result from system operating levels
that are not properly adjusted, or from improperly operating equipment. As cable signals pass
through cascaded amplifiers, each amplifier contributes a small amount of noise to the signals.
The carrier-to-noise measurement allows evaluation of the amplifier cascade up to the test
location. The carrier-to-noise is required by the FCC to be greater than 43 dB.
Signal Level-to-Coherent Disturbances is the measured difference in decibels between the video
carrier level and unwanted signals caused by non-linearity of amplifiers. In a cable system, the
signals transmitted on separate channels can combine to form interference in the form of
coherent distortions, or "beats". Composite Triple Beat (CTB) and Composite Second Order
(CSO) are types of distortion resulting from the mixing of signals from different channels. The
strength of the "beat" distortion is increased if the amplifier gain is set too high. The ratio of the
carrier signal to the distorting signal must not be less than 47 dB in a system with harmonically
related carrier (HRC) channel assignments or 51 dB for standard frequency assignments. If the
distorting signal level is higher, wavy lines or bars may appear on the channel.
Hum Modulation is an interference with the signal from power line frequencies (60 Hz and 120
Hz) or any other low frequency modulations. The maximum variation in signal levels caused by
hum must not exceed 3 percent of the visual signal level. If the hum exceeds the requirement, it
may cause black and white horizontal bars across the picture.
APPENDIX B
HEADEND AND I-NET INSTALLATION PICTURES
SANTA CLARA HE.END FACILITY PALO ALTO MODULATORS
STAND-BY GENERATOR SATELLITE ANTENNAE
MASTER CONTROL MASTER CONTROL
INSTITUTIONAL INSTALLATIONS
CMAC FACILITY CMAC FIBER PATCH
CMAC FIBER EQUIPMENT EAST PALO ALTO HUB
EAST PALO ALTO FIBER PATCH
NOT MOUNTED IN RELAY RACK
MENLO PARK FIBER PATCH
APPENDIX C
TEST RESULTS
The Palo Alto headend in Santa Clara was measured on Saturday August 2, 2003
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
3
4
5
6
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
4O
41
42
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
26.1
26.1
26.4
26.4
26.0
26.4
26.4
26.2
26.3
26.7
26.0
26.1
26.4
26.9
26.2
26.7
26.4
26.5
26.1
26.5
26.6
26.4
26.7
26.4
26.5
26.6
26.5
26.7
26.4
26.4
26.6
26.8
26.2
26.3
26.4
26.0
26.6
26.8
26.5
AURAL AURAL/CABLE VISUAL AURAL
LEVEL VISUAL CHANNEL LEVEL LEVEL
(dBmV)DELTA (dBmV)(dBmV)
(dB)
11.2 14.9 43’26.4 11.8
10.7 15.4 44 26.3 12.2
12.1 14.3 45 26.7 11.9
11.0 15.4 46 26.3 12.5
