February 6, 2007

No. 6
Vol. 6

Home | Morning BRIDGE | The Evening BRIDGE | SkyREPORT | The Retail BRIDGE | DataBRIDGE

Training & Recruiting

Climbing Poles, Splicing
Where is the
Job Demand? 3 Cable ... and an MBA
Multiplatform Industry Demands in

A
Big Companies
Dominate Employment 5
Education, Training Keep Growing
by Michael Hopkins
The Keys: Training, ccording to government figures, there are more than 1 million people
Retention and who work in the telecom sector, whether with a telco company, cable
Recruitment 9 operator, a broadband internet provider, a wireless business or a satellite
service.
And a good number of these employees may need training and/or continuing
Telco Training education now or in the future.
Challenges 10 >See EMPLOYEES 3

Under the BRIDGE Where the Jobs are in Multiplatform Biz

Rapping with
Roberts 12
Heads Up
It's another big week for
fourth quarter reporting.
New Frontier Media and
EarthLink release financials
Tuesday. DIRECTV details
fourth quarter numbers
Wednesday.
A Breakout of Telecom Jobs F
igures from the U.S.
Department of
Labor state that one in
Top Mgt
four employees in the
telecom business are in
(11.8%) jobs that handle instal-
lation and mainte-
Installation nance. Customer serv-
ice positions account
Personnel
for nearly 13 percent of
Professional
(25.8%) employment in the
(17.4%) multiplatform business-
es, states the depart-
Customer ment's figures. The

Click Here for a Service Labor Department esti-

Sales (15.5%) mates that a little more
FREE Subscription to (12.7%) than 1 million people
The BRIDGE work in the telecom
industry, whether it's
Admin Support with a telco company,
(16.8%) cable operator, a
broadband internet
provider, a wireless
Source: U.S. Department of Labor (2006) business or a satellite
The BRIDGE 2007 service.•

Installation 101: Training and

Recruitment Go High Tech

F
by Timothy Sprinkle
irst, you have to like crawling through attics. Then you need the technical
and physical aptitude to aim satellites and configure wiring. And these
days you also have to be good with people and have the face-to-face skills
to deal with customers in their homes.
No doubt about it, the job description for field technicians is changing.
>See TRAINING 8
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

Break-Outof
Break-Out of Telecom
Telecom Employment,
Employment, <1 EMPLOYEES
Projectionsfor
Projections forTelecom
Telecom Jobs
Jobs Through
Through2014
2014 Businesses that operate
Projected
within this multiplatform
Number of landscape are relying more
Multiplatform
Change
Employees
2004-2014 on training and educating
their workforce in an effort
TOP MANAGEMENT
Industry’s to stay competitive. Given
Top Executives 12,000 -2.6%
Biggest the constantly changing
nature of communications,
Marketing/Sales Managers 9,000 1.1% Demand: companies need employees
Computer/Information Customer who are knowledgeable
Service,
about the latest technologi-
7,000 4.1%
Systems Managers

cal developments. And com-

Retail Jobs
Human Resources 11,000 -3.6%
panies want staff that can

A
Analysts 10,000 -19.9% keep costs in control and
Accountants, Auditors 8,000 -1.9% ccording to fore- customers happy.
casts from the The effort goes beyond a
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
U.S. Department of simple off-site training semi-
Software Engineers 39,000 -2.8% Labor, employment nar or picking up tricks of
in the telecom sector the trade while in the field.
Computer Support 12,000 -1.7%
could decline 7 per- Companies – and their
Network Systems 14,000 1.3% cent during a 10- employees – are looking for
more detailed, in-depth con-
year period, between
tinuing education all the way
2004 and 2014.
Network Administrators 14,000 -5.0%

