Archives

December 2003 Issue

BACKTALK

Letter to the Editor
Handling Hurricanes

Hurricane Andrew wiped out the cable plant in South Louisiana. If Isabel impacted your plant, or your system lies in hurricane country, pay heed to this advice from a Louisiana operator:

• Secure your mains and fiber before someone cuts them out of the way. Use anything standing to protect and tie to, safely. Guard and flag main runs to avoid clear cutting.
• Make sure your local authorities have all the communication/video needs still available and functioning properly. Inform them ahead of time of your plans.
• Make a presence in every community affected. Riots are not your friend! Customers may not have power, but they scream for their cable.
• There are never enough generators for all the power supplies! Power outages lasted for almost three weeks in some areas of plant.
• Heat shrink and proper cable installation really make the difference under wind stress. CLI repair becomes the tedious task.
• Ham sandwiches start to taste like steak after three weeks of them!

Jeff Price
Allen?s TV Cable, Inc.
Morgan City, Louisiana

In Memoriam

Andrew Szegda, cable pioneer and ?grandfather of the universal drop connector? passed away in September. From the Society of Cable Television Engineers to the United States Patent Office, Szedga?s name made its mark. He held 54 foreign and domestic patents for products he designed during his 20 years with PPC. With his innovations in universal drop connector technology, he set the standard for all drop connectors in the cable industry. In 1999, the industry recognized Szegda?s contributions, and bestowed its highest honor?naming him a cable pioneer.

?Andy had a competitive and winning spirit that set the standard for everyone around him. Those of us at PPC fortunate to have worked for and with him know exactly what I mean?there was no one more passionate and committed,? said John Mezzalingua, president of PPC.

Szegda is survived by his wife, Doris, one daughter, three sons and two grandchildren.

Andrew Szegda

Career Moves

C-COR.net has added two new members to its board of directors?Anthony A. Ibargüen and Lance T. Shaner. Ibargüen is the managing director of software and services for Safeguard Scientifics Inc. Shaner is a former cable system owner and current chairman and chief executive officer of Shaner Hotel Group L.P.

Frank Gine is the new vice president of sales and marketing for Enhanced Telecommunications Inc. Prior to joining ETI, Gine was director of broadband sales at Convergys, where Time Warner Cable and RCN were his top customers.

Anthony Ibargüen

Lance Shaner

Milestones

• SBC added 365,000 net new digital subscriber line (DSL) customers in the third quarter, a 20 percent gain over adds in the second quarter.
• Time Warner Cable reported 190,000 high-speed data additions, up from 170,000 in the second quarter.
• Cox added a record 169,000 high-speed data subs for the quarter.
• Insight nabbed 29,000 high-speed data subs for the quarter, also a record for it.
• Comcast scorched the record books, posting 472,000 new data customers for the quarter.
• Rogers Cable crossed the threshold of 500,000 households for its Rogers Digital Cable service.
  

Back to December 2003 Issue

Access Intelligence's CABLE GROUP
Communications Technology | CableFAX Daily | CableFAX's CableWORLD | CT's Pipeline
CableFAX Magazine | CableFAX databriefs | Broadband Leaders Retreat | CableFAX Leaders Retreat