Cable technicians are in charge of ensuring that cable systems function properly performing a variety of tasks such as cable repair, maintenance, and installation. A cable technician’s responsibilities may include the installation and maintenance of cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone service, depending on the company’s capabilities. Drop lines and feeder lines to homes and businesses may also fall under the purview of technicians.
When a customer calls a cable company to request service, a technician is dispatched to the customer’s home or business to connect the service. If a feeder line is in place near the customer’s address, the provider is usually able to provide service. A technician connects cable service from the main feeder line to the customer’s home or business via a drop line. The technician will then install any required equipment, such as a cable box, digital video recorder (DVR), cable jack, and cable modem, on the outside or inside of the structure after performing a variety of electronic tests to measure signal strength.
All repairs, including those inside a customer’s home or business and along the cable feeder lines, are the responsibility of cable technicians. Cable technicians are responsible for repairing and restoring service if a main cable line is damaged and service is disrupted. Most cable lines are above ground, and a cable technician must use a bucket truck or climb a pole or tower to get to them. To repair and restore service for underground lines, the technician must crawl into a tunnel or trench. Additionally, cable technicians perform a series of preventative tasks scanning cable systems on a regular basis to assess and repair minor issues in order to avoid an outage.
Expanding service to new locations is one of the responsibilities of some cable technicians. These technicians, in general, dig holes, install poles, and connect lines from the main tower to a customer’s home or business. The cable technician will dig trenches and pull the lines through them to connect to the main tower if the cable connections are required underground.
Most cable companies require cable technicians to have a high school diploma, but some also require vocational training or relevant work experience. Cable technicians must typically complete a series of cable technology courses, either at a post-secondary institution or through on-the-job training. New technicians will gain experience shadowing experienced technicians and receiving hands-on training if the cable service provider provides on-the-job training.