1.  Understanding Cable

Nationally, about seven of every ten households subscribe to cable, and that platform has emerged as the leading provider of high-speed Internet connections.  Cable is also in the process of transforming itself from a one-way delivery system for video programming into a multifaceted telecommunications provider, using digital technologies to provide a range of new services, including video on demand, two-way conferencing, and telephony.  But before we can hope to harness this power for public interest programming and applications, it is necessary to understand better how cable currently works and where it is headed.  A good place to start is Andrew Afflerbach's Technical Background presentation (22mb PowerPoint file), prepared for a USC symposium on the future of cable in Los Angeles.