Charging Into the Gigabit Future
Five years ago, the notion that much of America would have access to blazing fast gigabit internet service seemed like a fantasy. In fact, only four percent of U.S. homes had access to gigabit speeds at the end of 2016. But in just 18 months, cable operators across the country have increased gigabit availability by almost 16 times. Today, fantasy has turned into reality as cable's internet networks are now offering gig speeds in more than 40 states, in both urban and rural communities. A new white paper from CableLabs®—the industry's R&D consortium—highlights this tremendous gigabit feat and
A CableLabs Engineer Discusses Today's Trends in Cybersecurity
As October and Cybersecurity Month wrap up, NCTA caught up with Steve Goeringer, principal security architect at CableLabs®, to delve a little deeper into the work that is going on behind the scenes to secure the networks and user experiences of today and to prepare for the emerging technologies of tomorrow. Goeringer, whose background includes engineering stints in the U.S. Army and at the National Security Agency, is not your traditional engineer with your typical set of technical certifications. Instead, his work brings a whole new mindset on how to rethink how the industry discusses and
Parents Find TV Ratings Valuable
In today's vibrant TV marketplace, every viewer–children included–can find content tailored to their unique tastes and preferences. But more importantly, cable programmers and content creators know how important it is for kids to grow up watching shows that are not only educational, stimulating and fun, but age appropriate as well. The TV Parental Guidelines, which are labels shown in the upper left corner of the screen at the start of a program and often after commercial breaks, were established to help parents choose programming that they feel is right for their kids. A recent survey
Why Cable ISPs are Best Suited to Power America's Smart Cities
The concept of a smart city is something that we've heard a lot about and seems to offer significant benefits for local municipalities. And with most of a community's important utilities and urban infrastructure now being managed through digitally connected information technology systems, more cities are seeking out ways to find efficiencies and information sharing by linking their networks together. A new report released this morning highlighting how cable ISPs can make smart cities become a reality offers city planners successful case studies and useful planning steps for how to make their
Circle With Disney Device is Instilling Healthy Online Habits Through Parental Controls
Every year, the internet welcomes a new wave of online tools and sites that make education and socialization more fun and rewarding, especially for kids. But as with most things in life, safety and moderation are key to making the most of what the internet has to offer. Internet service providers across the cable industry are committed to protecting today's kids from a range of threats that lurk online, from cyberbullies to social media addiction to obsessive online habits that affect the time spent with family members. Charter, Comcast, Cox, Mediacom and Midco all offer online parental
More Than $1.4 Million Raised at 35th Annual Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner
Last night's annual Walter Kaitz Foundation Dinner in NYC raised over $1.4 million, and was full of inspiring speeches and celebrations. Every year, industry executives, leaders and innovators come together at this dinner—which serves as the culmination of the industry's Diversity Week—to honor the organizations that implement strategies to diversify the workplace and advance opportunities for women and people of color. The Walter Kaitz Foundation has a long history of furthering diversity initiatives throughout the industry. Through surveys, grants, sponsorships, and partnerships, the
Three Questions: The Walter Kaitz Foundation's Michelle Ray Talks About Diversifying the Cable Industry
In an interview with NCTA, The Walter Kaitz Foundation's new executive director Michelle Ray shed light on how the Foundation came to be and how it continues to lead the charge for cultivating diverse talent and initiatives across the internet and television landscape. With Diversity Week in full swing, and as leaders and key stakeholders ranging from cable operating executives to content creators gather in NYC for critical discussions around diversity and inclusion, Ray offered insights into the state of diversity throughout the industry and the direction the Foundation will take as the
A Fresh Look at the 5.9 GHz Band
It’s time for the FCC to take a fresh look at the 5.9 GHz band. After two decades and millions of dollars in wasted government subsidies, the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) experiment in the 5.9 GHz band has clearly failed. The growth of Wi-Fi over the last two decades and the potential of this spectrum to deliver better Wi-Fi only amplify this failure in policy. The time is now for the Commission to open all or a substantial part of the 5.9 GHz band to unlicensed innovation and consider flexible options for addressing the spectrum needs of automotive technologies. Most of us use
Getting it Right on 3.5 GHz
While predicting the future is always a tricky proposition, one area that we can foresee with absolute certainty is that consumers will continue to demand seamless connectivity to all of their devices no matter where they are. But ensuring that a wide range of providers can meet this escalating demand requires creative solutions to put underutilized spectrum to work. That is why we commend the FCC, and appreciate Commissioner O'Rielly's leadership, in nearing completion of the framework for bringing to market 150 megahertz of underutilized spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band. Given the challenges in
How Broadband is Strengthening the Marketplace
It's easy to see that the internet has never been more powerful as it is today. America's broadband providers are delivering the fastest and most reliable speeds yet, making it possible for people all over the country to stream their favorite TV shows, post Instagram stories, or play a VR video game with their friend across the ocean. This steady uphill progress in network speed and capacity has unleashed a myriad of opportunities in the past two decades and allowed innovation to flourish. One of the most consistent improvements that Americans have experienced in internet connectivity is speed