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.
Sr. Director of Government Partnership Opportunities - Mediacom
Read More
Phil McKinney
President and CEO - CableLabs
Read More
Alex Minard
VP & Lead Legislative Council - NCTA
Read More
Loretta Polk
VP & Deputy General Counsel of NCTA
Read More
Michael Powell
President and CEO - NCTA
Read More
Cliff Riccio
SVP & Chief, Government Relations - NCTA
Read More
Mark Walker
VP of Technology Policy - CableLabs
Agenda
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM MDTIntroductions
Welcome to the 2023 Smaller Market Conference
10:05 AM – 11:20 AM MDTThe View from Washington
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding is being rolled out, but there are always plenty of political distractions. How will the debt ceiling debate affect infrastructure efforts? As candidates emerge, what distractions will result from the election conversations? Washington politics exists in an increasingly charged environment. NTIA continues to allocate BEAD funding. The FCC continues to discuss spectrum updates. Operators need to be aware of reporting requirements and continuing supply chain issues. Buy America efforts may further complicate issues to quickly roll out infrastructure changes. Artificial intelligence is scary, and cybersecurity concerns are even scarier. This conversation will touch on these and other topics.
Moderator: Michael Dean, VP Government Relations - NCTASpeakers: Mark Walker, VP of Technology Policy, CableLabsCliff Riccio, Sr. VP & Chief, Government Relations - NCTALoretta Polk, VP & Deputy General Council - NCTAAlex Minard, VP & Lead Legislative Council - NCTABrooke Donilon, VP Government Relations - NCTA
11:20 AM – 11:40 AM MDTMobile Initiatives for All Operators
CableLabs has been working with its members to consider mobile as a mechanism for growth and added stickiness with subscribers. After several years in the game, the largest operators are starting to see record growth in mobile subscribers. Smaller operators are now getting into the game. In February, NCTC announced an exclusive partnership with Reach Mobile to allow NCTC member companies to quickly deploy and monetize mobile services. This conversation will explore what the future looks like for operators that have ventured into this space.
Speakers: Lou Borrelli, Chief Executive Officer, NCTCDavid Debrecht, VP of Wireless Technology - CableLabs
11:40 AM – 12:20 PM MDTEngaging State Funding Efforts
BEAD funds are distributed via state broadband offices. Some of these state agencies are relatively new, and the interactions can differ from state to state. For a multi-system operator working across state lines, engaging these agencies can challenging. This panel will discuss how operators are working to develop close relationships with state offices that will ultimately disburse BEAD funds.
Moderator: Jeff Leget, VP of Mid-Tier Operator Relationships - CableLabsSpeakers: Chris Lord, Sr. Dir. of Government Partnership Opportunities - Mediacom Andrew Curley, Director of Government Affairs - MidcoPat Caron - CableOne/Sparklight
12:20 PM – 12:55 PM MDTFireside Chat
A Fireside Chat with Michael Powell, President and CEO, NCTA and Phil McKinney, President and CEO, CableLabs
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.
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.
Pat Caron
Assistant General Counsel - Cable One/Sparklight
Patrick Caron is Assistant General Counsel to Cable One, Inc. in Phoenix, where his responsibilities include managing Cable One’s Government Affairs initiatives, advising the company on public funding opportunities, network development and infrastructure matters, and general commercial and regulatory affairs. Pat began his career in private practice in Minnesota where he litigated cases involving telecommunications property interests nationwide. After turning to in-house practice, Pat was counsel to Level 3 Communications in Colorado, and Union Wireless in Wyoming. Prior to joining Cable One, Pat was General Counsel to Syringa Networks in Boise.
Andrew Curley
Director of Government Relations - Midco
Andrew Curley serves as the Director of Government Relations for Midco, a leading regional broadband, cable, and telephone provider in Sioux Falls, SD. He is responsible for the company’s government affairs efforts at the local, state, and federal level – and regularly presents on Midco’s role in closing the Digital Divide. Prior to joining Midco in 2019, Curley spent nearly a decade in government and political advocacy work. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Sioux Falls with their three children, Genevieve, Cormac, and Violet.
Michael Dean
VP of Government Relations – NCTA
Michael Dean is a Vice President of Government Relations with NCTA – the Internet & Television Association, where he lobbies on behalf of the NCTA’s members before the House and Senate. He also serves as the primary liaison to NCTA’s mid-sized members and represents those members’ policy positions within NCTA and before Congress. Before NCTA, Michael worked at CTIA – The Wireless Association and also worked on Capitol Hill for Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Originally from Louisiana, Michael has a BA from Duke University and an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill, and he now lives in Washington DC with his wife and daughter.
Brooke Donilon
VP & Government Relations - NCTA
Brooke Donilon has worked at NCTA – the Internet and Television Association as Vice President, Government Relations for five 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.
Chris Lord
Sr. Director of Government Partnership Opportunities - Mediacom
Chris began his cable industry career 16 years ago when he joined the customer service team for Mediacom Communications in Gulf Breeze, FL. He was selected to serve in a variety of roles with expanding responsibilities, including Manager of Government Relations for the company’s eight-state Coastal Region. Now in a companywide position as Director of Government Partnerships, Chris manages multi-pronged processes for broadband grants offered through local, state and federal levels of government. He also oversees other government assistance programs affecting broadband availability and access throughout Mediacom’s 22-state footprint. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida and a master’s degree from Troy University. Chris lives in Northwest Florida with his wife, Holly, and their five-year-old son William.
