The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, claiming a “significant step forward in the internationalization of the organization,” has appointed Liberty Global exec Bill Warga to the SCTE’s board of directors.
Warga, the vice president, technology and a member of the Chief Architecture Group at Denver-based Liberty Global, succeeds Mike LaJoie, EVP and CTO of Time Warner Cable, in the only appointed SCTE board member. LaJoie’s term expires this year.
At Liberty Global, an operator with extensive operations in Europe, Warga is responsible for the research and evaluation of new, innovative technologies as they relate to the MSO’s business, strategic and operational activities in Europe and the Americas.
Warga will assume his new SCTE role when the 2014-15 board convenes for the first time at this year’s SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, which is slated to run September 22-25 in Denver.
“Bill Warga’s expertise and guidance will be invaluable as we increase the scope of SCTE to encompass new products and services, both in the United States and in the international marketplace,” said Terry Cordova, senior vice president and CTO of Suddenlink Communications, and chairman of the SCTE board of directors, in a statement. “We’re grateful to him for committing the time and resources needed to advance our industry, and to my predecessor as chairman, Mike LaJoie, for his many contributions to SCTE.”
“SCTE’s proactive approach to training, certification and standards development are creating a more effective workforce that can accelerate the rollout of new technologies such as DOCSIS 3.1,” added Warga. “I look forward to working with the board to ensure that SCTE’s resources are aligned with the needs of the international cable community.
Of recent note, Liberty Global joined Comcast and TWC as a member of RDK Management LLC, the joint venture that manages the Reference Design Kit, a pre-integrated software package for IP- only and IP/QAM gateways and set-tops. Liberty Global’s stake in the J.V. was not disclosed, but the MSO is factoring the RDK into the development of a new cloud-based user interface for its Horizon video platform.
The SCTE Board comprises seven appointed directors, each of whom serves a two-year term, and eight regional directors, who are elected for one-year terms. SCTE will hold elections for regional representatives in May.
