Hosted by CableLabs and NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, this Multiple System Operators-only event brings together executives and leaders – C-level, VPs, Directors, Managers – from across the spectrum of responsibilities including business strategy, technology, engineering, marketing, operations and customer experience. Topics will include current federal and state regulation and legislation affecting the smaller market operators, rural broadband, 10G roadmap as they relate to this group of operators, network evolution and planning costs – together with keynotes from influencers inside and outside the cable industry.
CableLabs and NCTA Member-Only Event
Date: June 14, 2022 Time: 8:00am – 5:15pm MDT | Includes dinner for registered in-person attendees Attendance: In-Person and Virtual (Zoom)
Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder | 2601 Canyon Blvd, Boulder, CO
Senior Director, Application Development & Support at Cable One
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Ewam de Freitas
VP, Product and Technology at Liberty Latin America
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Brooke Donilon
VP, Government Relations at NCTA
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Dr. Belal Hamzeh
Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer at CableLabs
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Ken Johnson
SVP, Technology Services at Cable One/Sparklight
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Doug Jones
Principal Architect, Wired Technology at CableLabs
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director, Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution
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Jeff Leget
VP, Mid-Tier Member Relations at CableLabs
Dr. Zouheir Mansourati
Chief Technology Officer at Cogeco
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Jon Pederson
Chief Technology Innovation Officer at Midco
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Damian Poltz
SVP, Wireline Technology & Strategy at Shaw Communications
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Joel Prine
VP, Technology Strategy and Planning at CableOne/Sparklight
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Lisa Schoenthaler
VP & Deputy Chief, External & State Legislative Affairs at NCTA
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Mark Walker
VP, Technology Policy at CableLabs
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Duncan Whitney
Chief Product Officer at GCI
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Agenda
8:00-8:30am Breakfast
8:30-8:45amIntroductions and LogisticsSpeakers:
Jeff Leget, VP, Mid-Tier Member Relations, CableLabs
Lisa Schoenthaler, VP & Deputy Chief, External & State Legislative Affairs, NCTA
8:45-10:15am Legislative and Regulatory Update
Billions of dollars are being unleashed across all levels of government to achieve universal connectivity in the U.S. and Canada. As funding becomes available federally, in states and in localities, operators need to know the rules of the road, when maps will be completed and what our industry’s funding priorities are. Operators should know how to ensure funding is used to reach unserved communities rather than to overbuild areas where there is already robust broadband service, or where they have already committed to build or extend their networks. Policymakers also are concerned about adoption rates, especially in low-income communities, and about how to get everyone online at a time when the internet is relied upon for jobs, telehealth and education. The panel will discuss what you need to know in the context of this unprecedented funding. And, of course, we’ll touch on the hot topics we expect Congress, the FCC and states to turn to in the coming year, including digital discrimination, privacy, cyber and our perennial favorite, net neutrality.
Moderator:
Lisa Schoenthaler, VP & Deputy Chief, External & State Legislative Affairs, NCTA
Speakers:
Rick Cimerman, VP, External & State Affairs, NCTA
Brooke Donilon, VP, Government Relations, NCTA
Mark Walker, VP, Technology Policy, CableLabs
10:15-10:45amNational Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC®)
CableLabs, NCTA and NCTC interact with mid-tier and smaller operators to provide guidance and support. This conversation with go over the efforts each organization is undertaking to support members and their initiatives.
Speakers:
Lou Borrelli, CEO, NCTC
Jeff Leget, VP, Mid-Tier Member Relations, CableLabs
10:45-11:00amBreak
11:00am-12:00pm Keynote: Serving the Unserved
The pandemic brought into focus the difference good broadband can make for working families. In her forthcoming book “Digital Invisible,” Nicol Turner Lee explores how the lack of internet is creating a new underclass. Today’s operators play a crucial role in bridging this divide and providing the tools and services to keep parents and families engaged in a transforming economy.
Speaker:
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution
12:00-1:00pmLunch
1:00-1:40pmManaging the Heterogeneous Network of Today
Operators today have a variety of tools available to them to deliver robust network services. From traditional DOCSIS® technology to PON and even fixed wireless, provisioning the last mile has now become more complicated than ever before. How are operators addressing provisioning challenges in environments that are more diverse and distributed than ever?