Phil McKinney
President and CEO - CableLabs
Phil McKinney is President and CEO of CableLabs, the non-profit research &
development and innovation lab funded by the global cable industry. McKinney leads
the development of technologies and specifications for the delivery of high-speed data,
video, voice and next-generation services. He oversees testing, certification facilities
and guides the technical leadership for the industry, charting the course for future
technology and innovation.
During his career, McKinney has held leadership positions in major companies including
serving as CTO for Hewlett-Packard. While at HP, McKinney created the Innovation
Program Office (IPO) which identified, incubated, and launched adjacent and
fundamentally new technologies, products and services that became the growth
engines for HP. The success of the IPO is now shared in widely used case studies at
Stanford University and Harvard Business School.
Author, speaker and innovation guru, McKinney shares his rule-breaking approach to
innovation and creativity in his book “Beyond the Obvious.” He has been recognized by
Fast Company, BusinessWeek, MSNBC, Vanity Fair and other media outlets for his
industry contributions. His podcast, Killer Innovations™, is one of the longest continually
produced podcasts in history. In 2017, The Cable Center named McKinney an
Innovation Laureate in recognition of his role as a key influencer in mentoring, teaching
and motivating the next generation of cable industry leaders. Most recently, McKinney
was named one of the top influencers transforming media production and distribution in
MultiChannel News’ “2020 Industry Watch List,” and he received the 2021 Broadcasting
and Cable Technology Leadership Award.
McKinney serves on the advisory board for Hacking Autism and is chairman of the
board for the Techtrend Group, which invests in entrepreneurs in developing countries
to create jobs that fuel economic growth.
Alex Minard
VP & Lead Legislative Council - NCTA
Alex is Vice President & Lead Legislative Counsel of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. Alex isresponsible for NCTA’s federal and state legislative portfolio and for the association’s advocacy and partnerships with various national intergovernmental organizations. Previously, he was at the Federal Communications Commission, Wireline Competition Bureau, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, most recently as Deputy Division Chiefmanaging the high-cost universal service program. He is a graduate of William & Mary Law School and Kenyon College.
Loretta Polk
VP & Deputy General Counsel of NCTA
Loretta Polk is Vice President & Deputy General Counsel of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association. She has over 30 years of experience representing the cable industry on a wide variety of legal and regulatory matters, including video and broadband technology, competition, consumer protection, public safety, and broadband adoption issues. She also leads the association’s privacy and cybersecurity legal and policy work.
Over her career, Loretta has served on the Federal Communications Bar Association’s Executive Committee and co-chaired the former Cable Practice Committee. She was also a trustee of the FCBA Foundation, co-chairing the high school and college scholarship program. She also served on the D.C. Bar Technology Task Force and the Steering Committee of the Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law Section, where she was awarded the D.C. Bar’s “Outstanding Community Service Project” in 1998 for an education program in media and the arts. In 2001, she completed the Cable Television and Marketing Association’s executive management program at Harvard Business School and was appointed to the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee from 2004 – 2007. Loretta is also a frequent speaker at the Practicing Law Institute’s annual broadband and cable law program.
Loretta is a member of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and in 2018 was among a group of women that received the Multichannel News and WICT-NY “Wonder Woman” award, which honors the accomplishments of women who have helped pave the way for younger generations of women in the evolving television, media, and internet industries. She now serves on the National Advisory Council of the Emma Bowen Foundation, which provides multi-year internships for minority college students seeking careers in media and technology industries. And she was a long-time member of the boards of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and the Legal Aid Society. Early in her legal career, she worked as a Legal Advisor at the U.S. Department of State and as an associate in the Washington office of Jones Day. Loretta received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was Executive Editor of the Human Rights Law Review, and her B.A. from Rutgers University.
Michael Powell
President and CEO - NCTA
Michael K. Powell is the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and appointed Chairman by President George W. Bush in 2001, serving until 2005.
During his time as FCC chair, Chairman Powell oversaw the rapid transformation of communications markets into the Digital Age. During his tenure, the Internet came into widespread commercial use, as did smart phones, Wi-Fi networks and satellite radio.
In his current role as President & CEO of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association,
Mr. Powell leads one of the largest trade associations in Washington, D.C., representing the communications and content industries. Prior public service includes Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Defense and service as an armored cavalry officer in U.S. Army. In the private sector he practiced law and was a senior advisor in a private equity firm. Chairman Powell also served on the public boards of Cisco and AOL.
Chairman Powell serves on several nonprofit boards. He is the Chairman of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, Vice Chairman of America’s Promise Alliance and serves on the William & Mary Foundation Board.
Powell received his bachelor’s degree in government from William & Mary and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from
William & Mary, Pepperdine University and Mayo Clinic Alex School of Medicine and Marymount University.
Cliff Riccio
SVP & Chief, Government Relations - NCTA
Cliff Riccio joined NCTA in 2001 and was elevated to Deputy of the Government Relations department and part of NCTA’s leadership team in 2017. Prior to NCTA, Riccio worked as a Legislative Analyst on telecommunications issues for past Chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, former U.S. Rep. Tom Bliley (R-VA) and former U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA). Riccio is a graduate from the State University of New York at Albany.
