WASHINGTON, DC - The National Cable & Telecommunications Association today announced that Brian Allen has joined its staff as director of the Office of Cable Signal Theft (OCST). In his new position, Allen will lead the industry’s efforts to counter cable signal theft. He also will serve as cable’s liaison to the Coalition Opposing Signal Theft Committee (COST).
Allen previously was a partner at ACI Investigations, Inc. (Garden City, NY), a firm that handles cable theft issues nationwide. During his ten-year tenure at ACI, Allen assisted cable theft investigations and consulted for organizations, including Time Warner Cable, AT&T Broadband, Cablevision, Charter Communications, TCI, MediaOne, InterMedia Partners, and the Motion Picture Association of America, as they established policy and implemented proactive anti-cable theft procedures. He also assisted the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs Service and other federal and local enforcement agencies.
"Brian’s extensive work with the cable industry’s top companies to combat signal theft made him an excellent selection for OCST director," said Jadz Janucik, NCTA’s senior vice president of Association Affairs. "Our industry will benefit greatly from his expertise."
Allen has successfully investigated several of the largest nationwide cable pirating operations, which resulted in the civil seizure of more than 200,000 de-scrambling devices and stopped more than $100 million in annual illegal cable sales across the U.S.
In addition to cable piracy investigations, Allen provides the telecommunications industry with expert testimony to assist with civil and criminal prosecutions.
Formed in 1986 as a joint venture between the NCTA and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Office of Cable Signal Theft serves as an informational clearinghouse for signal security issues. OCST provides information about the judicial, legislative, technical, marketing and operational aspects of the signal theft problem.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), formerly the National Cable Television Association, is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation’s cable television households and more than 150 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry. In addition to offering traditional video services, NCTA's members also provide broadband services such as high-speed Internet access and telecommunications services such as local exchange telephone service to customers across the United States.
Visit us at www.ncta.com for the latest information about the cable industry, including: recent press releases; industry statistics; NCTA regulatory and court filings; cable’s commitment to customer service; quality programming; and education and technology initiatives.
# # #