Speakers:
Kalyan Boinapalli, VP, Information Technology, Midco
Clif Dawes, Sr. Dir. Application Development & Support, Cable One
1:40-2:00pmUnique Wi-Fi Solutions in Low Income Areas
Liberty Latin America was faced with a unique challenge: deliver an affordable connectivity product to customers in underserved areas who do not have a registered broadband account. In other words, how can Wi-Fi access be provided to low-income areas as a shared network platform without having to provision access points to each apartment. The team found a solution with NetReach, and it might provide some ideas for other situations.
Speaker:
Ewam de Freitas, VP, Product and Technology, Liberty Latin America
2:00-2:45pmThe Roadmap and Challenges of Extending the Spectrum
The 10G Showcase demonstrated the capabilities that are coming to the HFC plant. Charter demonstrated these capabilities on a cascaded system with impressive downstream and upstream numbers. What are the challenges of upgrading and managing a 1.8 GHz plant with a mid or high split up to 600 MHz, and what is the timeline to implement these structural changes before new equipment begins to ship?
Moderator:
Doug Jones, Principal Architect, Wired Technology, CableLabs
Speakers:
Damian Poltz, SVP, Wireline Technology & Strategy, Shaw Communications
Joel Prine, VP, Technology Strategy and Planning, CableOne/Sparklight
2:45-3:00pmBreak
3:00-4:15pmBroadband Strategies, Investment and ROI
Investing in tomorrow’s network means balancing today’s capital requirements against future operating expenses. There are more tools than ever from which to choose. And there are more new entrants than ever before. Both Washington and the investment community are providing some of the funding to support new network initiatives. This conversation will look at where operators are investing their resources, and how investors view and value these strategic decisions.
Speaker:
Jonathan Chaplin, Managing Partner, New Street Research
4:15-5:00pmTechnology Executive Roundtable
Several technology executives will discuss the technology and investment conversations covered during the day and discuss how strategic decisions might be impacted by the recent 10G demonstrations. This panel will also explore the ongoing problem of hiring, training, and retaining technical talent.
Moderator:
Dr. Belal Hamzeh, SVP & CTO, CableLabs
Speakers:
Ken Johnson SVP, Technology Services, Cable One/Sparklight
Zouheir Mansourati, Chief Technology Officer, Cogeco
Jon Pederson, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Midco
Duncan Whitney, Chief Product Officer, GCI
5:00-5:15pmWrap-upSpeakers:
Jeff Leget, VP, Mid-Tier Member Relations, CableLabs
Lisa Schoenthaler, VP & Deputy Chief, External & State Legislative Affairs, NCTA
5:15-9:00pmDinner For registered in-person attendees only.
Kalyan Boinapalli is currently working as Vice President of IT with 20 years of experience in the industry. Over the years, He helped build various IT capabilities & systems to help solve complex business challenges. He enjoys energizing other leaders, problem solving and challenging the status-quo!
Lou Borrelli
Chief Executive Officer at NCTC
Louis A. Borrelli, Jr. is a C level traditional and new media executive, investor and advisor, entrepreneur and recognized industry leader. A pioneer in cable television, online media and broadcast production services, Mr. Borrelli has been driving innovation in operations, marketing, business development and new product creation for more than 43 years.
Mr. Borrelli is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) representing more than 700 broadband and cable operators operating in all 50 states and the U.S. territories serving 40 million video and broadband connections. NCTC provides operational and strategic support, purchasing power for video content, hardware, software, broadband transit, transport, products and services.
Prior to joining NCTC, Mr. Borrelli served as Chief Executive Officer, Home and Entertainment for Digicel Group Ltd., which provides mobile phone, cable and broadband services to 27 countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America. He was responsible for cable and broadband strategy, policy and operations, content strategy and rights acquisition for multiple sports and entertainment networks.
Mr. Borrelli was also Chief Development Officer for NimbleTV, a cloud based, advanced digital television platform, Board Chairman of ShowGo.TV(Live music from the coolest places on Earth) and a Board Member of Piiku.com (Smart Advertising). He was a lead investor in and strategic advisor to both companies.
