Broadening its scope into the emerging technology areas being tapped into by its core cable constituencies’ ever-more-sprawling broadband networks, SCTE/ISBE announced Tuesday the formation of seven new standards bodies.

The groups fall under the heading of what SCTE/ISBE calls its “Explorer Initiative,” which has a mission to form “a safer, more connected society.” Groups will include the following:

• Telehealth and Aging in Place
• Telemedicine
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Smart Cities
• Autonomous Transport
• Extended Spectrum (Up to 3.0 GHz)
• Human Factors Affecting Network Reliability

Members of each working group will collaborate with subject matter experts from across industries to develop standards and best practices that will capitalize on the capabilities of cable’s next-generation HFC broadband networks.

As these networks push toward the cable industry’ “10G” speed goals, “it will create opportunities for the advancement of emerging and yet-to-be-imagined technologies, many of which will better prepare societies for health crises and natural disasters,” SCTE/ISBE notes in its statement. “The current COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the value of telemedicine, aging in place, telehealth and smart cities. This initiative will help to drive those capabilities forward, better preparing societies for situations like the one currently facing countries across the globe.”

Members of the SCTE/ISBE Explorer working groups will establish or update standards and operational practices; share insights fostered within their organizations, including operational feedback from their lab and field trials; and create reference libraries with related solutions and innovations.

“Cable’s critical role at the nexus of the telecommunications and technology industries will only become more prominent as the industry ramps toward services powered by 10G,” said Chris Bastian, senior VP and CTIO for SCTE/ISBE. “By partnering with visionary companies, SCTE•ISBE can create standards, operational practices and training that will enable stakeholders to shorten time to market for new services.”

Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries will be the first of two general session keynote speakers when the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and its global arm, the International Society of Broadband Experts™ (ISBE), host SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo 2017 on Oct. 18, in Denver.

Fries will discuss a wide range of topics during his keynote conversation, including how the convergence of wireline and wireless is helping to drive new business opportunities for pay-TV providers.

Fries joins another top cable executive – Charter Communications chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge – at the Cable-Tec Expo general session.  Rutledge will offer keynote remarks on the future of cable telecommunications and how network innovation will be a significant contributor to business results.

“With multiple industry organizations holding events during Expo Week, the eyes of the industry will be on SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo 2017,” said SCTE-ISBE CEO Mark Dzuban in a statement.  “Mike Fries’ insights and vision will underscore the impact of technology innovation, seamless product deployment and SCTE•ISBE in helping all sectors of our industry achieve success in a rapidly changing marketplace.”

Under Fries, Liberty Global as grown to provide broadband, entertainment, voice and mobile services to 25 million customers in more than 30 countries. A founding member of the management team that launched the company’s international expansion over 25 years ago, Fries was named president and CEO of Liberty Global in 2005. Fries also serves as the company ‘s vice chairman, alongside founder and chairman Dr. John Malone.

“Technology and constant innovation are the keys to keeping our customers happy in this ever changing digital world,” Fries said in a statement.  “SCTE•ISBE and its Cable-Tec Expo play vital roles in delivering the education, the standards leadership and the technology advances that will make this happen.”

SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo will be held Oct. 17-20 at the Colorado Convention Center. Expo Week begins Oct. 17 with the start of almost four-dozen technical workshops, as well as the Cable TV Pioneers Annual Banquet and Class of 2017 induction ceremonies. Registration and additional information on registration options are available at http://expo.scte.org.

The Cable TV Pioneers, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary as a social organization honoring long-serving and accomplished executives and entrepreneurs in the industry, has named the 2017 class to be inducted at a banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.

The banquet is timed to the opening of the SCTE-ISBE Cable-Tec Expo at the Colorado Convention Center (Oct. 17-20). 

The class consists of 20 individuals -- 14 men and six women -- selected from what the group said was a record number of nominees.

Read more: Fifty Years of Cable Camaraderie

They are, in alphabetical order, with their affiliated companies as announced by the Pioneers:  

Tom Adams, Charter Communications      

Matthew Blank, Showtime Networks Inc.           

Steve Brett, General Communication Inc.     

Jack Bryant, ComSonics    

Cynthia Carpenter, Charter Communications        

John Chapman, Cisco         

Anne Cowan, CTAM         

Chris Dunkeson, Comcast Corp.      

