The SCTE/ISBE is adding a COVID-19 workshop track for Cable-Tec Expo 2020 this fall in Denver. "Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic" is intended to examine new strategies for managing workforces and maintaining operational performance amid shifts in usage, as well how cable and new partners can foster cross-industry innovation to leverage new health and safety applications during public emergencies.
The new track will be part of the Fall Technical Forum workshops produced jointly by the SCTE/ISBE, CableLabs and the NCTA for Cable-Tec Expo 2020, which is scheduled for Oct. 13-16 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. The due date for all Fall Technical Forum abstracts has been extended to May 8; abstracts can be submitted at https://expo.scte.org/call-for-papers/.
Suggested topics for the new track include:
- Critical components of a connected community for managing a public health crisis
- How NOCs and customer-facing teams can collaborate more effectively
- Maintaining a workforce's focus on network performance during a crisis
- How home and business connectivity is a lifeline during a crisis
- Shifting capacity for an at-home population
- The importance of creating business continuity plans, before the crises
- Future pandemics with a 10G network
- Implications for telehealth and telemedicine
- Smart Cities and future global health pandemics
- IoT for patient tracking and patient management
- IoT for capacity and asset tracking in hospitals
- Connectivity and limiting disease transmission points
- Supporting an aging population with connected devices
"Cable's outstanding performance and its support for connected technology partners during the current crisis provides a solid foundation on which to build a playbook of strategies and procedures for response to future emergencies," said Chris Bastian, senior vice president, engineering, and CTIO of the SCTE/ISBE. "'Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic' will focus our attention on implications of changing usage behaviors, ideas for remote operational protocols, and the value of collaborative partnerships that will result in new applications - all of which can lead to safer, more connected communities."