In the early 1980s, Dick Leghorn was contemplating the future of cable television development. A graduate of MIT, Leghorn is a retired Colonel of the USAF Reserve with a lot of experience in large scale defense systems. Leghorn had served as a combat reconnaissance pilot in the military and following World War II, he organized the Reconnaissance Systems Branch at Wright Air Development Center, Ohio, before transferring to the R&D planning staff at the Pentagon. Upon leaving the service he created a company named Itek that developed and built the photographic system of the CIA's top secret Corona program of satellite reconnaissance of the USSR between 1960 and 1972.
With that kind of background and now the owner of several cable systems, he'd begun thinking whether the discipline of research and development used in military defense systems be applied to technological development in the cable television industry?
At the time, technology options were all over the map. What was available came from a disparate vendor community. Why not pull it together, Leghorn reasoned, so that individual operators could work together to express what they needed? Was there a way to unify the industry's technological desires, to attract scale economics?
That's why, in 1984, Leghorn wrote a 19-page memo that would become the blueprint for CableLabs. It was titled, simply, "An R&D Entity for the Cable Industry?" In it, Leghorn argued for a pooling of resources, amongst operators, for the specific purposes of technology development. He described a methodology for technology development that could be applied to cable television.
Leghorn presented his plan to the NCTA board of directors in 1984. The idea was applauded on merit, but other priorities were more demanding at the time. Then, in 1987, Leghorn again presented his plan to the NCTA and the response was enthusiastic. The organization, with the working name "CableTech," was endorsed by Dr. John Malone, then-CEO of what was the largest cable operator at the time, Tele-Communications Inc. Encouraged, Leghorn again took up his pen, this time to write a 6-page "Initial Summary of Working Hypothesis for a Cable R&D Consortium." An annual budget was proposed of $10 mil./year, funded by participating cable operators at a rate of two cents per subscriber, per month. On May 11, 1988 Cable Television Laboratories was incorporated. Operators were invited to join for a minimum of three years, at the proposed two cents per subscriber/month fee.
By August of that year, Dr. Richard R. Green was named president and CEO. A physicist, Green originated from the field of aeronautical research, having worked at Boeing and Hughes Aircraft prior to moving into television. From there, his video bearings solidified by running several advanced technology groups focused on television. At ABC, he ran the post-production department; from there, he directed the Advanced Television Technology laboratory at CBS, and actively participated in the creation of the Advanced Television Systems Committee - itself the harbinger of HDTV.
Colorado beat out New Jersey and Boston as the permanent home for CableLabs in 1989. Staffers—a total of 15 that year—took up residence in Boulder, Colo., with a budget of $2.4 mil. Within five years, CableLabs employed 50 people, and had moved into a custom-built 42,600 square foot building, in Louisville, Colo.—roughly halfway between Boulder and Denver. Annual revenues had climbed to $13 mil range. It had received its first patent—for a more efficient way of incorporating data into the vertical blanking interval of a TV picture. It has continued to grow and is now in one 78,000 square foot facility in Louisville.
CableLabs serves as a critical component in the cable industry's technology development roadmap. As envisioned by Leghorn in the 1980s, a systemic approach to discovering and implementing new technologies has benefited the industry tremendously. CableLabs successes have served cable well as it has evolved from being a video delivery system to a standards-based platform that now transmits video, voice and data simultaneously to tens of millions of customers around the world. Millions of cable modems hum along nicely on cable's common hybrid fiber/coaxial network platform, running smoothly adjacent to digital voice transmissions and high definition television signals. These new businesses serve as a solid foundation for cable's climb to a role as a leader in broadband.
At the time, technology options were all over the map. What was available came from a disparate vendor community. Why not pull it together, Leghorn reasoned, so that individual operators could work together to express what they needed? Was there a way to unify the industry's technological desires, to attract scale economics?
That's why, in 1984, Leghorn wrote a 19-page memo that would become the blueprint for CableLabs. It was titled, simply, "An R&D Entity for the Cable Industry?" In it, Leghorn argued for a pooling of resources, amongst operators, for the specific purposes of technology development. He described a methodology for technology development that could be applied to cable television.
Leghorn presented his plan to the NCTA board of directors in 1984. The idea was applauded on merit, but other priorities were more demanding at the time. Then, in 1987, Leghorn again presented his plan to the NCTA and the response was enthusiastic. The organization, with the working name "CableTech," was endorsed by Dr. John Malone, then-CEO of what was the largest cable operator at the time, Tele-Communications Inc. Encouraged, Leghorn again took up his pen, this time to write a 6-page "Initial Summary of Working Hypothesis for a Cable R&D Consortium." An annual budget was proposed of $10 mil./year, funded by participating cable operators at a rate of two cents per subscriber, per month. On May 11, 1988 Cable Television Laboratories was incorporated. Operators were invited to join for a minimum of three years, at the proposed two cents per subscriber/month fee.