Mr. Borrelli was President and Chief Executive Officer of NEP Broadcasting, LLC, the leading international provider of outsourced teleproduction services critical to the delivery of live sports and entertainment events.
Prior to joining NEP, Mr. Borrelli was Senior Vice President, Broadband of America Online, Inc., a division of AOL Time Warner, responsible for developing AOL’s High Speed Broadband business plan, managing the commercial launch of AOL High Speed Cable to Time Warner Cable customers and developing distribution partnerships for AOL across the cable television and telecommunications industries.
Mr. Borrelli was a Founding Partner,Executive Vice President and Chief Operating OfficerMarcus Cable Company, L.P. Under his leadership, Marcus Cable grew from 15,000 customers in 1989 to become the nation’s largest privately held cable company with 1.3 million customers in 1998 when the company was sold to investor Paul G. Allen and others. Later that year Marcus Cable was named “Cable Operator of the Year” by Cablevision Magazine.
Mr. Borrelli began his cable career in 1978 with UA-Columbia Cablevision and later Marcus Communications and WestMarc Communications holding senior executive positions in programming, marketing, operations and business development.
Mr. Borrelli serves on the board of C-SPAN and The Cable Center. He was a founding Board member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and served on the Advisory Board of the Sports Video Group. He was an active member of Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), twice serving on its Board of Directors as well as chairing the Annual CTAM Summit. He participated in the formation of the Cable Television Advertising Bureau (CAB) and the National Academy of Cable Programming, its ACE Awards program and a founding member of the New York Metro Cable Marketing Co-Op (1-800-OK-CABLE).
Mr. Borrelli is a two-time CTAM TAMI award winner (1996 & 2000), received the Pinnacle Award from CTAM Texas in 2001 and was elected to the Cable Pioneers in 2002. He was a long standing member of the College Foundation Board and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts Advisory Board of his alma mater, the State University of New York at Oswego, where in 2005 he established the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit, an annual on-campus event that enables students to engage and interact with media industry global leaders. Mr. Borrelli was awarded the Presidential Medal by SUNY Oswego in 2014. In 2015, the State University of New York awarded Mr. Borrelli with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
Jonathan Chaplin leads the US Communications Services research team. Prior to joining NSR he led the Telecom, Cable & Satellite research teams at Credit Suisse and JPMorgan where he was recognized as a top ranked analyst and stock picker by Institutional Investor, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. When he isn’t analyzing the telecom industry, Jonathan is often disconnected from all networks, in remote parts of the world, climbing mountains.
Rick Cimerman
VP, External & State Affairs at NCTA
Rick is Vice President of External and State Affairs at NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. His primary responsibility is to aid State Cable Associations and cable companies in working with state regulators, legislators and policymakers. He is also responsible for outreach to think tanks, the academic community and various policy advocacy organizations and directs NCTA’s Telecom Working Group and Pole Attachments Working Group.
Rick is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Foundation, the Internet Education Foundation, the TPRC Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy, and the Advisory Council for New Mexico State University’s Center for Public Utilities. He previously served as Private Sector Chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Communications and Technology Task Force, President of the National Coalition for Technology and Education in Training (NCTET), co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee’s Broadband Task Force, and program chair for the three NARUC/NECA National Summits on Broadband Deployment, as well as holding leadership positions in other intergovernmental organizations. He is a recognized expert on broadband and telecommunications policy, has testified across the country before numerous state Public Service Commissions and Legislatures and has also served as an adjunct faculty member of Michigan State University’s NARUC Annual Regulatory Studies Program.
Prior to joining NCTA he worked for nearly three years as the Director of the Telecommunications Division of the Maryland Public Service Commission. Rick also worked for two and a half years at the Florida Public Service Commission with an emphasis on issues related to competition and emerging competition. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from the University of Florida where he studied public utility economics in association with the Public Utility Research Center (PURC) at the University of Florida.
Rick is also a former Jeopardy TV game show winner.
Clif Dawes
Senior Director, Application Development & Support at Cable One
Clif Dawes is Senior Director Application Development & Support at Cable One. He joined Cable One in 2014 where he now leads multiple software engineering teams responsible for OSS/BSS integrations, and development of software solutions for provisioning, diagnostic tools, network and process automations.
