By Society of Cable Television Engineers
The CATV industry may be at the crossroads of a decision - a significant decision which could affect all of us in a positive or negative way.
The general subject matter is - Technical/Job Classification/Licensing - how much is needed and who will speak authoritatively for the various areas. Will the training come from commercial suppliers or from within - assuming we recognize that additional training will almost always be required. Is classification of job functions really necessary - useful - or self-defeating? Who will make such determinations and what weight will those determinations have? Is licensing, as we know it, a desirable direction to go .. for the employee .. for the employer .. for the industry ... for the viewer - and who should judge, regulate and/or direct a program of licensing? The federal government, states, municipalities, the industry, an outside source or, in fact, should the question of licensing even be raised in the absence of an absolutely defined need? These questions and the answers to them are complex and thought-provoking. Diverse viewpoints will be offered by various sectors of the industry and roundly debated. The work of C-TAC and SCTE has demonstrated this quite vividly. This Eye Opener panel may open some eyes and close some others, but in so doing we hope to illuminate various facets of the perpetually sensitive subject.