12.2 13.8 47 26,0 11.6
11.1 15.3 48 26.3 11.7
13.8 12.6 49 26.9 11.9
10.3 15.9 50 26.4 11.8
12.1 14.2 51 26.6 12.0
12.5 14.2 52 26.4 11.1
12.3 13.7 53 26.4 12.0
12.4 13.7 54 26.2 11.6
11.8 14.6 55 26.1 12.3
13.6 13.3 56 26.1 11.6
11.2 15.0 57 26.3 12.1
12.3 14.4 58 26.4 11.0
12.6 13.8 59 26.1 12.1
12.3 14.2 60 26.3 12.1
12.6 13.5 61 26.0 11.4
11.1 15.4 62 26.7 11.5
12.3 14.3 63 26.3 10.4
11.8 14.6 64 26.0 12.5
12.1 14.6 65 26.2 12.6
13.2 13.2 66 26.5 12.4
15.3 11.2 67 26.0 10.9
11.6 15.0 68 26.4 12.5
11.9 14.6 69 26.4 12.2
12.8 13.9 70 25.9 11.4
12.8 13.6 71 26.1 11.8
12.3 14.1 72 25.8 12.0
12.7 13.9 74 25.7 12.3
12.3 14.5 75 26.1 12.1
11.6 14.6 76 26.1 13.9
11.7 14.6 77 26.0 11.8
11.8 !4.6 78 26.1 10.2
11.5 14.5 81 26.2 12.3
12.4 14.2 82 26.0 11.7
11.8 15.0 135 26.3 11.6
12.1 14.4
AURAL/
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
14.6
14.1
14.8
13.8
14.4
14.6
15.0
14.6
14.6
15.3
14.4
14.6
13.8
14.5
14.2
15.4
14.0
14.2
14.6
15.2
15.9
13.5
13.6
14.1
15.1
13.9
14.2
14.5
14.3
13.8
13.4
14.0
12.2
14.2
15.9
13.9
14.3
!4.7
VISUAL OBSERVATION OF HEADEND PICTURE QUALITY
The Comcast headend signal quality was observed on Monday, August 4, 2003
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
3
4
5
6
14
15
16
17
18
!9
20
21
22
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
TASO
GRADE
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
PROGRAM
KTVU
KNTV
KRON
KPIX
KICU
KDTV
TDC
KKPX
KCSM
KSTS
KTNC
KFSF
KCNS
C SPAN
KGO
KTSF
KQED
KTEH
KTV GIDE
CSPAN2
KTLN
GOV ACC
COMACC
LO ACC
GOV ACC
PUB ACC
HSN
KMTP
QVC
FOOD
FX
TNT
ESPN
ESPN 2
FSBA
TBS
USA
FAULTS CABLE
CHANNEL
NONE 43
NONE 44
NONE 45
NONE 46
NONE 47
NONE 48
NONE 49
NONE 50
NONE 51
NONE 52
NONE 53
NONE 54
NONE 55
NONE 56
NONE 57
SLIGHT NOISE 58
NONE 59
NONE 60
NONE 61
NONE 62
NONE 63
NONE 64
NONE 65
NONE 66
NONE 67
NONE 68
NONE 69
NONE 70
NONE 71
NONE 72
NONE 74
NONE 75
NONE 76
NONE 77
NONE 78
NONE 81
NONE 82
NONE 135
NONE
TASO
GRADE
1
1
1
1
1
1
!
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
I
1
1
1
1
1
N.A.
PROGRAM
MTV
VH1
TNN
LIFE
A&E
BRAVO
AMC
TLC
ANIMAL
FAM
NICK
TOON
DISNEY
CNN
CNN HN
CNBC
FOX N
MSNBC
TWC
HIST
COMDY
E!
COURT
HALL
WGN
SCI FI
INT
BET
TRAVL
TV LAND
EWTN
FOOTH
STAN
PREV
LEASD ACC
OUT
GOLF
PILOT
FAULTS
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
N.A.
TEST POINT 1:3852 La Donna
This test point was measured on Monday August 4, 003 Signal level measurements were made
through a standard RG-6 drop cable. This location is a standard FCC proof test point. The
following tables list the parameters tested.
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
5
6
14
15
19
20
2!
