March 18 Luncheon Meeting

FM Broadcast Radio Service Directional Antenna Performance Verification

Robert Weller
Vice-President for Spectrum Policy
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)

Robert Weller is Vice President for Spectrum Policy at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), a position he assumed in July 2014. In that role, Mr. Weller is responsible for developing and implementing spectrum policy for NAB.

Prior to joining NAB, Mr. Weller served as Chief of Technical Analysis in the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology, leading the development of mathematical models relating to electromagnetic wave propagation, frequency allotments, spectrum sharing, human exposure to radiofrequency energy, and other areas. He played key roles in the development of rules and policies pertaining spectrum sharing, including the broadcast incentive auction, television white spaces and modernization of interference analysis software. Earlier in his 15-year FCC career, Mr. Weller was Director of Denver District Office where he was responsible for the agency’s enforcement, engineering, and public relations activities over a five-state area.

Mr. Weller also worked for 14 years as a senior consulting engineer with the firm of Hammett & Edison, San Francisco, where he advised clients including technology start-ups, broadcasters, wireless companies, and others on the regulated use of radio. He designed numerous broadcast, satellite, and wireless facilities, and provided expert assistance to local governments to draft model legislation to implement provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Bob is currently treasurer of AFCCE and is a three-term director of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society. He earned his Master’s Degree in Electromagnetics from The George Washington University and his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in California and Colorado.

Topic Summary:

The FCC has proposed to allow FM broadcasters using directional antennas to verify their directional patterns using computer modeling rather than physical measurement. Antenna manufacturers, Broadcasters, and Consulting Engineers submitted engineering data and comments both in support and in opposition in response to the FCC proposal. The presentation will introduce the proposal and the potential to provide regulatory parity across all of the broadcaster services. It will provide some information on the history of FM DAs and the computational techniques that might be used to model them, as well as summary of the comments and concerns introduced in response to the FCC’s inquiry.