up to, and including, college

Network/Data Analysts 14,000 24.3% Industry consolida-
level coursework.
tion and strong price
Engineers 39,000 -1.9% That's a big step from
competition among
climbing poles, splicing cable
Electrical/Electronic multiplatform players
13,000 1.2% and connecting a set-top box
Engineering
could pressure
to the TV set.
employment as com-
SALES
"Business is changing and
panies attempt to
becoming so much more
Sales Supervisors 15,000 -1.9%
reduce costs, says sophisticated. It's no longer
Reail Sales Personnel 24,000 12.6% the government enti- about cable companies doing
ty. Where will the one thing and telcos and
biggest demand be
Sales Representatives 53,000 -7.5%
satellite companies doing
Telemarketers 25,000 -34.7% for telecom jobs in another,” says Tom
the coming years? Brooksher, president of
The Labor
OFFICE/ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT Jones/NCTI, a Denver-
Department suggests based company that pro-
First-Line Supervisors/Office
24,000 -12.3% there will be a 11 vides workforce training and
Managers
percent jump in posi- education for cable and tele-
Office Phone Operators 27,000 -42.3% tions handling cus- com companies. “It's all
tomer service and a becoming a big blur.
Bill/Account Collectors 12,000 -5.9%
greater than 12.6 Competition is huge. The
Bookkeeping, Accounting percent increase in networks, the services, the
retail sales jobs
12,000 -14.0%
Clerks technologies are much more
Customer Service
through 2014.• sophisticated. There really
Representatives
133,000 11.3%
is a need for somebody to
go from their first day on the
Secretaries 16,000 -12.9%
job as an installer or a cus-
General Office Clerks 21,000 -18.8% Labor Dept. tomer care agent all the way
Forecast for up to an MBA."
Employment in
INSTALLATION/MAINTENANCE
/REPAIR
Biggest Needs for
the
Installation/Service
Companies
Multiplatform
22,000 -11.7%
Supervisors and Managers

Installation/Repair Personnel 140,000 -17.2% Biz: A 7% While at the moment it

Decline appears multiplatform com-
Through 2014 panies are desperate for new
Line Installers/Repairers 89,000 -0.5%

Source: U.S. Department of Labor (2006) hires, the industry may actu-
The BRIDGE 2007
>EMPLOYEES 4

3
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

<3 EMPLOYEES
ally see a long-term drop in employ- Average Hourly Salary for How
ment. Multiplatform Employees Multiplatform
Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor,
which made the 1 million employee Computer Software

Get Paid
$35.46
estimate for the telecom industry, fore-

A
Engineers
casts employment in the sector could
decline 7 percent during a 10-year peri- Electronics Engineers $32.84 ccording to estimates from
od, between 2004 and 2014. Industry the U.S. Department of
consolidation and strong price competi- Office $25.08 Labor, the average weekly
tion among multiplatform players could earnings for non-supervisory
Supervisors/Managers
pressure employment as companies Installation Personnel $24.65
workers in the telecom indus-
attempt to reduce costs, says the Labor try were $853 in 2004, higher
Department. than average earnings of $529
Sales Representatives $24.18
A good example of this downsizing is for other similar positions in
AT&T and its recent acquisition of private industry. Also, the
Phone Operators $16.01
BellSouth. Now that the deal is done, department says 24 percent of
the telco giant has plans to phase out multiplatform employees are
Customer Service
about 10,000 jobs as a result of the $15.34 union members or covered by
Professionals union contracts, and that com-
takeover.
Still, the Labor Department forecast pares to 14 percent for all
is a long-term projection for hiring Telemarketers $14.63 industries. Most workers in
within the multiplatform industry. And the multiplatform business
it's not a prediction for every business. Retail Sales Personnel $12.05 belong to the
Today, there are companies within the Communications Workers of
Source: U.S. Department of Labor American or the
telecom sector – especially cable opera-
tors – that desperately need help. (2006) International Brotherhood
>EMPLOYEES 5 The BRIDGE 2007 of Electrical Workers.•

4
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

Large Businesses Dominate

<4 EMPLOYEES
Given the enormous success of the

Multiplatform Employment Scene

cable triple-play, which combines
video with phone and broadband,
MSOs in particular are looking for
workers to help fill orders and serv-
ice current customers.
According to press reports, Where's the Employment? With Big Companies
Comcast has plans in place to hire
45%
at least an additional 4,000 employ-
ees across its operations coast-to-
coast. In the cable giant's Eastern 40%
Division alone, the company is
preparing to add 2,800 new hires to
its employee base in the coming 35%
year, with the majority of personnel
in frontline, customer interacting 30%
roles. The hiring effort will result in

