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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  News  Media  Contact:  April  9,  2003  Lauren  M.  Van  Wazer 
 (202)  418-  0030 
 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL  PRAISES  FCC  ENGINEERS  BEING  HONORED  BY  NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  BROADCASTERS 

 Washington,  D.  C.    FCC  Chairman  Michael  Powell  today  lauded  the  accomplishments  of  two  FCC  engineers,  Mr.  Robert  P.  Eckert  and  Mr.  John  Reiser,  who  today  received 
 Engineering  Achievement  Awards  from  the  National  Association  of  Broadcasters  (NAB).  These  awards  are  given  to  individuals  for  significant  contributions  that  have  advanced  broadcast 
 engineering. 
 Powell  said,  I  am  especially  pleased  that  Bob  Eckert  and  John  Reiser  are  the  recipients  of  these  engineering  achievement  awards,  recognizing  their  leadership,  hard  work,  and  creativity. 
 Their  efforts  significantly  advanced  the  ball  in  the  broadcast  arena    Bob,  for  his  work  in  spectrum  planning  and  facilitating  the  DTV  transition,  and  John,  for  his  work  improving 
 broadcast  regulations  and  effectively  advocating  the  U.  S.  position  on  these  issues  in  international  fora.  The  American  public  has  been  and  will  be  the  ultimate  beneficiary  of  their  technical  vision. 
 I  am  thankful  that  they  chose  to  devote  their  careers  to  public  service. 
 Mr.  Eckert  will  receive  the  NAB  Television  Engineering  Achievement  Award.  He  joined  the  FCC  Office  of  Engineering  and  Technology  (OET)  in  1980  and  currently  serves  as  Branch 
 Chief,  Technical  Analysis  Branch,  Electromagnetic  Compatibility  Division.  For  much  of  this  time,  Mr.  Eckert  has  specialized  in  radio  propagation  studies,  analyzing  spectrum  efficiency,  and 
 designing  frequency  assignment  algorithms.  Most  significantly,  he  was  responsible  for  spectrum  planning  for  advanced  television  and,  indeed,  was  one  of  the  principal  architects  of  the  original 
 DTV  allotment  plan.  Mr.  Eckert  also  developed  algorithms  to  assign  DTV  channels  and  to  evaluate  coverage  and  interference  issues.  He  received  his  bachelors  degree  in  physics  from 
 Georgetown  University.  Before  joining  the  FCC,  Mr.  Eckert  worked  in  the  private  sector  as  a  communications  engineer  for  Kelly  Scientific  Corporation  and  Philco-  Ford. 

 Mr.  Reiser  will  receive  the  NAB  Radio  Engineering  Achievement  Award  .  He  retired  from  the  FCC  in  2000  after  a  long  and  distinguished  government  career.  Mr.  Reiser  first  joined 
 the  FCC  at  its  Detroit  Field  Office,  then  transferred  to  the  FCC  Buffalo  Field  Office  as  Engineer-in-  Charge.  Mr.  Reiser  later  came  to  Washington,  D.  C.  as  a  Senior  Engineer  in  the  FCC 
 Broadcast  Bureau,  thereafter,  the  Mass  Media  Bureau,  and  in  1994,  was  selected  to  join  the  Radio  Communication  Policy  Branch  of  the  FCC  International  Bureau.  For  many  years,  Mr. 
 Reiser  led  U.  S.  efforts  in  various  multilateral  fora  to  develop  international  standards  for  television  and  sound  broadcast  stations  on  terrestrial  and  satellite  platforms  and  served  as  the 
 head  of  numerous  U.  S.  Delegations.  Mr.  Reisers  expertise  began  at  the  University  of  Michigan, 
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 where  he  received  a  B.  S.  in  electrical  engineering  and  was  Chief  Engineer  at  a  local  AM  radio  station. 
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