Hi, and welcome back to your training to become a certified professional installer. I'm Kate Harrison, and in this lesson we're going to learn about the role of a certified professional installer, or CPI, in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service ecosystem. We'll be talking about why CPIs are necessary, what CPIs do, what responsibilities CPIs have, and some of the problems and obstacles a CPI can run into. So why do we need CPIs? Well, to answer that question, let's first go back and talk about the SAS. That's the Spectrum Access System, which protects incumbent users from devices that transmit in the CBRS band. We call those devices CBSDs, and the SAS needs certain key information about any CBSD that wants to transmit in the CBRS band, so that it can manage any interference from the CBSD to higher priority users. CPIs provide a SAS with accurate information about a CBSD. We'll get into exactly how you'll be finding and providing those parameters, but just know for now that the SAS needs the right information about all CBSDs in order to enable access to the CBRS band while also protecting higher priority uses. So that's a CPI's purpose in the CBRS ecosystem, but what does a CPI actually do? A CPI could be physically installing a CBSD themselves, or they might be signing off on someone else's successful determination of parameters. As a CPI, you don't necessarily need to be there for the physical installation of a CBSD, but the C in CPI stands for certified. That means you are 100% responsible for the completeness and correctness of any installation parameters that are sent to the SAS. If you won't actually be physically present for an installation, you'll probably want to ask for photos or videos confirming the installation parameters before you communicate anything to the SAS. You are the CPI, you are responsible. And if you become aware that any of the parameters you provided to the SAS were actually incorrect, you are responsible for making sure the SAS is updated with the correct parameters as quickly as possible. This is the vital role that the certification and all this training is for. But also know that if you fail to meet these responsibilities, your certification could be revoked. We're your training program administrator. And as your TPA, we need to make sure that all CPIs we certify follow the rules, and we'll help you get back on track if you get suspended. Here's the baseline job description: A CPI determines or validates the installation parameters of a CBSD and provides those parameters to a SAS. CPIs ensure that the SAS has the right data. Got it, but what else might a CPI do? A CPI might also make sure that the CBSD is up and running and communicating properly with the SAS. They might also troubleshoot problems during and after registration. And CPIs are also ambassadors for shared spectrum who can help other people understand how the CBRS band works. But these are all optional parts of the job, not requirements. Now, let's get a sense of the whole process of deploying a CBRS network and talk about how we divide responsibility and making sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible. First, we have the equipment manufacturer; what do they do? Part of it is right there in the name: they design and manufacture the product, but the responsibility of a CBSD manufacturer is to get authorization from the FCC for this particular model of the device to be able to use the CBRS band. They have to make sure that their device complies with all of the FCC's regulations as well as the appropriate standards for the CBRS band. Then there's the network owner. They're planning network deployments and choosing a SAS vendor. They make sure the CBSD is properly set up and maintained. They also make sure they have a CPI to send the installation parameters to the SAS vendor that they've picked, and they have to report that CPI if anything's done improperly. Whoever hires that CPI, whether it's the network owner themselves or another company, they are responsible for making sure that the CPI has current certification. They have to do that before they can assign the CPI to anything. And then there's you - as a CPI, you need to make sure the SAS is getting accurate information about any CBSD that transmits in the CBRS band. The CPI also has the responsibility to seek out methods for gathering CBSD installation parameters for unfamiliar equipment. And they have to keep up on what's going on with the CBRS standards and regulations. Things can change quickly, and keeping up with changes is part of the job. The good news is that we, your TPA, will keep you informed of all important developments. As you've already heard, the SAS works with all available information to make sure that higher priority users are protected while assisting CBSDs to safely use the CBRS band. A SAS also has the responsibility to its customers to offer a service that's so reliable that it can be used by critical network infrastructure. SASes will also facilitate coordination among GAA users and resolve conflicting uses of the band. Finally, there's us, your TPA. First and foremost, we will train CPIs. After certification, we will also communicate relevant rule and specification changes to the CPIs that we've trained. If anyone reports that CPIs we've trained may have made an error, we will also be obligated to review the situation. CPI certification is held by an individual, not their employer. So you might work for an employer or with other personnel, but ultimately, the responsibility is yours and your alone, even if another person is in charge of physically installing the CBSD. Data that's entered by a CPI and sent to the SAS is going to be checked for accuracy by other systems and other parties. This is a serious responsibility and the federal government might pursue legal action if they think that there's been negligence or willful misconduct by a CPI. We have to discuss the unpleasantries at some point, so we'll get it out of the way now. Let's take a moment to talk about exactly what happens if a CPI doesn't meet the responsibilities. Let's say someone, like a CBSD owner or a SAS administrator, figures out that a CPI made a serious error. If this happens, they might report it to the CPI's training program administrator and request a review. In your case, that's us. When they review what's happened, the TPA might do one of the following: If the TPA decides that the error wasn't particularly significant, they may simply ask the CPI to update or correct the information. If the TPA finds that the CPI was repeatedly making serious material errors, they might suspend the CPI certification and ask the CPI to take additional training and tests before lifting their suspension. The third possibility is that if it's determined the CPI gave false information on purpose, then the TPA can terminate the CPI's credentials. Now, what if you find yourself in danger of losing your certification, but you don't think the TPA's decision was correct? In that case, you do have the right to appeal any action taken by the TPA to WInnForum. WInnForum is the accrediting body, and they have the full right and authority to accept or deny any appeal requests. If a corrective or disciplinary action is taken against the CPI, that action gets recorded in the CPI's records, which are maintained by the TPA. In a case where the actions are reviewed by a regulatory agency, or even a civil or criminal authority, all parties will have to support the review. But plan on not going through any of that; this course is here to give you all the information you will need to do your job as a CPI well. Stay focused on getting accurate parameters to the SAS and you won't risk losing your certification. So we learned more about the role of CPIs in the CBRS ecosystem and we got the scary stuff out of the way. Come back for the next lesson and we'll get some more background on CBRS.