250 or More Employees (42.8%)

more than 17,000 employees for

50 to 249 Employees (30.2%)

Comcast's Eastern operations. And 25%

1 to 4 Employees (3.3%)
the push comes after the company

5 to 49 Employees (23.7%)
division filled an additional 1,600
20%
positions in late 2006.
"Our triple play bundle has been a
phenomenal success and these addi- 15%
tional hires will help us keep pace
with aggressive demand," says
Michael Doyle, president of Comcast 10%
Cable's Eastern Division.
Brooksher says hiring in the cable
5%
business, and the telecom sector in
general, goes through up-and-down
cycles. At the moment, that part of 0%
the hiring cycle for cable is up … way Source: U.S. Department of Labor (2006)

up. In fact, the Jones/NCTI execu-
tive calls the current upward state of
cable's hiring needs "astronomical."
In addition to finding personnel to
fill open positions, companies need
to update new and veteran employ-
ees on the latest technology
advances.
Cable companies are rolling out
VoIP across their service areas.
Customers are demanding advanced
video products services, including
HDTV and multi-room TV hook-ups.
Broadband continues to grow in pop-
ularity.
M
The BRIDGE 2007
ost multiplatform employees work in large establishments. According
to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, about 73 percent of tele-
com employment is through companies with 50 or more employees. More
than 42 percent of that employment is with the largest companies, busi-
nesses that have 250 or more workers, says the department.•
All of those services and more means consistently updating workers
require a knowledgeable workforce. about the latest advances.
"It's much more complex than "It's a constant situation (keeping
coming into a home and plugging up with technology)," says Marc
one box into another," says Kopman, vice president of learning
Brooksher. and development with Time Warner
The rapid changes in technology >EMPLOYEES 6

INSTALLATION SUPPLIES TO MEET ALL OF YOUR NEEDS!

MULTI-SWITCHES

S I N C E 1 9 9 4 S I N C E 1 9 9 4

5
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

<5 EMPLOYEES School of Business at Jones someone with communications skills.

Cable in New York. “All employees International University, which They need to see that employees
need to keep themselves informed works alongside Jones/NCTI in train- can demonstrate leadership. They
about our three lines of business, ing and education efforts, calls the need to see that these employees
whether it's voice, video or high- today's education demands a switch will be team players.
speed data.” from a more functional skills-set to a “So while they are getting the
As part of its efforts to keep more broad, practical training and functional aspect and learning the
employees informed about technolo- learning philosophy. underlying components of an organi-
gy and business changes, Time “At one point they (the companies) zation, they're learning how to be
Warner Cable's New York operation were saying they needed someone managers."
has what Kopman calls an “exten- with a finance degree or an account- To meet that demand, Jones/NCTI
sive, internal training function.” ing degree,” says Thompson. “They has in place college degree programs
Time Warner Cable technicians now are saying that they need >EMPLOYEES 7
have required classroom time for
learning the ins and outs of technol-
ogy. And they spend time working
in the field. Office employees and
customer service representatives are Argo Systems Users Conference ’07
required to learn how to navigate
the MSO's billing system. BggjmjbufNbobhfnfou
At Charter, technicians work in a
physically demanding environment. jouifOfxNfejbBhf
They also must have a knack for
technology, possess good communi-
cations skills and be a pro at cus-
tomer service, says Doug Daut,
director of technical training and
safety for the MSO in its Northern
California region.
“Someone who has the right cogni- 07
tive skills, the right aptitude and the
b r u a r y l2 -l4, 20
right attitude is the right person to Fe
interact with our customers,” Daut
says. argosy s.com