With over 25+ years of software architecture and development experience, Clif has served in leadership, entrepreneurial and consultative roles within Financial and Healthcare industries. Clif is a passionate servant leader dedicated to maintaining an inclusive culture and environment where all can thrive.
Ewam de Freitas
VP, Product and Technology at Liberty Latin America
Ewam de Freitas is the Vice President of Product and Technology for Liberty Latin America with responsibilities across 20 consumer markets delivering communications, high speed connectivity and entertainment products. Liberty Latin America is an integrated telecommunications company, focused on the Caribbean and Latin America. Prior to joining Liberty Latin America in August 2019, Ewam held Product and Technology leadership roles at Level 3, Charter and Comcast.
Brooke Donilon
VP, Government Relations at NCTA
Brooke Donilon has worked at NCTA – the Internet and Television Association as Vice President, Government Relations for four years. Prior to joining NCTA Donilon worked at the FCC where she was the Chief of Staff for Commissioner Michael O’Rielly. Brooke also served six years with the U.S. Congress where she was Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Ron Johnson. As Deputy Chief, she managed the Senator’s office and oversaw the Senator’s communications work on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Before that, she served as Chief Counsel for Homeland Security for the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs under Chairman Johnson. Brooke was also Legislative Counsel to Congressman Cliff Stearns where she handled his communications work on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Brooke received her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she majored in Journalism and Mass Communication and American Studies.
Dr. Belal Hamzeh
Senior VP and Chief Technology Officer at CableLabs
Dr. Belal Hamzeh is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at CableLabs, the non-profit research & development and innovation lab funded by the global cable industry. He leads CableLabs’ long-term vision by driving the development of technologies critical to the cable industry’s evolution including wired, wireless, network convergence and security.
Belal previously led CableLabs’ vision, industry alignment and strategy for wireless and wireline technologies. In addition, he led the technology development for DOCSIS® specifications that advance the network performance required for supporting emerging experiences well into the future and deployed today to deliver multi-gigabit connectivity to the masses.
Before joining CableLabs, Belal was the chief product architect for one of Intel’s flagship 3G/4G chipsets, and he led R&D efforts for 3G/4G technologies including technology and product development, certification and network deployments at Intel.
Belal holds a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Penn State University, along with 30+ issued and pending patents.
Ken Johnson
SVP, Technology Services at Cable One/Sparklight
Ken Johnson is Senior Vice President of Technology Services at Cable ONE. He is responsible for the strategic evolution of technology roadmaps related to products, as well as Information Technology, Network, Engineering and Construction.
Before joining Cable ONE, Johnson served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer for NewWave Communications. Prior to NewWave, Johnson was Chief Technology Officer for SureWest Communications and Everest Connections.
Originally from Lenexa, Kansas, Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Friends University.
Johnson currently serves on the board of the National Cable Television Cooperative and the CableLabs Technology Advisory Board.
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director, Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings Institution
Dr. Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow and the director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution where she focuses on broadband, internet governance, digital divide, data privacy, antitrust, and artificial intelligence. She is the co-editor of Tech Tank, and co-host of the Tech Tank podcast. She also leads Brookings scholarship around AI biases. Dr. Turner Lee is the Vice Chair of the Federal Communications Commission’s Communications Equity and Diversity Council. She is the former Board Chair of TPRC and served on the boards of the Washington Literacy Center, STEM4US, and the Public Policy Institute for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Her work imbues her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the communications industries. She also has a forthcoming book on the digital divide. Dr. Turner Lee has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Northwestern University, and a B.A., magna cum laude from Colgate University.
Dr. Zouheir Mansourati
Chief Technology Officer at Cogeco
Dr. Mansourati joined Cogeco as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer in November 2020. He has nearly three decades of experience in the telecommunications industry, including thirteen years at Telus where he held several executive positions ending as Vice President of National Broadband Network Implementation. He started his career at
Bell-Northern Research followed by Movaz Networks, where he served in many executive roles including product management, customer network planning, and business development. Most recently, he was Chief Customer Officer at Vitruvi, working with their clients in the telecommunications market segment.
