By Roy F. Thompson, Warner Amex Cable Communications Inc.
As CATV operators secured franchises in large metropolitan cities, it became apparent that the services promised would provide an enormous technical and organizational challenge. In the initial stages of the system build, the overriding focus is the construction of facilities and outside plant while equilibrium in operations is struggling to emerge. During this period, technical quality is sometimes compromised by underqualified and transient personnel, lack of interdepartmental communications, absence of standardized practices and procedures, as well as a non-uniform understanding of the overall goals of the system. The system operator will eventually move out of this construction mode and into the real day-to-day operations of a large system, but by this time there will be many technical problems and non-standard procedures that have become part of the daily operations. A technical audit at this time can stabilize operations, reduce technical problems and solidify the communications between system personnel and Corporate Engineering.