Looking For a
5 7 5 or go to
404.869.4

Broad Skills Set

In addition to mastering specific
Silverado Resort
jobs, companies are looking for Napa Valley, California
employees with a wide-ranging set
of skills. Maybe more than anything Gfcsvbsz 23.25- 3118
else, businesses want workers who
can effectively communicate,
515/97:/5686
demonstrate leadership and partici- bshptzt/dpn
pate in a team environment.
Communication skills in particular Speakers:
appear to be a hot spot in the multi-
platform industry, says Brooksher.
.Qbvm
Nbyxfmm-
Dpmvnojtu-
DbcmfGby-

Dbcmf
Xpsme
'
Uif
Csjehf
"We hear that more than anything
in terms of what our clients think of
.Kjn
Dijeejy-
DFP-
Pqfo
UW From the
Developers of
their employee needs, whether it's
.Kpio
Npstf-
Qsftjefou
'

Medea™
technicians, supervisors, managers
Gpvoefs-
Czspo
Nfejb
& Nestor™
or directors,” he says. “That's a B
spcvtu
bhfoeb
gps
bmm
bgßmjbuf
s o f t w a r e
clear example of this sophisticated efqbsunfout"
Tbmft-
Gjobodf-

environment we are working in when Pqfsbujpot-
JU
'
Fohjoffsjoh
compared to 10 to 15 years ago.
The need to cross-communicate
within the industry is so much
Argo Systems | 2964 Peachtree Road, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30305 | 404.869.4575
greater."
Richard Thompson, dean of the argosys.com

6
Argo-HALF-PG-AD3.indd 1 1/5/07 5:39:29 PM

<6 EMPLOYEES
in which students can earn a bache-
lor's or master's degrees in business
administration and/or business com-
munication. Jones/NCTI also has
associate's degrees in broadband
business and technical management.
The programs are part of the organi-
zation's overall training efforts that
are aimed at telecom technicians or
customer care professionals.
How important is a broad set of
skills?
At times, employees may be
required to perform additional tasks
that may have been outside their
previous area of knowledge. They
may be asked to lead a group of
workers. Installation techs must
become in-home customer service
representatives.
All of that requires a worker who is
well rounded and can perform multi-
ple tasks for a company.
"Companies want someone who
works in the organization who is
flexible, who can take on different
tasks and do different jobs as
required. Most organizations now
have people who wear multiple
hats,” says Thompson.
Businesses also need to educate
their contractors. At the moment,
cable operators are utilizing more
outside help than usual in order to
meet the demands of their triple-
play bundles.
"They (cable operators) want con-
tractors as qualified as their own
installers," says Brooksher.
"That contractor business has its
own set of separate challenges,” he
adds. “We are trying to bring a
solution to the industry that will fit
the contractor world – which has its
own unique aspects – and that will
work for the MSOs."
To Our Research Sources ...
CentrisBRIDGE
http://www.mbc-thebridge.com/research/
Electronic Systems Professional Alliance
http://www.espa.org
Jones/NCTI
http://www.jonesncti.com
Partnerships Are Key
Among the various cable-specific
training classes Jones/NCTI offers
are preparation courses for exams
with the Society of Cable
Telecommunications Engineers
(SCTE). The courses prepare
technicians, installers and engi-
neers who work on any part of a
cable's HFC network for various
tests that could earn them SCTE
certification.
Jones/NCTI also offers a “Master
Technician” program for work within
a home or premises or elsewhere on
a HFC network.
“It's not just not the technicians
who go into the house,” says
Brooksher. “It's technicians that
work on all areas of the plant. We
have great training for fiber optics.
We have great training for headend
and node technicians. We have
training for everything in IP – not
just VoIP. We have training on wide
area networking.”
There's also training available for
customer service professionals.
In addition to working with cable
operators, including big MSOs like
Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable
and Charter, Jones/NCTI provides
training to those who work for tel-
cos. As for the third competitor,
satellite, Jones/NCTI has a “signifi-
cant amount of curriculum” that
applies to satellite communications
basics, such as wiring and signal
processing as well as customer
service in the pay-TV environment.
Brooksher says Jones/NCTI is in
discussions with both major play-
ers – DIRECTV and EchoStar –
about training products and servic-
es.
And then there are the college-
Thank You:
U.S. Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov
http://www22.verizon.com
Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007
level courses.
Degrees offered through Jones/
NCTI (the before-mentioned bache-
lor's and master's in business admin-
istration or business communication
along with an associate's degree in
broadband technical management)
aim to combine a college-level edu-
cation with telecom and broadband-
specific training.
Thompson calls Jones/NCTI, along
with sister company Jones
International University, a complete
knowledge solution provider for
employers and employees.
"The entire program is structured
on higher learning outcomes. And
you take that and combine it with
the technical skills that might come
from NCTI or other training groups
and we are providing a complete
curriculum,” says Thompson.
The Jones/NCTI effort has gained
the attention of cable companies.
During the past summer, Charter
recommended to field operators and
installation contractors that they
take courses from the organization
for gaining the skills needed to work
on VoIP infrastructure. Jones/NCTI
also has contracts with cable over-
builders Knology and Wide Open
West (WOW) for training and educa-
tion.
Biggest Needs for
Employees
When it comes to training and con-
tinuing education, the biggest hurdle
for workers could be finding enough
time for additional learning.
Brooksher says that within the
industry, "there are unique chal-
lenges service providers are faced
with right now. That's spilling over
>EMPLOYEES 8
Verizon
7
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

