This is has been a major change but I believe it is a good one for my health and work life balance. I won’t go into details regarding the reasons for the change, but it has been a good one. I’m really enjoying to variety of projects that come across my desk and look forward to digging into a wider gamut of design solutions, not just the ones in the standards we maintained at the university.

This is a podcast “dedicated to building the AV/IT tech manager community in higher education through discussions on classroom technology and audiovisual support.” Thank you so much for having me again, Joe! Please go to the podcast website and subscribe with your favorite client to show your support – he has fantastic content there!

We had some great discussion on what is helpful for those of us in HigherEd AV when working with vendors. Thanks for the opportunity, Scott!

Please go to the podcast website and subscribe with your favorite client to show your support – he has fantastic content there!

My Certs

EAVA

This one is the Extron AV (Audio Visual) Associate certification. This was $99 from Extron and was quite a bit of exam work. It covered everything from low-voltage serial connections (RS-232) to the different types of fiber (multi-mode vs. single-mode). I’d recommend this to anyone working in an environment that has Extron gear – it was even good for the general AV knowledge if you don’t use Extron.

It covers:

• Who is Extron?
• AV Technologies
• Video Fundamentals
• Audio Fundamentals
• Control and Networking Fundamentals
• Extron products and tools

CTS

This one is the Certified Technical Specialist certification. This is the AV industry’s standard certification. Here’s the handbook.
It covers:

• Creating AV Solutions
• Operating AV Solutions
• Conducting AV Management Activities
• Servicing AV Solutions

ITILv3-F

This one is the Information Technology Information Library version 3 Foundations certification. This is the IT industry’s entry-level certification that can then be built upon.
It covers:

• Those who require a basic understanding of the ITIL framework
• Those who need understanding of how ITIL can be used to enhance IT service management within an organization
• IT professionals or others working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL and who need to be informed about, or contribute to, ongoing service improvement.

DMC-D

This one is the Crestron DMC-D-4K (Digital Media Certified Designer) certification (Certification tab). This was free online from Crestron and was mainly product information. It’s a prerequisite to attend the classroom-based DMC-E-4K certification that I talk about later.

It covers:

• Introduction to Design
• DigitalMedia Technology Overview
• DigitalMedia Cable Infrastructure
• DigitalMedia Switchers
• DigitalMedia Input Cards
• DigitalMedia Output Cards
• DigitalMedia Transmitters
• DigitalMedia Receivers
• DigitalMedia Applications
• DigitalMedia 4K Design Concepts
• DigitalMedia 4K Product Overview
• DigitalMedia 4K Technologies

DMC-T

This one is the Crestron DMC-T-4K (Digital Media Certified Technician) certification (Certification tab). This was the beginning of the classroom-based DMC-E-4K certification that I talk about next.

It covers:

• Cable Termination (Fiber, CAT6, CAT6A)
• Wiring a DM system

DMC-E

This one is the Crestron DMC-E-4K (Digital Media Certified Engineer) certification (Certification tab). This was the end of the classroom-based DMC-T-4K certification that I just mentioned.

It covers:

• Identify and use the Crestron DigitalMedia product line
• Recognize the best practices for installation
• Properly terminate DM® Ultra Cable and CresFiber® 8G
• Understand EDID, HDCP, CEC, and .AV Framework
• Understanding the implications of using 4K in digital video systems and developing DigitalMedia solutions for projects of various sizes

My Wishlist

ECP

This one is the Extron Control Professional certification. This is for advanced Extron configurations and is required to have a Global Configurator Pro license.
It covers:

• Learn Global Configurator Professional software, and how to take advantage of the advanced features for more complex system designs
• Sophisticated control system design concepts and advanced configuration techniques
• Create custom control interfaces using GUI Designer software, plus GUI design best practices
• Validate complex Pro Series control systems in multiple AV environments using acquired knowledge of installation, configuration, and commissioning principles

CTS-I

This one is the Certified Technical Specialist – Installation certification. This is one route to go after getting a CTS. Here’s the handbook.
It covers:

• Conducting Pre-Installation Activities
• Conducting Site Rough-In/First-Fix
• Perform Systems Close Out
• Conducting Ongoing Project Responsibilities

CTS-D

This one is the Certified Technical Specialist – Design certification. This is the other route to go after getting a CTS. Here’s the handbook.
It covers:

• Conducting a Needs Assessment
• Collaborating With Other Professionals
• Developing AV Designs
• Conducting Project Implementation Activities

Crestron Certified Programmer

This one is the Crestron Certified Programmer certification. This is actually a series of classes that get quite complex by the end. I’ve completed CTI-P101 so far. Below is the entire series needed.

