Sachs Focuses on Broadband at CTPAA
By Charles Paikert -- Multichannel News, 3/12/2002 1:00:00 PM
In what appeared to be a preview of the National Show, National Cable & Telecommunications Association president and CEO Robert Sachs made the industry's case for broadband leadership Tuesday, but with important qualifications.
Making the keynote speech at the Cable Television Public Affairs Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C., Sachs praised cable's role in broadband deployment of high-speed Internet services, citing the industry's investment in infrastructure, the 10 percent penetration rate of cable modems and its current lead over digital-subscriber-line technology.
But, Sachs cautioned, cable shouldn't be pushed to go beyond its current 'steady, deliberate and focused approach,' and he criticized TechNet, a high-tech consortium that advocates widespread deployment of a 100-megabit-per-second broadband connection by the end of the decade.
'They offer a field of dreams,' he said, 'but overlook that others would bear the cost of building it.'
Sachs also urged the government to maintain its 'hands-off,' deregulatory approach to broadband growth. Any change in policy, he warned, 'could hamper the abilities of companies to respond to market dynamics and to deter investment and innovation.'
He did, however, want the government to be more decisive about digital-rights management so copyright holders could know what content could be legally copied. He also urged that individuals' privacy rights on the Internet be balanced against 'the legitimate business needs' of Internet-service and content providers.
The theme of the National Show, which begins May 6 in New Orleans, will be 'Connecting America,' he added, referring specifically to broadband services.
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