Silicon Flatirons

A Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado

The Rise of the Cable Industry and its Future

October 18, 2005

Co-hosted by the Cable Center and the Denver Telecom Professionals as part of Colorado's Tech Week

The cable industry's maturation over the last twenty years and its successful promotion of broadband technology has placed it in an enviable position. Today, cable providers not only have left broadcasters (at least as a transmission medium) in the dust (with a 15% and ever declining marketplace position), but also have taken on the telephone companies in their core market, offering voice over the Internet services along with broadband connections. Going forward, however, it is far from certain how the marketplace will evolve and whether cable providers' success offering broadband connections and pioneering the development of new content offerings will keep them at the technological frontier. Moreover, the industry structure is also changing, with a wave of consolidation, moves to take cable companies private, and the looming development of video over the Internet (or IPTV).

This seminar, co-hosted by the Cable Center and the Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program, will examine the success story behind the rise of the cable industry, draw lessons from those accomplishments, and look ahead at future challenges and opportunities. In examining the industry's rise, we will bring together a number of individuals who played critical roles in developing the relevant regulatory regime, forging new cable programming networks, and pioneering the industry's business model. Looking ahead, we will discuss the emerging industry structure and the challenges of a landscape marked by technological change. Finally, we will also examine a looming question for the State of Colorado-how the consolidation of cable companies outside Colorado will affect its ability to continue its role as a cable hub.