By August of that year, Dr. Richard R. Green was named president and CEO. A physicist, Green originated from the field of aeronautical research, having worked at Boeing and Hughes Aircraft prior to moving into television. From there, his video bearings solidified by running several advanced technology groups focused on television. At ABC, he ran the post-production department; from there, he directed the Advanced Television Technology laboratory at CBS, and actively participated in the creation of the Advanced Television Systems Committee - itself the harbinger of HDTV.
Colorado beat out New Jersey and Boston as the permanent home for CableLabs in 1989. Staffers—a total of 15 that year—took up residence in Boulder, Colo., with a budget of $2.4 mil. Within five years, CableLabs employed 50 people, and had moved into a custom-built 42,600 square foot building, in Louisville, Colo.—roughly halfway between Boulder and Denver. Annual revenues had climbed to $13 mil range. It had received its first patent—for a more efficient way of incorporating data into the vertical blanking interval of a TV picture. It has continued to grow and is now in one 78,000 square foot facility in Louisville.
CableLabs serves as a critical component in the cable industry's technology development roadmap. As envisioned by Leghorn in the 1980s, a systemic approach to discovering and implementing new technologies has benefited the industry tremendously. CableLabs successes have served cable well as it has evolved from being a video delivery system to a standards-based platform that now transmits video, voice and data simultaneously to tens of millions of customers around the world. Millions of cable modems hum along nicely on cable's common hybrid fiber/coaxial network platform, running smoothly adjacent to digital voice transmissions and high definition television signals. These new businesses serve as a solid foundation for cable's climb to a role as a leader in broadband.
For more information on CableLabs' first 10 years, please see A Decade of Innovation: The History of CableLabs 1988–1998.
 Please click on the highlighted buttons for details. |
1984: Dick Leghorn ("The Father of CableLabs") gains industry attention by writing memorandum entitled An R&D Entity for the Cable Industry?
1987: Leghorn funds 6-month research project at Rand Corporation focusing on how to create an R&D entity to respond to the economic and technological trends in the development of cable television. October 1987: In response to Leghorn's "An R&D Entity for Cable" memo, Jim Mooney, then president of NCTA, wrote "I intend to pursue with alacrity the possibility of NCTA acting as a catalyst in this matter." December 1987: NCTA issues press release announcing the formation of an R&D Committee, chaired by then-TCI-president John Malone. Draft founding documents commence. February 1988: Chicago-based Heidrick & Struggles is retained to recruit a CEO. April 5, 1988: CableLabs gets its name, proposed by "a group of cable operators in Pennsylvania." May 1988: Cable Television Laboratories is incorporated. Operators invited to join for a minimum of three years, and with at least three years notice of intent to withdraw. MSO members agree to pay CableLabs two cents per subscriber, per month. August 1988: Dr. Richard R. Green named president and CEO of CableLabs. A Ph.D. in physics, followed by research positions at Boeing and Hughes Aircraft, began Dick Green's engineering and science work. Ran the post-production department at American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), directed the Advanced Television Technology Laboratory at Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and participated in the creation of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). September 1988: "Founding Member" campaign reaches goal of enlisting MSOs serving 75% of U.S. households. Footprint subsequently widened to North America, then South America, then global. August 1989: Colorado beats N.J. and Boston as the permanent home for CableLabs. Staffers take up residence in Boulder, Colo. 1989: CableLabs' Board of Directors approves a budget for 1989 of $2.4 million; receipts from member assessments exceeded $8.5 million.
1989: CableLabs staff grows to 15 employees by year-end. 1993: First CableNET exhibit, co-hosted by CableLabs and the California Cable Television Association (CCTA).
January, 1994: CableLabs moves to custom, 42,600 building in Louisville, Colo.
1994: CableLabs received its first patent. Subject: A more efficient way of incorporating data into the vertical blanking interval of a television picture. 1994: Revenues grew to about $13 million; full-time staff grows to 50. 1995: CableLabs launches cablelabs.com web site.
1996: CableLabs, with Rogers Cablesystems Ltd., opens a "TAC Test Centre" in Toronto. The Centre's role: To rigorously test the gear and tools used by cable technicians. Test candidates included power-passing taps, consumer-grade splitters, digital test equipment, and hardline connectors (among many others).
Spring 1997: Members of CableLabs' board of directors visit Microsoft Corp. officials in Redmond, Wash.
1997: Chris Lammers joins CableLabs as Chief Operating Office. 1997: CableLabs membership extends to Latin America and the Carribbean. 1999: Go2Broadband(SM) service locator project begins.
|