22
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
45
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
7.3
8.1
8.6
8.4
8.6
7.9
8.0
8.2
8.7
8.7
8.5
8.3
9.0
8.6
7.7
8.0
8.6
8.5
8.7
10.3
9.7
9.3
10.1
10.6
10.4
10.5
10.5
10.8
11.1
11.1
11.4
11.5
11.3
12.8
12.9
12.3
I1.6
12.2
12.6
TEST RESULTS TPI: 38532 La Donna
AURAL
LEVEL
AURAL/
VISUAL
VISUAL DISTORTION LOW FREQUENCY
CARRIER (DBC)DISTURBANCE
46.0 68.1 0.7%
45.7 66.5 0.9%
45.6 71.9 0.6%
47.3 68.2 0.8%
45.5 67.3 0.8%
48.1 66.7 0.4%
49.4 67.6 0.9%
69.2 0.6%-7.6
-7.5
-6.1
-7.5
-6.0
-8.3
-5.4
-5.6
-5.5
-6.9
-5.3
-7.0
-6.0
-6.6
-6.8
-5.9
-7.2
-6.2
-6.2
-5.5
-4.2
-2.0
-4.9
-5.0
-3.9
-3.8
-3.8
-3.5
-3.2
-3.8
-4.2
-3.7
-3.2
-2.2
-2.8
-2.8
-3.1
-2.7
-3.3
(dBmV)DELTA
(dB)
14.9
15.6
14.7
15.9
14.6
t6.2
13.4
13.8
14.2
15.6
13.8
15.3
15.0
15.2
14.5
13.9
15.8
14.7
14.9
15.8
13.9
11.3
15.0
15.6
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.9
15.6
15.2
14.5
15.0
15.7
15.1
14.7
14.9
15.9
NOISE
44.8
CABLE
CHANNEL
46
47
48
49
5O
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
6O
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
7O
72
74
75
76
77
78
81
82
135
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
11.9
11.8
12.0
12.4
11.7
11.9
11.8
12.0
12.2
12.5
12.1
12.0
12.4
12.2
12.3
12.7
13.0
12.9
12.6
12.7
13.2
13.1
13.1
13.3
12.8
13.2
14.1
!4.0
14.6
14.8
15.4
15.0
15.5
17.5
AURAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
-2.8
-3.5
-3.5
-3.4
-3.5
-3.3
-3.8
-3.1
-3.4
-2.5
-2.9
-2.5
-3.7
-2.3
-2.0
-2.7
-2.8
-4.0
-1.7
-1.0
-0.9
-3.3
-1.6
-1.8
-1.9
-0.9
0.0
-0.6
1.4
0.0
-!.2
1.2
0.2
2.0
AURAL/
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
14.7
15.3
15.5
15.8
15.2
15.2
15.6
15.1
15.6
15.0
15.0
14.5
16.1
14.5
14.3
15.4
15.8
16.9
14.3
13.7
14.1
16.4
14.7
15.1
14.7
14.1
14.1
14.6
13.2
14.8
16.6
13.8
15.3
15.5
VISUAL
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
DISTORTION
(DBC)
48.9 70.0 .7%
LOW FREQUENCY
DISTURBANCE
(%)
TEST RESULTS TPI: 3852 La Donna
WORST CASE MEASUREMENT DATA
MEASUREMENT CH LEVEL
Lowest Visual Carrier 2 7.3 dBmV.
Highest Video Carrier 82 15.5 dBmV.
Maximum Visual Carrier Delta 2-82 8.2 dB.
Worst Adjacent Carrier Delta 39-40 1.5 dB.
Worst Cartier to Noise 2 44.8 dB.
Worst Low Frequency ! 4 .9%
Disturbance
Worst Distortion !4 66.5 dB.
Audio/Video Delta 63 16.9 dB.
FCC LIMIT
0 dBrnV
12.0 dB.
3.0 dB.
43 dB.
3%
51.0 dB.
t 7 dB. MAX
PASS/FAIL
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
TEST POINT 1 PICTURE
Notes: The aerial plant tap was 23-4
No drop, construction, safety or cable leakage infractions were found at this site. Visual
observation noted no change in reception compared to the head end.
TEST POINT 2:1206 Garden
This test point was measured on Monday, August 4, 2003. Signal level measurements were made
through a standard RG-6 drop cable. The following tables list the parameters tested.