• Complete “Crestron 101” and “Toolbox” Online Training
• Attend and complete “CTI-P101 Foundations of Crestron Programming”
• Attend and complete “CTI-P201 Core Systems Programming”
• Attend and complete “Smart Graphics Training (CTI-SG)”
• Attend and complete “Crestron Fusion Programmer (CTI-FUSION-P)”
• Attend and complete “CTI-P301 Advanced Programming Skills”
• Complete the take home Certification Exam

FCC FINDS U.S. BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT NOT KEEPING PACE
Updates Broadband Speed Benchmark to 25Mbps/3 Mbps to Reflect Consumer Demand, Advances in Technology

Washington, D.C. – Broadband deployment in the United States – especially in rural areas – is failing to keep pace with today’s advanced, high-quality voice, data, graphics and video offerings, according to the 2015 Broadband Progress Report adopted today by the Federal Communications Commission.

Reflecting advances in technology, market offerings by broadband providers and consumer demand, the FCC updated its broadband benchmark speeds to 25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. The 4 Mbps/1 Mbps standard set in 2010 is dated and inadequate for evaluating whether advanced broadband is being deployed to all Americans in a timely way, the FCC found.

Using this updated service benchmark, the 2015 report finds that 55 million Americans – 17 percent of the population – lack access to advanced broadband. Moreover, a significant digital divide remains between urban and rural America: Over half of all rural Americans lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps service.

The divide is still greater on Tribal lands and in U.S. territories, where nearly 2/3 of residents lack access to today’s speeds. And 35 percent of schools across the nation still lack access to fiber networks capable of delivering the advanced broadband required to support today’s digital-learning tools.

While significant progress in broadband deployment has been made, due in part to the Commission’s action to support broadband through its Universal Service programs, these advances are not occurring broadly enough or quickly enough, the report finds. The report concludes that more work needs to be done by the private and public sectors to expand robust broadband to all Americans in a timely way, and the accompanying Notice of Inquiry seeks comment on what additional steps the FCC can take to accelerate broadband deployment.

Key findings include the following:

• 17 percent of all Americans (55 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps service.
• 53 percent of rural Americans (22 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps.
  • By contrast, only 8 percent of urban Americans lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps broadband.
  • Rural America continues to be underserved at all speeds: 20 percent lack access even to service at 4 Mbps/1 Mbps, down only 1 percent from 2011, and 31 percent lack access to 10 Mbps/1 Mbps, down only 4 percent from 2011.
• 63 percent of Americans living on Tribal lands (2.5 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps broadband
  • 85 percent living in rural areas of Tribal lands (1.7 million people) lack access.
• 63 percent of Americans living in U.S. territories (2.6 million people) lack access to 25 Mbps/3 Mbps broadband.
  • 79 percent of those living in rural territorial areas (880,000 people) lack access.
• Overall, the gap in availability of broadband at 25/3 closed by only 3 percentage points last year, from 20% lacking access in 2012 to 17% in 2013
• Overall, the broadband availability gap closed by only 3 percent last year.
• Americans living in rural and urban areas adopt broadband at similar rates where 25 Mbps/ 3 Mbps service is available, 28 percent in rural areas and 30 percent in urban areas.
• Approximately 35 percent of schools lack access to fiber, and thus likely lack access to broadband at the Commission’s shorter term benchmark (adopted in its July 2014 E-rate Modernization Order) of 100 Mbps per 1,000 users, and even fewer have access at the long term goal of 1 Gbps per 1,000 users.

Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires the FCC to report annually on whether broadband “is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion,” and to take “immediate action” if it is not. Congress defined broadband as “high-quality” capability that allow users to “originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video” services.

Action by the Commission January 29, 2015, by Report and Notice of Inquiry (FCC 15-10). Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, and Rosenworcel with Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly dissenting. Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly issuing statements.

– FCC –

Previous Broadband Progress Reports are available at https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/archive-released-broadband-progress-notices-inquiry

What is Calvinism? No, this is not the religious following of a kid and his stuffed tiger. It’s a system of Christian beliefs based on the teachings of John Calvin (as well as the Bible itself – you can tell I’m biased). Typically, Reformed Theology (the theology of the Protestant Reformation – a more accurate name than Calvinism) is summarized with five points that form the acrostic TULIP. So we will go over the five points in that order.

