September and October SCTE Energy 20/20 Happenings

New England in October can be a delightful weather month as the temperatures begin to dip into the lower numbers, orange, yellow and red leaves are plenty and fall flavors start showing up in our food experiences.? Having grown up in Massachusetts, it has a bit of nostalgia for me.? Work-wise, post SCTE TechExpo provides a great wave of enthusiasm for renewed opportunities that were highlighted at our major industry show here in North America.? The passion, collaboration and leadership were on full display in Atlanta; from the workshops to the amazing show floor technologies, and opportunities to connect in person with one another at scale; that is what stays with me over the course of the 20 expos I have been fortunate to be part of.

Right on the heels of Atlanta was our fall SCTE Energy 20/20 and Energy Management Standards Subcommittee plenary meetings.? We were fortunate to bring the team together at Charter’s corporate office in Stamford Connecticut October 23 and 24th.? The temperatures were perfect, the travels smooth and simple, and carried forth the excitement from the TechExpo Energy 20/20 session; our hybrid event lived up to expectations!?

The fall program agenda was a blend of technology, operations and innovation focused presentations and discussions.?? We kicked off day one with a warm welcome. Senior Director of Sustainability Megan Rast and Senior Vice President Inside Plant Sean Gallaher Charter lead conversation on becoming carbon neutral in operations by 2035.? We also had an amazing tour of the sleek Charter campus highlighting the sustainable approaches appearing throughout the two buildings.

Next, attendees gained insight into an effort looking at the greening of streaming by a non-profit organization in Europe. Continuing the theme of in-home devices, Debbie Fitzgerald, CableLabs Distinguished Technologist and Director provided timely news on the latest advancements in the industry Voluntary Agreements or (VU).? The day one agenda also wove discussions on the hot topic Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).? A hyperscale hosting provider provided behind the scenes information on what it takes to scale a datacenter facility enabling the compute power necessary for generative AI services. Our industry power pyramid was the centerpiece on a panel hosted by Energy Management Subcommittee (EMS) chair Comcast Vice President Network Facilities and Energy Ryan Capone.? A power utility sector leader updated the group on challenges and opportunities in transmission and distribution grids especially around the importance of intelligence at the distribution level.? Introduced at ?the fall 2023 Energy 20/20 meeting, a national standards compliance status update on hybrid super capacitor innovation impacting energy storage opportunities followed. Finally, we heard a motivational presentation discussing how innovation approaches evolve and eventually impact energy and availability in the outside plant fiber network. ?

Day two was all about the SCTE Standards plenary.? EMS is one of the five subcommittees that report to the Engineering Subcommittee that reports into the SCTE Board of Directors.? Ryan led the discussions covering what is in flight, ideas happening at the four working groups and strategizing on what is on deck for 2025 and beyond.? Active working groups include Metrics, Microgrids/Alternate Energy, Facility Climate Management, and Access Network Efficiencies.? These teams meet more than once per month, and all have active drafts of specifications and/or operational practices that the Engineering Committee approved as projects. We would welcome your participation and please reach out to me to get involved; the industry needs your input!

In closing, there is a lot of passion, enthusiasm and (no pun intended) energy for the program!? The last ten years have been incredible working with so many great leaders to provide the platform for the broadband industry to shine and rise to the opportunities. Each of our members brings continued growth, efficiency gains and ultimately does what is right for planet, bottom line and customer.?? We hope to see you April 23rd and 24th at the Liberty Global Denver office in the spring! Again, contact me to learn how to get involved.