• Comcast promotes execs to VP, deputy general counsel
By Traci Patterson
Comcast has promoted both Kathryn Koles and Brian Rankin to VP and deputy general counsel for the MSO.
Koles joined Comcast in 2002 as senior counsel and provides legal counsel for Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast, and Comcast Cable’s Content Acquisition Group. She previously served as senior operations counsel for AT&T Broadband.
Rankin joined Comcast in 2005 as senior counsel for telephony, and he currently serves as the company’s chief telephony officer. He has held senior positions with XO Communications, Aerial Communications and MCI.
• Verizon’s FiOS TV service wins in N.Y., Ore., Mass.
By Traci Patterson
Residents of the Suffolk County town of Babylon and the Nassau County villages of Roslyn and Manorhaven will soon have access to Verizon’s FiOS TV service, thanks to newly approved agreements authorizing the telco to offer its video service in the areas.
The three new franchises make 119 the total number of New York municipalities that have approved video franchises for Verizon.
Additionally, residents of Damascus, Ore., and North Andover, Mass., will also soon have access to Verizon’s FiOS TV service, thanks to newly approved video franchise agreements. The votes make 19 the total number of Oregon communities that have approved video franchises for Verizon, and make 72 the total number of Massachusetts communities where Verizon’s FiOS TV is, or will soon be, available.
• Integra5 names Lew VP of products, strategy
By Traci Patterson
Integra5 has appointed Gene Lew to the position of VP of products and strategy. Lew will lead Integra5’s global product strategy initiatives, guiding the rollout of new applications and capabilities for the company’s i5 Converged Services Platform (i5 CSP).
Before joining Integra5, he served as VP of IP advanced technology for international directory services provider NeuStar, leading the technology strategy for its global IP product offering. Prior to NeuStar, Gene was CTO for North America’s largest Internet exchange, PAIX/Switch and Data, where he oversaw peering and Internet eXchange technology and services.
“The success of initial converged applications in increasing ARPU, offering an alternative to price wars and generating subscriber loyalty, has led to demand for additional blended communications services that reach all devices in the home,” said Meredith Flynn-Ripley, CEO of Integra5. “With his extensive experience in the development of groundbreaking technologies, Gene [Lew] is perfectly suited to continue to translate the opportunities in this rapidly evolving market into new revenue – and retention-building applications via the i5 CSP.”
• Arris, IPtimize help MSOs monitor networks
By Brian Santo
IPtimize will use Arris’ ServAssure Advanced Hosted Services solution to offer the small MSOs among its customers the ability to monitor their IP network, track performance and quality, and analyze broadband consumption for capacity planning purposes.
“ServAssure provides a cable system critical visibility into their network, so that network degradation and impairments can be avoided and bandwidth utilization maximized, ” said Ron Pitcock, IPtimize’s chairman and CEO. “IPtimize embeds tracking and monitoring into our product line as an essential added benefit, as many smaller cable systems are typically unable to afford network management tools of this caliber. We consider these tools vital to providing competitive commercial and residential voice services.”
IPtimize is working directly with a number of cable systems in Tier II and smaller markets to add business-class voice services to enhance their competitive bundled offerings.
• Scopus appoints Ambauen to VP of sales, support
By Traci Patterson
Scopus Video Networks has appointed Dan Ambauen to the role of VP of sales and support for North America. He will be responsible for all sales and customer support activities within the U.S. and Canada.
Ambauen has worked for Cox Communications, Jones Intercable, Viacom and Intermedia Partners, serving in top engineering and technical operations roles. He spent the past 13 years with Harmonic, most recently serving as its VP of North America cable sales.
Scopus customers include satellite, cable and terrestrial operators; broadcasters; and telecom service providers.
• Zhone taps Roe to head global engineering
By Traci Patterson
Zhone Technologies has tapped Bruce Roe to lead the company’s global engineering force.
Previously, Roe was the VP of research and development for Wave 7 Optics, where he led R&D for the company’s fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and standard-based GPON products, as well as its point-to-multi-point Ethernet optical product suite.
Prior to Wave 7 Optics, Roe held numerous executive leadership roles with Nortel Networks, including VP and GM of Nortel’s Open IP Portfolio, where he forged strategic alliances with Motorola, IBM and Intel. He also served as Nortel’s VP of technology and advanced software networking, and as the company’s VP of engineering.
More Broadband Direct:
• Comcast begins traffic control test
• Comcast serves up expert advice on Internet safety
• Survey: Customer experience is king
• AT&T offers pan-wireless connector for laptops
• Veoh scores additional funding round
• CBS, Yahoo shake hands on Web video sharing deal