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
3
4
5
6
14
15
19
20
21
22
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
3O
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
4O
41
42
43
45
46
47
CABLE
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
7.3
8.1
8.6
8.4
8.6
7.9
8.0
8.2
8.7
8.7
8.5
8.3
9.0
8.6
7.7
8.0
8.6
8.5
8.7
10.3
9.7
9.3
10.1
10.6
10.4
10.5
10.5
10.8
11.1
11.1
11.4
11.5
11.3
12.8
12.9
12.3
11.6
12.2
12.6
11.9
11.8
VISUAL
TEST RESULTS TP2:1206 Garden
AURAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
-7.6
-7.5
-6.1
-7.5
-6.0
-8.3
-5.4
-5.6
-5.5
-6.9
-5.3
-7.0
-6.0
-6.6
-6.8
-5.9
-7.2
-6.2
-6.2
-5.5
-4.2
-2.0
-4.9
-5.0
-3.9
-3.8
-3.8
-3.5
-3.2
-3.8
-4.2
-3.7
-3.2
-2.2
-2.8
-2.8
-3.1
-2.7
-3.3
-2.8
-3.5
AURAL
AURAL/
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
14.9
15.6
14.7
15.9
14.6
16.2
13.4
13.8
14.2
15.6
13.8
15.3
15.0
15.2
14.5
13.9
15.8
14.7
14.9
15.8
13.9
11.3
15.0
15.6
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.3
14.9
15.6
15.2
14.5
15.0
15.7
15.1
14.7
14.9
15.9
14.7
15.3
AURAL/
VISUAL
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
46.1
47.4
47.3
46.2
48.4
DISTORTION
(DBC)
66.9
70.1
68.0
70.5
69.8
LOW FREQUENCY
DISTURBANCE
(%)
.7%
.8%
1.0%
.5%
.9%
45. !66.6 1.0%
49.2 72.5 .4%
50.7 71.0 .8%
VISUAL DISTORTION LOW FREQUENCY
CHANNEL
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
72
74
75
76
77
78
81
82
135
LEVEL
(dBmV)
LEVEL
(dBmV)
12.0
12.4
11.7
11.9
11.8
12.0
12.2
12.5
12.1
12.0
12.4
12.2
12.3
12.7
13.0
12.9
12.6
12.7
13.2
13.1
13.1
13.3
12.8
13.2
14.1
14.0
14.6
14.8
15.4
15.0
15.5
17.5
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
-3.5
-3.4
-3.5
-3.3
-3.8
-3.1
-3.4
-2.5
-2.9
-2.5
-3.7
-2.3
-2.0
-2.7
-2.8
-4.0
-1.7
-1.0
-0.9
-3.3
-1.6
-1.8
-1.9
-0.9
0.0
-0.6
1.4
0.0
-1.2
1.2
0.2
2.0
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
15.5
15.8
15.2
15.2
15.6
15.1
15.6
15.0
15.0
14.5
16.1
14.5
14.3
15.4
15.8
16.9
14.3
13.7
14.1
16.4
14.7
15.1
14.7
14.1
14.1
14.6
13.2
14.8
16.6
13.8
15.3
15.5
(DBC)
47.4 65.3 .6%
DISTURBANCE
(%)
TEST RESULTS TP2:1206 Garden
WORST CASE MEASUREMENT DATA
MEASUREMENT
Lowest Visual Carrier
.... Highest Video Carrier
Maximum Visual Carrier Delta
Worst Adjacent Carrier Delta
Worst Carrier to Noise
Worst Low Frequency Disturbance
Worst Distortion
Audio/Video Delta
CH LEVEL
2 6.6 dBmV.
82 12.2 dBmV.
2-82 5.6 dB.
27-28 2.9 dB.
25 45.1 dB.
!4 1.0%
82 65.3 dB.
63 16.8 dB.
FCC
LIMIT
o dBmV
12.0 dB.
3.0 dB.
43 dB.
3%
51.0 dB.
17 dB. MAX
PASS/FAIL
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
TEST POINT 2 PICTURE
Notes: The underground plant tap was 23-4
No drop, construction, safety or cable leakage infractions were found at this site. Visual
observation noted no change in reception compared to the head end. Amplifier was not attached
to ground. Ground was attached during test.
TEST POINT 3:100 Riordan
This test point was measured on Tuesday August 5, 2003. Signal level measurements were made
through a standard RG-6 drop cable. The following tables list the parameters tested.
