Small, midsize and rural providers are essential to the realization of the promise of ubiquitous cable and telecommunications services, but face unique issues in fulfillment of that mandate. These operators succeed in environments that lack the economies of scale of their larger brethren, and they often face technology, policy and competitive scenarios that are specific to their groups, or even to a few operators in a given locale. What are the main challenges that are facing these operators? How is the competitive landscape evolving, and what services are being deployed to counter other providers? How are their unique needs shaping innovative adoption of technology? What policy headwinds are they facing and how will they address them? This panel will explore small, midsize and rural providers’ vision of the future through the eyes of leading association CEOs.
Panelists:
Shirley Bloomfield, CEO, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
Matt Polka, President and CEO, American Cable Association
Rich Fickle, CEO and President, National Cable Television Cooperative
Moderator: Mike Grebb, Publisher, Cablefax