SCTE TechExpo25: Heard on the show floor

The SCTE TechExpo 25 was a three-day broadband industry event in Washington, D.C. (September 29-October 1, 2025) for networking, showcasing innovations, and discussing the future of connectivity, focusing on network evolution, wireless and wireline technologies, AI, and policy issues like the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The event featured over 1,500 companies, including industry leaders, policymakers, and government officials, and included a show floor, conference sessions, and hands-on workshops

In the following compilation, we gathered perspectives from SCTE TechExpo25 presenters and exhibitors who gave their insights on broadband, converged services, regulations and more from the show floor.

Compiled by Sean Buckley, Editor-in-Chief

“When you look at the converged concept, we have talked about it for a decade. We’re now seeing it as a practical matter for the first time ever. You have cable companies that are taking a higher percentage share of new mobile wireless subscribers than mobile wireless companies. You have mobile broadband providers taking big shares of the home broadband market through fixed wireless technology. With the space economy, there’s a new generation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, whether it’s Starlink or Kuiper, everyone is competing in such a unique environment and that’s going to open up new opportunities for innovation.”

—Brendan Carr, Chairman of the FCC (Presenter)

Brendan Carr spoke during the headliners series at TechExpo25 on September 29, 2025. 

“We understand that the future is not just about speed. We like to talk about speed. We need networks that think. We need networks that adapt. And we need networks to anticipate what users need before they even know they need it.”

--Phil McKinney, President and CEO, CableLabs (Presenter) 

Phil McKinney presented on the Headliners session on September 29th

"I am very saddened that we lost the Affordable Connectivity Program because it was our best program to close the broadband gap for consumers. As a result, millions of households had to make the difficult choice between paying for utilities and broadband, which has become just as important as paying for electricity and water to consumers."

--Anna Gomez, FCC commissioner

Anna Gomez spoke on the FCC Fireside: In Conversation with the Commissioners – Part A

“Bulk managed Wi-Fi has been a windfall for Ruckus.”

--Bart Giordarno, president of Ruckus (Exhibitor)

“Everything you are seeing in this administration is focused on encouraging investment, fostering innovation and promoting competition so we can expand connectivity across the country and make sure the U.S. is leading with next-generation communications technologies."

--Olivia Trusty, FCC commissioner (Speaker)

Olivia Trusty spoke on the FCC Fireside: In Conversation with the Commissioners – Part B session

“It’s evident on the show floor that our vendor partners in the DOCSIS 4.0 ecosystem have really ramped up development. We’re at the point now where 4.0 is real. We are actively deploying components to support 4.0. But what I am actually excited about with 4.0 is the architectural and platform change. If you think about where we came from with legacy CMTSs, the hubs were filled with gear, and now when you go into a hub it looks a lot like a data center, which has opened up a lot of power and space for other opportunities.”

--Justin Colwell, Executive Vice President, Connectivity Technology at Charter Communications (Speaker)

Justin Colwell spoke on the CTO panel during the SCTE TechExpo25 show on September 29, 2025.

“Ciena’s coherent platform can be useful in supporting our Rural Broadband and BEAD initiatives that are critical to improving digital opportunity across America.”

--Elad Nafshi, Executive Vice President, Chief Network Officer for Comcast Connectivity and Platforms (Exhibitor)

“Minnesota feels a little unique. We did not have competitive bids for about 20,000 locations because we were already at a place where there were the most difficult places to serve. In Minnesota, we define broadband as wireline. So, having those conversations has been a challenge, not only working with NTIA, but also having this conversation with our state partners and the residents itself. The communications lines are open and we’re hopeful everyone gets the reliable broadband they deserve.”

--Bree Maki, Executive Director of Broadband Development for the State of Minnesota (Speaker) 

Bree Maki spoke on The Future of Broadband Policy and BEAD Program 

“As a mobile network operator and a cable MSO, we have a very holistic strategy when it comes to upgrading and operating our network. A big part of that focuses on providing a consistent and reliable experience across our footprint. In Greenfield, we’re doing XGS-PON, and it’s very economical to do. In our HFC markets, we’re doing mid-splits because it’s fast and effective and it gets 2 Gbps symmetrical speeds out quickly across our entire footprint. FWA is also an important part of our story. It enables a flexible, mobile and easy-to-install experience, because it addresses a different segment and it’s great for expansion.”

--Damian Poltz, Senior Vice President of Wireline Networks & Project Management Office for Rogers Communications (Speaker)

Damian Poltz spoke on the CTO panel during the SCTE TechExpo25 show on September 29, 2025.

 

“When it comes to permitting, the harder part for us is the things we can’t control, like pole attachments and railroad crossings, which are not cut-and-dry issues. Those are nebulous on the timeline. Pole attachments and make ready have been a significant delay in Kentucky. We know the floodgates are going to open when BEAD comes to pass.”

--Meghan Sandfoss, executive director of broadband development for the State of Kentucky

Meghan Sandfoss spoke on The Future of Broadband Policy and BEAD Program 

“For us, there are a lot of technologies we like. We like fiber to the home. We’re doing all of our new builds with fiber to the home. Mediacom has 24 state grant projects where we are doing fiber to the home. We have early awards on 60 BEAD projects and those will be predominantly fiber to the home. We’re also big believers in our HFC network. About two years ago, we started upgrading our HFC networks to a new set of technologies that we’ve been calling multi-gig, but it’s burying the headline in some respects because the improvement we get in reliability and performance is almost a bigger selling point than just the speed capabilities.”

--JR Walden, CTO and SVP of Mediacom (Speaker) 

JR Walden spoke on the CTO panel during the SCTE TechExpo25 show on September 29, 2025.

“The goal of the BEAD program is universal access. We want the BEAD program to connect every last American access to broadband. Part of the problem with the approach of the previous administration is that they took their eye off the prize. They were focused on all kinds of extraneous central planning mandates, climate change, and unionized labor, which detracted from the goal of bringing connectivity to all Americans. They also pushed extreme technology bias, which raised costs and created distortions."

--Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, NTIA (Speaker) 

Arielle Roth spoke on the Headliners series on September 29th