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
3
4
5
6
14
15
19
20
21
22
7
8
9
!0
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
CABLE
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
19.5
19.6
20.1
20.6
20.4
19.8
19.7
19.9
20.6
20.4
20.4
20.2
21.0
20.1
19.3
19.4
20.0
19.6
19.3
20.1
20.1
20.0
20.5
21.1
21.0
20.5
20.5
20.8
20.5
20.4
20.5
20.5
20.1
21.3
21.3
20.5
20.4
20.8
20.4
VISUAL
TEST RESULTS TP3:100 Riordan
AURAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
4.0
3.9
5.9
4.5
5.5
3.5
6.7
6.3
5.8
4.7
6.6
4.8
5.7
5.0
4.7
5.6
3.7
4.8
4.5
4.7
6.2
8.7
5.2
5.5
6.3
6.3
5.7
5.9
5.6
5.1
4.8
4.9
5.3
6.0
5.5
5.1
4.9
5.4
5.0
AURAL
AURAL/
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
15.5
15.7
14.2
16.1
14.9
16.3
13.0
13.6
14.8
15.7
13.8
15.4
15.3
15.1
14.6
13.8
16.3
14.8
14.8
15.4
13.9
11.3
15.3
15.6
14.7
14.2
14.8
14.9
14.9
15.3
15.7
15.6
14.8
15.3
15.8
15.4
15.5
!5.4
15.4
AURAL/
VISUAL
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
48.2
52.1
48.8
51.9
52.8
51.4
52.8
51.0
DISTORTION
(DBC)
70.3
71.1
67.6
89.7
70.8
66.5
LOW FREQUENCY
DISTURBANCE
(%)
.6%
1.0%
1.1%
.6%
.7%
1.0%
73.4 .3%
78.0 .7%
VISUAL DISTORTION LOW FREQUENCY
CHANNEL
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
7O
72
74
75
76
77
78
81
82
134
LEVEL
(dBmV)
19.8
20.0
19.9
20.6
20.0
20.0
20.0
20.0
19.8
19.4
19.3
20.0
20.6
20.3
20.7
20.0
21.0
20.8
20.4
20.1
21.4
20.8
20.9
20.6
20.6
20.7
21.4
21.0
21.1
21.1
21.6
21.3
21.6
16.4
LEVEL
(dBmV)
5.5
4.8
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.7
3.8
4.4
4.1
5.0
4.6
5.2
4.2
5.7
5.8
5.0
4.9
3.9
5.8
6.5
6.8
4.5
6.0
5.7
5.4
6.1
6.7
6.2
8.1
6.4
4.9
7.2
6.3
0.4
VISUAL
DELTA
14.3
15.2
15.6
16.2
15.5
15.3
16.2
15.6
15.7
14.4
14.7
14.8
16.4
14.6
14.9
15.0
16.1
16.9
14.6
13.6
14.6
16.3
14.9
14.9
15.2
14.6
14.7
14.8
13.0
14.7
16.7
14.1
15.3
16.0
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
51.6
(DBC)
72. I
DISTURBANCE
(%)
.5%
TEST RESULTS TP3:100 Riordan
WORST CASE MEASUREMENT DATA
MEASUREMENT
Lowest Visual Carrier
Highest Video Carrier
Maximum Visual Carrier Delta
Worst Adjacent Carrier Delta
Worst Cartier to Noise
Worst,,Low Frequency Disturbance
Worst Distortion
Audio/Video Delta
CH
3
82
2-82
65-66
2
14
25
63
LEVEL
19.3 dBmV.
21.6 dBmV.
2.3 dB.
1.3 dB.
48.2 dB.
1.1%
66.5 dB.
16.9 dB.
FCC LIMIT
0 dBmV
N.A.
12.0 dB.
3.0 dB.
43 d.B.
3%
51.0 dB.
17dB. MAX
PASS/FAIL
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
TEST POINT 3 PICTURE
Notes: The underground plant tap was 11-8
No drop, construction or cable leakage infractions were found at this site. Visual observation
noted no change in reception compared to the head end. The Tap was not grounded. Site was
marked for addition of ground.
TEST POINT 4:88 Irving
This test point was measured on Tuesday August 5, 2003. Signal level measurements were made
through a standard RG-6 drop cable. The following tables list the parameters tested.
