When the Telstar 4 Satellite failed on September 19, Georgia Public Broadcasting began working tirelessly to secure space on an alternative satellite so that we could restore service as quickly as possible to the schools we serve across Georgia. We were pleased to announce on October 15 that we found a new home on the AMC-3 satellite, which is located just next to Telstar 4, at 87 West longitude. Once we had secured a new satellite, though, great deal of work remained before service could be restored to each of our receiver sites.
Moving to a new satellite meant that each of the more than 2,400 satellite receiving sites we serve statewide had to be repointed - this was no small task. Working with Convergent Media Systems, the company that provides satellite help desk services to our users, we generated a call list of schools that had contacted PeachStar or the help desk over the last two years. E-lerts and web postings encouraged additional schools to contact PeachStar to ensure they got on the call list as well. Between October 15 and November 5 Convergent called each of the schools on the list and attempted to assist media specialists onsite to repoint the satellite receiving equipment over the telephone. Beginning in late October, Convergent dispatched technicians to those sites whose receivers could not be successfully repointed via phone. They will continue to make site visits until all of our users' receiving equipment has been repointed and their signals restored.
During this period while PeachStar and Convergent are working to restore satellite service we will not be airing our regular schedule. Instead, we will broadcast programs that educators have requested through our Video On Request service, which may be accessed via telephone at 404-685-2580. We will resume broadcasting our regularly scheduled programming in early January, once the work of repointing has been completed.
If you have not yet been contacted by Convergent and still need to have your satellite receiving equipment repointed, please call them at 800-877-7805 or call PeachStar at 888-501-8960 and a technician will be happy to assist you with restoring PeachStar service to your classroom.