Jana Fay, C-SPAN 

Charlotte Field, Charter Communications   

Tony Finger, CommScope  

James George, American Cable Services   

Tim Gropp, Arris    

Larry Hanson, Ambit Project Management           

Dale Hopkins, GSN           

Debra Lee, BET     

Sean McGrail, NESN         

Ron McMillan, Time Warner Cable (retired)        

Jay Vaughan, DSV Services   

Richard White, consultant

In making the announcement, Cable TV Pioneers chair Susan Bitter Smith said in a statement: “Just as our industry grows broader and more robust, so do the number of nominees for the Cable Pioneers. It’s obvious from this year’s class that our membership consists of men and women who make significant contributions to the growth of our industry and our communities.”

Dinner chair Dave Fellows said, “Change growth, and celebrating this year’s induction in Denver, prior to the annual SCTE-ISBE Cable-Tec Expo, is one of the many ways we are adapting and growing. We believe our 51st Banquet will have a significant attendance and provide sponsors with a wonderful opportunity to participate in one of the top events of the industry this year.”

Read more: Cable Pioneers: 50 Facts for 50 Years

Information on the upcoming banquet is at http://cabletvpioneers.com. (Interested sponsors can directly contact Lisza Gulyas at 303.527.2929 or lisza@vuconcepts.com.) Photos, articles and video of the 50th Anniversary celebrations are available at the site.

The Cable TV Pioneers was founded in 1966 during the NCTA convention in Miami, Fla. The original fledgling group of 21 entrepreneurs has grown to more than 700 men and women over the past 50 years. Photos, articles and video of the 50th Anniversary celebration and banquets as well as member rosters are available at the Pioneers site.

Zenita Henderson, a cable industry vet and member of the Cable Television Pioneers, has been named director, marketing operations and business development at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) and its global arm, the International Society of Broadband Experts (ISBE).

Henderson joins SCTE/ISBE after nearly three decades in various key roles with General Instrument, Motorola and Arris.

 “SCTE/ISBE is at an inflection point: leveraging new ideas and advanced engineering concepts to position the industry for the next decade or more,” said Terry Maloney, vice president, marketing and business development for SCTE/ISBE, in a statement. “Zenita Henderson’s ability to direct campaigns across audience segments, her skills in managing sponsor relationships, media, and social media, and her access to decision-makers at every level will play essential roles in our ability to increase the impact of our future marketing and business development activities.”

“With the return of SCTE/ISBE Cable-Tec Expo® to Philadelphia this fall, forward-looking programs like Energy 2020 and industry-leading training and certification opportunities for DOCSIS® 3.1, FTTx, Wireless and other technologies, SCTE/ISBE is the pivot for technology education and thought leadership in cable and beyond,” added Henderson.  “I am very excited to be working with the SCTE/ISBE team to create and execute programs that showcase the next-generation thinking and value that SCTE/ISBE brings to service providers, technology partners and individual members.”

Henderson most recently served as senior marketing manager for Arris.  She also serves as vice president of the Philadelphia Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), and on the executive committee of One Day Immersion in TV, Cable & Digital Entertainment, a program that connects media leaders with high-potential college students and recent college graduates for discussion of career paths within the industry. 

Henderson was inducted into the Cable Television Pioneers in 2014.

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers,  ISBE (SCTE’s global brand), and Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth said National Cable & Telecommunications Association president and CEO  Michael Powell will be a featured presenter during the SCTE/ISBE Leadership Institute at Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth, set for April 17-22 on the Dartmouth College campus in Hanover, N.H.

SCTE said Powell, a former chairman of the FCC, Federal Communications Commission, is making a repeat appearance as an SCTE/ISBE-Tuck guest lecturer, where he’ll offer legal and regulatory perspectives that complement the curriculum’s business and leadership topics.

Powell’s remarks will be followed by Q&A with program participants representing a cross-section of cable operator, vendor and programming executives, SCTE said.

The SCTE/ISBE-Tuck program, not in its sixth year, brings together senior directors, vice presidents, senior and executive vice presidents and C-level executives from across the cable industry.

Applications for the SCTE/ISBE-Tuck program are available for qualified executives in the United States and abroad through SCTE and ISBE at http://www.scte.org/tuck.