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Chairman of National Cable & Telecommunications Association Hates the Name ‘Cable’

May 5, 2015  •  Post A Comment

The chairman of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association revealed today that he hates the name “cable” — and explained why.

B&C reports that Michael Powell, in an appearance at the Internet & Television Expo in Chicago — INTX 2015 — hinted that it’s time to retire the name.

In a Q&A with Re/Code’s Kara Swisher, Powell said: “I hate the name. I do think it has a proud history but I think it has to be retired in some way because I think your past can be a part of your glory but it also can be a weight around your ankle. And it also doesn’t fairly capture what they do.”

Powell’s comment came in response to a jab by Swisher at the name, with the interviewer likening the subject to talking about a “motorized horse.”

The cable name, Powell hinted, does not reflect what the industry has accomplished with the buildout of broadband.

“He said that the digital business was making exponential leaps, with the audience passionate about community and friends, and to have ‘real life be entertainment,'” the B&C report notes.

Swisher added: “What is competing with traditional television is real life, the ability to document, share, and propagate that.” She observed that the industry finds itself in a place where “people are not linking to cable, are not having a relationship with cable in any way, have bad feelings toward it or don’t even use it.”

The conversation touched on a wide range of topics — please click on the link near the top of this story to read B&C’s full report.

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One Comment

  1. No matter how an executive wants to spin it, cable TV is still “cable” because that’s how it’s wired into millions of homes. There’s a cable utility box outside and a cable is fed underground into a home cable TV box.

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