CABLE
CHANNEL
2
3
4
5
6
14
15
19
20
21
22
7
8
9
!0
11
12
13
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
45
46
CABLE
VISUAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
21.0
21.2
21.7
21.6
21.3
20.1
20.0
!9.6
20.2
19.9
19.8
19.6
20.3
19.6
18.5
18.8
19.5
18.6
17.9
19.5
19.1
18.6
19.7
20.5
19.9
19.9
19.9
20.0
20.0
19.9
19.7
19.2
19.0
19.4
20.4
19.5
18.7
19.4
19.1
18.6
VISUAL
TEST RESULTS TP4:88 Irving
AURAL
LEVEL
(dBmV)
VISUAL
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
50.1
AURAL/
VISUAL
DELTA
(dB)
15.3
15.6
14.5
16.3
15.0
16.3
13.3
14.1
14.8
15.7
13.8
15.4
15.3
t5.0
14.3
14.0
16.6
15.4
14.4
15.2
13.8
11.0
15.4
15.5
14.2
14.4
14.9
14.9
15.0
15.5
15.6
14.9
14.6
15.0
16.3
16.1
15.5
15.7
15.9
!4.9
AURAL/
DISTORTION
(DBC)
LOW FREQUENCY
DISTURBANCE
(%)
5.7 71.1 .6%
5.6
7.2
5.3 50.8 76.3 .7%
6.3
3.8 51.4 72.4 1.2%
6.7
5.5
5.4
4.2 54.2 71.3 .5%
6.0
4.2
5.0
4.6 54.7 73.5 .6%
4.2
4.8
2.9
3.2
3.5
4.3 46.9 67.7 .9%
5.3
7.6
4.3
5.0
5.7
5.5
5.0
5.1
5.0 50.5 69,6 .5%
4.4
4.1
4.3
4.4
4.4
4.1 51.9 77.2 .5%
3.4
3.2
3.7
3.2
3.7
AURAL VISUAL DISTORTION LOVe’ FREQUENCY
CHANNEL
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
72
74
75
76
77
78
81
82
134
LEVEL
(dBmV)
18.1
17.9
18.5
17.9
17.4
17.5
17.4
16.9
17.4
17.3
17.3
18.1
17.7
17.9
17.8
18.4
18.0
17.5
17.2
18.5
17.6
17.6
17.4
17.2
16.9
17.3
16.6
16.6
16.0
16.5
16.3
16.5
16.0
LEVEL
(dBmV)
2.7
2.7
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.1
2.1
1.7
2.7
2.2
2.7
1.8
3.0
3.3
2.5
2.5
1.2
2.9
3.4
3.8
1.1
2.7
2.3
2.2
2.4
2.5
1.7
3.2
1.3
0.1
1.7
0.9
0.5
VISUAL
DELTA
15.4
15.2
16.!
15.7
15.4
16.4
15.3
15.2
14.7
15.1
14.6
16.3
14.7
14.6
15.3
15.9
16.8
14.6
13.8
t4.7
16.5
14.9
15.1
15.0
14.5
14.8
14.9
13.4
14.7
16.4
14.6
15.6
15.5
CARRIER
NOISE
(dB)
(DBC)
48.8 66.1 .7%
DISTURBANCE
(%)
TEST RESULTS TP4:88 Irving
WORST CASE MEASUREMENT DATA
MEASUREMENT
Lowest Visual Carrier
Highest Video Carrier
Maximum Visual Carrier Delta
Worst Adjacent Carrier Delta
Worst Carrier to Noise
..... Worst Low Frequency Disturbance
Worst Distortion
Audio/Video Delta
CH
77
4
2-82
65-66
25
14
82
63
LEVEL
16.0 dBmV.
21.7 dBmV.
5.7 dB.
1.3 dB.
46.9 dB.
1.2%
66.1 dB.
16.8 dB.
FCC LIMIT
0 dBmV
N.A.
12.0 dB.
3.0 dB.
43 dB.
3%
51.0 dB.
t7dB. MAX
PASS/FAIL
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS
TEST POINT 4 PICTURE
Notes: The Underground plant tap was 11-2
No drop, construction, safety, or cable leakage infractions were found at this site. Visual
observation noted no change in reception compared to the head end.
o o o o ~ ~o o ~ ~
le~saped ~
uo!~om~suoo o
aJ!AA Bu!qse7
6u!punoJE)/Bu!puo~]
"ON oloqd
Jaq:lO
pasodx~]
aoueJEalO
uo~,~u!
