Cable Europe Executive Chairman Matthias Kurth has called upon industry and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to engage in constructive dialogue on the open Internet debate to create pro-innovation and pro-consumer legislative frameworks.  Kurth’s comments came in a presentation at The Cable Show 2014 in Los Angeles.

According to Kurth, the timing is perfect the cable industry and regulators alike to seize the innovation and investment opportunities presented by the sector. “Cable companies in Europe and the US have been the key drivers for higher speeds, quality standards and consumer driven solutions in recent years. Industry trends continue to show that investment in infrastructure combined with smart content solutions are driving growth,” he advised.

“The cable industry is fully and wholeheartedly in support of an open Internet. Yet what we are witnessing is a real risk that in a desire to ensure an open environment, regulatory constraints will stifle the most innovative and exciting developments. We are in the thick of this debate in Europe, and I know that the US is tackling the same issues. We should learn from one another to reach a best practice model, and it is for industry to drive this process,” he declared.

“Let’s keep it simple. Keep it future-proof. That way we can allow for constructive co-operation between infrastructure carriers, content providers and OTT players on commercial terms, from which consumers are already reaping rewards,” he concluded.

Kurth was joined by Rebecca Arbogast, Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy for Comcast Corporation, who highlighted policy goals which are shared between the EU and US to promote a “vibrant and virtuous cycle” of investment and innovation.

At the Cable Europe briefing, IHS Technology’s Guy Bisson also presented the most recent market data comparing the EU and US which illustrated that connectivity remains the major driver behind broadband cable’s continued resilient growth.

Categories: Articles, Cable, Policy, Regulation