National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)

According to www.ncta.com, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association formerly entitled the National Cable Television Association is the largest principal trade association of the cable industry in the United States. Its current President and Chief Executive Officer is Kyle McSlarrow.  NCTA with a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code of 8611 was established in 1952 and is based in Washington, DC.  Its mission is to provide its members with a strong national presence by providing a single, unified voice on issues affecting the cable and telecommunications industry.  NCTA represents cable operators that serve 90-plus percent of the nation’s cable television homes and 200-plus cable program networks. The association also serves equipment suppliers and other services in the cable industry.  Now what is more interesting is that NCTA brings in $10 million - $49.9 million annually in sales.

Every year NCTA hosts the industry’s annual Trade Show, which, according to NCTA, serves as a national showcase for the cable industry’s innovative services including quality television programming, interactive television services, high-speed Internet access, and competitive local telephone service.  It is quite evident how important and how much of an asset the National Cable & Telecommunications Association is to the industry in the U.S. Not only through its annual Trade Show but also because the association is a representation of cable operators that serve more than 90 percent of cable television homes in the U.S., as aforementioned.  Without NCTA, and its high-capacity frequencies of telecommunications better known as broadband, the cable industry would have a high percentage of its audience distraught, as Kyle McSlarrow stated that, "Broadband is the engine of our economy."

Additionally, NCTA has several organizations under its umbrella such as State Associations, Suppliers, and Cable Networks (features Disney Channel in its “Express Yourself” campaign that encourages viewers to embrace and accept their differences, and supports the network’s dedication to communication, diversity, and optimism), just to name a few.  However, there are two of NCTA’s organizations in particular that will be discussed in more intricate detail.  They are as follows:

Cable in the Classroom (CIC) is the cable industry’s foundation, which promotes the use of cable content and technology to develop and enhance learning for children and youth in the United States.  According to NCTA, “Cable in the Classroom advocates for the visionary, sensible and effective use of media in homes, schools, and communities.”  Furthermore, CIC has various programs under its umbrella as well.  For instance, Education Outreach is a program initiative that provides free cable and broadband connections to schools and libraries across the country and 500-plus hours monthly of television programming and online resources from cable networks that are educational based, just to name a few.

 

Walter Kaitz Foundation is a non-profit organization under the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) conglomerate as well and was established in 1981. Its purpose is to diversify the executive suites of the cable television industry with talented and qualified ethnic minorities.  According to NCTA, “The Foundation’s basic goal of advocating diversity remains constant: To advance the contributions of ethnic minorities and women in the cable telecommunications industry, by advocating for diversity and providing resources for the organization’s members and the industry at large.”  Furthermore, Walter Kaitz Foundation focuses on some initiatives and activities under its umbrella as well.  The likes of Industry-wide Supplier Diversity, Annual Fundraising Dinner, Targeted Grants Program, Community Outreach, and Career Center are a few that are among that list of initiatives. 

The National Cable and Telecommunications Association keeps the news media abreast of progression within the cable and telecommunications industry through an ongoing effort.  In doing so, the association frequently issues Media Releases to inform about industry issues and activities to the news media.  However, NCTA provides Issue Briefs to offer more in-depth coverage of cumbersome issues.  Issue Briefs are Legislative and Regulatory Issues such as Online Piracy, Consumer Piracy, Video Competition, and Broadband Adoption, just to name of few.  In addition to keeping the news media abreast on certain developments and issues, NCTA also has a marketing strategy of its own where its audience can keep abreast on its updates as well through social media websites.  Furthermore, NCTA promotes through Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, and all of these shortcut icons can be found on NCTA's website homepage.

Although the aforementioned expresses only half of how beneficial the National Cable and Telecommunications Association is to the cable industry in the United States, the association’s affects, contributions, purpose, and importance in and to the industry is still quite evident, nonetheless.

Readers, with so many of you being products of the 90-plus percent of cable television homes, why don’t you Share In The BlogLedge, and post your sentiments about how beneficial you think the National Cable and Telecommunications Association is to your daily lives.

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