Dr. Mansourati holds a Master of Science degree from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, and a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Jon Pederson
Chief Technology Innovation Officer at Midco
Jon Pederson began his career with Midco in 1987 serving many roles in technical and strategic leadership during his long tenure. He was named Chief Technology Innovation Officer in 2021 where his responsibilities include industry relations, technical communications, and strategic innovation. He designed and implemented MidcoNet® Internet service, Midco’s digital phone product, and created Midco’s multi-state fiber network. Jon and his teams were among the first to test and deploy gigabit service and remote PHY in North America, and Jon spearheaded Midco’s expansive Fiber Forward initiative which will ultimately achieve 10G capability. Mr. Pederson has degrees in psychology and computer programming. He is a member of the Cablelabs® technology committee and the SCTE® engineering and technical operations committee (ETOC) and is involved with many other industry leadership groups.
Damian Poltz
SVP, Wireline Technology & Strategy at Shaw Communications
As the Senior Vice President of Wireline Technology & Strategy, Damian Poltz is responsible for the development, deployment and operation of Shaw’s video, voice, and broadband technology, wireline network and multi-year technology & convergence strategy.
Throughout his 24-year career at Shaw, Damian has served in strategic leadership roles including: VP Technology Strategy & Networks, Director of Network Technology, Sr. Director Communication Systems, Director IP Application Services, and Sr. Manager Video Application Development.
Damian holds an MBA from Cornell University and Queen’s University, and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.
Joel Prine
VP, Technology Strategy and Planning at CableOne/Sparklight
Joel’s primary focus over the past few years has been gathering and analyzing HFC network growth, utilization, and performance with an eye toward how Cable One can put plans in place today that will provide exceptional service and exceed the network growth demands of our HFC customers over the next ten years.
Lisa Schoenthaler
VP & Deputy Chief, External & State Legislative Affairs at NCTA
Lisa Schoenthaler is Vice President & Deputy Chief, External and State Legislative Affairs for NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (NCTA). In that role, Lisa leads the team working with state and local officials and their intergovernmental groups, cable industry state association executives and with NCTA members’ state government relations teams on a wide range of policy issues. Her team also is responsible for NCTA’s external affairs outreach and advocacy. Since joining NCTA in 1994, Lisa has also served as head of NCTA’s Office of Rural and Midsize Operators. In this capacity, she represents those members’ public policy positions within NCTA and before Congress and regulatory agencies.
Prior to joining NCTA, Lisa was an attorney at Mintz specializing in cable and broadcast law. Lisa holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Union College where she spent a year with Middlebury College in France studying French and political science. Lisa is also a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, Class IX.
Mark Walker
VP, Technology Policy at CableLabs
Mark Walker is Vice President, Technology Policy at CableLabs. He joined CableLabs in 2015 and now leads the Technology Policy group, which focuses on broadband policy, spectrum and wireless policy, cybersecurity and supply chain policy, and energy efficiency policy. The Technology Policy group guides CableLabs and its subsidiaries as they engage with U.S. federal, state, and local governments and governments around world, to provide policy makers with technical expertise on current and future information and communications technologies. Prior to joining CableLabs, Mark was the Deputy Chief in the Telecommunications Access Policy Division of the Federal Communications Commission that led the policy team for the E-rate Program. While at the FCC, Mark also served as a Legal Advisor to the Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau as well as an Attorney Advisor on the E-rate and Rural Health Care teams. Prior to joining the FCC, he worked in private practice representing clients in telecommunications and other closely regulated industries. Mark holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Penn State University, an MBA from Lehigh University, and a JD from the University of Colorado.
Duncan Whitney
Chief Product Officer at GCI
Mr. Whitney has spent the past 25 years serving in a diverse set of development & leadership roles at GCI. He joined GCI in 1993 in Information Technology and in 1997, moved into Product Development where he spearheaded the company’s launch of Enterprise data services and residential DOCSIS broadband. In 2012, he was promoted to Vice President of Data Services and subsequently in 2014 to lead Product Management and Development for all GCI Voice, Internet, Video, and MNO-based wireless services.
He is a key advisor to the senior executive team on product strategy and technology innovation efforts. In addition, he currently serves on the Cable Labs Technology Committee in the role of CTO & Strategy Officer for GCI’s quad play services. He holds a BA in Japanese language from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Alaska Pacific University.
