Déjà vu
Having worked with the founder and creator of Broadband Library, Cathy Wilson, on her first publication Literature Library, more than 20 years ago, something seems very familiar and surprisingly comfortable in assuming the role of publisher and owner of this magazine. Almost like I’ve been here before.
Over the past two decades, Broadband Library has told countless stories of the people who have and continue to make this amazing industry what it is. Cathy’s mantra, “We tell the story,” was more than a slogan. Cathy made sure of it in every issue on the pages of her creation, as told through industry titans, technologists, innovators, pioneers and business leaders. Cathy’s hard work, determination, and passion elevated Broadband Library to the leading SCTE•ISBE member-benefit publication, created by the people and for the people of broadband cable.
For Cathy, it’s always been about the people. She has generously helped so many during her career. My wife and I are among those, and we have become very close friends with Cathy and her family over the past several years. I wish Cathy much happiness in her retirement and for many new and exciting chapters as she turns the pages of her life with her husband, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
I’ve always been impressed by innovators and entrepreneurs — those special people who can envision the future and bring together that magic mixture of brains, brawn, and passion that it takes to build something out of nothing. Cathy did that with this magazine successfully for more than 20 years. I will always be honored and humbled by the trust Cathy bestowed on me to continue building upon the solid foundation she has built.
Through an expanded relationship and firm partnership with SCTE•ISBE, our future is brighter than ever. In coming issues, expect to see even more visionaries and thought leaders telling their stories and sharing their knowledge and expertise.
The tradition of story telling continues in this inaugural issue. I am proud to highlight the following articles from our exceptional editorial contributors:
Turn to Mark Dzuban’s “Follow the Leader” to learn about a few of SCTE•ISBE’s recent big wins and plans for the coming year.
Stewart Schley’s “A Novel Approach” describes how John Malone’s 40-year wait for payment from programmers may finally become a reality.
Mark Bowers’ “Testing in Progress” continues with part two of his article on signal leakage detection.
Patrick Hunter provides us with a primer in Ethernet and the local aspects of network transmission in his “IP Address” column.
“The Futurist,” Jeff Finkelstein, shares his experience as a fast-food worker and the life lessons learned and parallels that can be made in roadmap planning.
In “Primary Source,” Ron Hranac concludes his three-part discussion on measuring cable network downstream RF signal levels.
Brady Volpe talks about the importance of symmetry in DOCSIS to enable increased bandwidth and speed in “DOCSIS Online.”
It was just over 20 years ago in 1997 that CableLabs released the first DOCSIS interoperability specification and by 2014 U.S. cable companies combined for 51 million broadband subscribers and in a mere blink of an eye, by 2017 full-duplex DOCSIS sets the stage for fully symmetrical gigabit speeds.
Hard to imagine what the next 20 years may bring. Read Stewart Schley’s “Inside Story,” with cable’s modem man Dr. Rouzbeh Yassini to revisit his pioneering work in cable modem technology and learn his insights about the future of broadband.
Learn from David Ririe and Michael Garramone about a standardization success story at Cox Communications, Inc., and why standardizing your network is a good idea in “Making the Grade.”
Steve Harris helps you grasp the theory of fiber optics in “Fiber Source.”
Mark Bowers and Ron Hranac team up to summarize modifications to Part 76 of the FCC rules.
Be sure to visit “DataPoints,” a new feature exploring meaningful numbers from the broadband marketplace.
Read about The Cable Center’s new Edward D. Breen Technical Archives, championed by Cathy Wilson, recently retired founder and publisher of Broadband Library.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue!
Jerry R. Lundwall
Publisher, Broadband Library
President, Lundwall Communications, Inc.
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Publisher and entrepreneur, Jerry led the art departments at three major-market daily newspapers; founded and built a 30-person integrated communications creative agency — leading all creative, marketing, sales and business operations; spearheaded major marketing initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies within the cable, broadband, technology, and entertainment sectors; and co-published several books and magazines during his career.
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