~alqoJd ON
6u!punoJ~/6u~puoB
sn~uell~S[~
WelqOJd ON
0 0 0 0 0
lelsgped
0 0 0 0 0 0
uo~o~SUO
0 0 0 0 0 0
"o 8 o 8 8 o 8 8 8 S 8 o! 5 o o o o
8u~puno~D/Su~puo8
0 0 0 0 0
PICTURES OF PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF PLANT
PICTURE 1
EOL NO GROUND, USA CALLED FOR NEW GROUND
PICTURE 2
OVERHEAD GUY NO GROUND
PICTURE 3 PICTURE 4 PICTURE 5
SLACK GUY & NO GROUNDNO ANCHOR ORGROUND POWER DROP ON CABLE TV
PICTURE 12 PICTURE 13
MISSING GUY GUARD CABLE DROPS LOOSE HANGING
"ON oloqd
o ~o =~
Jaq:lO !
pesodx-~
aoueJeelO
uo!]elle]SUl
UJalqOJd ON
6u!punoJE)/6u!puo8
snoeuelleOS!lAI
o
o Ooo 888
O O OO ~D~D ~o
aouEJEel~)
UO!]OnJISUO0
aJ!N~ 6U!qSe7
6u!punoJo/6u!pu08
DROP GROUNDING PICTURES
PICTURE 1
GROUNDED TO WATER LINE
PICTURE 2
FIBER CABLE TIED TO TREE
PICTURE 3
GROUNDED TO WATER LINE
PICTURE 4
LOOSE DROPS
APPENDIX E
DETAILED I-NET SCHEMATICS FOR BUSSES D AND E
Figure 5: I-Net Schematic for Buss D (provided by Comcast)
Hub D
Three fibers looped
back through sheath
Three Fibers Linking Site to Site
Figure 6: I-Net Schematic for Buss E (provided by Comcast)
Hub E
Three fibers looped
back through the sheath]
Three Fibers Linking Site to Site
Figure 7: I-Net Signal Flow Diagram for Buss D
MENLO PARK
CITY HALL
// \\
CMAC LEGEND
From Hub to Sites
Splice Enclosure
From Sites to Hub
2-FiberConnection to
CMAC
Hub Interconnection
D73
943’
GXD13 6,099’
D37
Figure 8: I-Net Fiber Distance Diagram for Buss D
GXD16 GXD18
X
2,271
I D13
GXD26
D48
GXD29
X
D12
GXD30
D04
774’
GXD06
D38
20,560’
HUB
A
to
CMAC
GXD32
1,165’
D34
MENLO PARK
CITY HALL
D03
I
Figure 9: I-Net Signal Flow Diagram for Buss E
ATHERTON
GXI=3R ~ITY HALL
GXE33 GXE31 GXE26 GXE19
1 ’---I I \
LEGEND
From Hub to Sites
From Sites to Hub
2-Fiber Connection to
CMAC
Hub Interconnection
GXE18
!
o.
GXE11
to CMAC
Splice Enclosure
Figure 10: I-Net Fiber Distance Diagram for Buss E
ATHERTON
GXE35 CITY HALL
to
HUB D
m 1,361’
GXE33 GXE31 GXE26 GXE19 GXE18
~3,013’
GXE11
E24
to CMAC
APPENDIX F
ABOUT COLUMBIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC) provides telecommunications engineering
support to state and local governments as well as public, non-profit, and educational institutions.
For over 18 years, CTC has provided a wide range of technical planning, engineering design, and
implementation support to clients throughout the United States in the following broad, evolving
areas:
(1) Network Planning, Design, and Implementation;
(2) Cable System Technical Evaluation, including
¯System Inspection of Physical Plant, and
¯System Performance Testing of Electrical Plant;
(3) Franchise Support, including
¯Technical Enforcement and Corrective Action Analysis, and
¯Negotiation Support;
(4)Tower Siting Engineering and Analysis;
(5)Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Telecommunications; and
(6)Video/PEG Engineering.