System and method for evaluating callback functionality in a satellite television network

A method of evaluating callback functionality between a subscriber integrated receiver decoder (IRD) and a satellite broadcast center (SBC) in a subscriber satellite TV network, said IRD including a subscriber conditional access module (CAM) to assure that television programming can be selected and downloaded from a satellite broadcast stream broadcast over a satellite transponder forward channel from the SBC, comprising:

• connecting the IRD to the satellite transponder forward channel for receiving and decoding the broadcast stream to view selected programming;
• connecting the IRD to a public communications network back channel for communicating billing information to the SBC through a callback function;
• placing a test call including a test signal from the IRD to the SBC over the back channel;
• evaluating the quality of the received test signal at the SBC;
• returning a callback function valid or invalid signal for the back channel to the subscriber IRD;
• and
• placing a call including billing information from the IRD to the SBC over the back channel to execute a callback function.

A satellite television network for evaluating callback functionality, comprising:

• a subscriber integrated receiver decoder (IRD) including a subscriber conditional access module (CAM) that downloads television programming from a satellite broadcast stream over a satellite transponder forward channel and communicates billing information through a callback function, said IRD placing a test call including identification information and a test signal, monitoring a returned callback function valid or invalid signal and making subsequent callback to report subscriber programming selections;
• a separate public communications network back channel for communicating said test call and subsequently communicating the billing information through the callback function;
• and
• a satellite broadcast center (SBC) for processing the billing information in the received callback function, said SBC including a call responder and data test system (CRDTS) that receives the test call, validates the identification information, evaluates the quality of the received test signal and returns a callback function valid or invalid signal over the back channel to the subscriber IRD and a call recording system (CRS) that records the test call and the callback function valid or invalid signal.