Neil Smit, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, has taken over as chairman of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association board.
He was elected in November to succeed Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt, who retired at the end of the year.
“On behalf of the NCTA Board and staff, I want to offer my sincere thanks to Glenn for his outstanding leadership and meaningful contributions to NCTA and the entire industry," NCTA President Michael Powell said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Neil Smit as our new Chairman. During a time when the TV and Internet marketplace are undergoing rapid innovation and change, Neil’s leadership of Comcast has been outstanding and his expertise and guidance will be critical to NCTA’s success in the coming years.”
NCTA has signaled it will get more involved in the retrans debate in the coming year, and while Comcast has a dog in both sides of that fight given its NBCU TV station holdings, the company has signaled it recognizes the political realities of the move.
