Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS)
Ron Hranac
Subcommittee Chair
Charter: The Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) develops standards, operational practices, technical reports, and industry references to provide support for the implementation and operation of cable networks. NOS focuses on network testing, measurements, business continuity, disaster recovery, and other topics relevant to the performance and operational management of cable networks.
A longtime reference for cable operators, referenced by FCC §76.601 and FCC §76.605, NCTA Recommended Practices for Measurements on Cable Television Systems is now under the auspices of SCTE and is in its fourth edition. SCTE Measurement Recommended Practices for Cable Systems, Fifth Edition is available here.
Working Groups:
1 – Test Measurements
The Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) Measurements working group creates standards, operational practices, and technical reports on measurements that can safely be conducted on live cable systems.
3 – Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
The Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery working group creates standards and operational practices to prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters that may result in widespread service outages. Goals include minimization of mean-time-to-repair and rapid response based upon selected criteria. This working group also manages the cable industry’s involvement in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SHARES project. SHARES is a program for using high-frequency (HF, or 3 MHz to 30 MHz) radios as a communications method of last resort in the event of a disaster.
4 – HFC Management
The Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) HFC Management working group (formerly known as the HFC Management Subcommittee, or HMS) develops standards and operational practices for monitoring hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks, including end-to-end multimedia quality of service and management information base (MIB) attributes for headend and outside plant equipment.
5 - DOCSIS 4.0 Tools and Readiness
The Network Operations Subcommittee’s (NOS) DOCSIS 4.0 Tools and Readiness working group creates standards and operational practices with the necessary tools for engineering, deployment, operations and maintenance groups to optimize HFC access networks for DOCSIS 4.0 technology deployment. The group also creates a common tools architecture and ecosystem for DOCSIS 4.0 network operation, including tools for architects, engineers, NOC and field technicians, and customer service.
6 – Wireless
The Network Operations Subcommittee's (NOS) Wireless working group creates standards and operational practices related to the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of wireless access networks supported by cable operators and other service providers. These wireless networks may include cellular, point-to-point, and Wi-Fi technology in commercial, residential, and outdoor environments.
7 – Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM)
The Network Operations Subcommittee (NOS) Proactive Network Maintenance (PNM) working group creates standards, operational practices, guidelines, and training content in collaboration with industry partners’ PNM initiatives. The efforts of this working group are focused on standardizing and expediting new PNM technology to operations and in the field.
8 - Network and Service Reliability
The Network Operations Subcommittee’s (NOS) Network and Service Reliability working group creates standards and operational practices to increase network and service reliability, focusing on all factors which impact reliability including architecture, design, power, materials, and human interaction. The goal is to ensure a resilient, self-monitoring and self-healing network that works as it should without sudden glitches, slowdowns, freezing and other annoying interruptions. The scope includes every portion of the cable network—from coax to optical fiber to Wi-Fi—and all its software and hardware components, which must all be continuously maintained and perform as intended. The scope also includes optimal usage of proactive monitoring and maintenance, which identifies and fixes potential issues before they impact the user experience.