• Total Depravity – this first point refers to the state of man after the fall of man (when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3). Romans 3:10-12 says “as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Then Romans 3:23 summarizes with “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Also, Isaiah 64:6 says “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” And the best passage of all to summarized Total Depravity is Ephesians 2:1-10 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; cit is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.“
• Unconditional Election – this second point asserts that God saves whom He will and it salvation is monergistic – God the Holy Spirit saves people (as opposed to Synergistic – God the Holy Spirit and Man work together to bring about salvation). Ephesians 1:3-5 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” In Romans, Paul responds to the question of this being unjust, says this in Romans 9:14-18 “What shall we say then? wIs there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.“
• Limited Atonement (aka Particular Redemption) – this third point specifies for whom Christ died. This is often delineated between grace that is sufficient vs efficacious. Christ’s sacrifice could be sufficient to cover the sins of all, but it is only efficacious for the sins of those He predestined. Acts 20:28 says “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Jesus asserts that is His gift of eternal life is only for his sheep in John 10:24-30: “So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”“
• Irresistible Grace – this fourth point is the vital if the first two are true. If there is nothing good within man and only God chooses His elect, somehow they must become saved. This point refers to God the Holy Spirit regenerating man so he can then respond to the gospel in the way God desires. Without this step, man is just trying something in his own righteousness, which I would again refer back to Isaiah 64:6: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Ephesians 2:13 says “for hit is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Also, John 1:12-13 shows whose will is was for some men to be born of God: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, the gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.“
• Perseverance of the Saints (aka Once Saved Always Saved) – this final point is the icing on the cake. Once God bring the dead back to life, He does not allow them to die again. Referring back to John 10:24-30, we see this: “So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”“

So those are the five points of Calvinism. In summary, man is evil from birth and nothing he can do can fix that. However, God in His infinite grace has chosen to save some, not on their own merit but because of His grace. There are only a limited number of people saved for at least two reasons – saving everyone would cheapen grace and more than that, God made this His plan and we as finite creatures cannot grasp His entire will. When God raises us from our spiritual death, we cannot help but respond, just as someone being shocked back to life with a defibrillator cannot help but have electricity course through their body. And finally, once God choses to save us and we have this amazing gift, nothing can steal us away from Him.

Representative,

First off, thank you for serving our state as a member of the House of Representatives. I know you take this position seriously and will try to not take up much of your time. I am writing you in regards to HB 282 (Municipal Broadband Investment Act). I am an IT professional so understand this subject matter.

This bill’s goal appears to limit local municipalities from investing in broadband internet access as long as a private company is offering what the bill defines as “broadband service.” However, the bill states that “”Broadband service’ means Internet access service with transmission speeds that are equal to or greater than 1.5 megabits per second in the faster direction.” This is a terrible definition as the base level speeds of broadband according to the FCC is 4.0 Mbps download and 1.0 Mbps upload. See below:

The National Broadband Plan recommends as a national broadband availability target that every household in America have access to affordable broadband service offering actual download (i.e., to the customer) speeds of at least 4 Mbps and actual upload (i.e., from the customer) speeds of at least 1 Mbps. This target was derived from analysis of user behavior, demands this usage places on the network, and recent experience in network evolution. It is the minimum speed required to stream a high-quality —even if not high-definition—video while leaving sufficient bandwidth for basic web browsing and e-mail, a common mode of broadband usage today that comports directly with section 706’s definition of advanced telecommunications capability. (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-129A1.pdf, pg. 4, section 5)

Note that this FCC report was issued July 2010. Speeds requirements have only increased in the last 2.5 years. Until recently, my local phone company had a monopoly on internet access and the top speed was 3 Mbps download and 0.768 Mbps upload. Note that according to the FCC, this is not broadband. According to your bill, it is. I am one of the few lucky ones that was offered Trailwave from Habersham EMC, a fiber connection facilitated by North Georgia Network (http://northgeorgianetwork.com/), which operates a 1,100 mile fiber optic system through North Georgia. Instead of paying $55 a month for DSL, I now pay $35 a month for 20Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds. Most of my friends, family, and coworkers were not within range of these and are stuck with sub-par internet access that would only be further restricted with HB 282.

Please consider what kind of economic growth is stifled when businesses are unable to have a decent internet connection. They can always move to another location – do we really want that for Georgia?

Sincerely,

John Cheatham