About SpectraRep
Introduction
SpectraRep, LLC is a Washington, DC Metro-based technology company that is uniquely positioned to expand and manage a nationwide wireless network for public safety, remote learning, and other government and commercial entity communications.
The company is the widely recognized pioneer of a technology called “datacasting” that uses existing digital television transmission infrastructure and a portion of the broadcast digital capacity of television stations to send IP-based content to low-cost receivers. The technology supports content encryption and targeting for secure and selective transmission over the broad coverage area of digital television transmissions.
Emergency Management Solutions
Over the past decade working with public safety clients, SpectraRep has developed a suite of software products and services under the trade name IncidentOneTM that include:
- Video ingestion from a variety of sources into a dashboard service accessible from the Internet and hosted in a private cloud
- A mobile app for the streaming of live video from the field into its dashboard
- Dynamic content management of video, large files and audio content
- The optional encryption and distribution of this IP content via dashboard control to an unlimited number of targeted receivers simultaneously over digital television broadcast transmissions
The Company has been issued four U.S. Utility Patents related to its public safety media management technologies.
Education Solutions
In reaction to 2020 pandemic, SpectraRep made a significant pivot to use datacasting technologies and services to support remote learning in households without access to reliable broadband services.
This new service line is offered under the trade name EduCastTM, and has been widely accepted, procured, and deployed across multiple states and school districts. EduCast is helping school districts bridge the gap between the classroom and broadband, ensuring no student is left behind when it comes to remote learning.
Partnership with Public Television & APTS
SpectraRep has established a unique relationship with America’s Public Television Stations (“APTS”) and its member stations who own and operate the largest single group of broadcast television stations in the country, with more than 325 full-power licensed television stations reaching 97% of the U.S. population across 50 states and the Territories. SpectraRep is the sole technology strategy advisor to APTS under a long-established paid consulting arrangement. APTS member stations have each previously committed a minimum of 1 Mbps of digital broadcast capacity on each of their transmitters to support a nationwide datacasting network that can be managed by SpectraRep to support public safety, education and other use-cases. The Company has experienced incremental growth in deployment, with existing infrastructure currently reaching 84 full-power transmitters (~25% of the total number of public television station transmitters), as shown in the following map:
Public television stations have a mission to serve their local communities. Partnering with SpectraRep enhances this local service and can help secure additional funding (government and other) for these endeavors. Using as little as 1 Mbps of a station’s bandwidth, SpectraRep can deliver classroom assignments and course content over the air to a student’s home. Under the ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV) standard, the opportunity exists to serve this content with far greater capacity.
Deployments (as of Summer 2021)
- Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas – systems in place for remote learning using our EduCast product in conjunction with statewide collaboration from public television stations
- Nevada – School safety communications for over a decade in Las Vegas, and now expanded to statewide network for remote learning
- Tennessee – Fully funded statewide IncidentOne public safety solution, utilizing 7 full-power transmitters working with state and local public safety organizations
- Texas – Houston IncidentOne service for police and fire departments
- Washington – Grant County uses our IncidentOne dashboard to view and share drone video
Management Team
The management team at SpectraRep has a collective 120 years serving the television industry.
- CEO Tom Buono started parent company BIA Financial Network in 1983 and works closely with many key commercial television broadcasting executives.
- COO John McCoskey has had an extensive career in public television and was the first CTO at PBS.
- President & CTO Mark O’Brien is the driving force behind SpectraRep and has led decades of collaborations with public television stations.
- CIO Rodney Herrmann, a highly-experienced developer with more than twenty years developing enterprise grade solutions, joined SpectraRep in 2006 and leads the development of its software products.
The thousands of hours spent by this team on datacasting applications makes them the clear leader in this space. The combined SpectraRep team has unrivaled experience working both in datacasting, and with public television.
Partner With Us
Get details about partnering with SpectraRep by downloading the PDF: Who We Are and Why Partner With Us.