<1 TRAINING
Instead of the plug-and-go special-
ists of old, today's techs have to
combine the hands-on requirements
of the job with customer service and
education responsibilities that their
predecessors never had to consider.
And that's only the half of it. Ever-
changing technologies and new prod-
uct offerings just add to the pile and
have made training an ongoing
process for most workers.
"It's an interesting blend between
kind of a construction mentality and
a technical mentality," says Ray
Lepper, former CEDIA president and
owner of Virginia-based Home
Media Stores. "They have to be
able to be on the job site – hanging
out with the lunch box crew – but
they also have to be comfortable
working in finished homes with cus-
tomers and some pretty high-end
technology."
But, in today's competitive market-
place, finding and training new tech-
nical employees is more important
than ever. Cable companies are
expanding nationwide, broadband
and wireless internet are offering all
sorts of new opportunities, and
satellite is continuing its march into
new markets. Obviously, this is a
big and growing problem for the
industry and execs need to act now
to keep up with this growth.
"It's not just about recruitment,
it's the recruitment of quality peo-
ple," says Steve Hill with the
Satellite Broadcasting and
Communications Association
(SBCA). "As with any industry, find-
ing people with the proper work
ethic that are motivated to go out
and do this kind of work can be a
challenge. Especially younger peo-
ple. Too often they don't want to put
in the time and effort it takes to suc-
ceed."
Recruitment
None of this is news for DIRECTV,
which has been working to find tech-
nicians with the right mix of experi-
ence since its early days in the satel-
lite business. But, says Scott Brown,
the company's senior vice president
for field services, changes in the job
itself have lately made recruitment
efforts even more difficult.
"Communication skills today are
much more relevant for a techni-
cian," he says. "They've got to be
able to enjoy working with cus-
tomers and have that kind of outgo-
ing personality that used to be
reserved for marketing and sales
guys. Most importantly they need to
have that inner desire to communi-
cate and teach and train the cus-
tomer on the product because, as
our products get more complex, the
technician isn't just installing it,
they're also explaining to the cus-
tomer how to use it."
Customer education has moved up
to the top of the heap, Brown says,
so technicians need to be ready to
teach and not just hand over the
remote and say good luck.
Recruitment problems, many
argue, also have to do with how
those outside of the technical fields
view this industry. More often than
not, in fact, the applicant pool is lim-
ited because people just don't know
what the field is all about.
"The big problem is the lack of
awareness that this occupation is
really even out there," says Chuck
Wilson, chair of the of the newly
formed Electronic Systems
Professional Alliance's board of
directors, an industry trade group
tasked with streamlining the recruit-
ment and training process for new
techs. "So instead of people that
are truly interested in coming into
this industry, most often they stum-
ble into it out of technical school.
We're trying to create more of a
career path and give this occupation
the opportunity to be presented to
them and evaluated like you would
any other field."
And why not? Cable/satellite/telco
installation is a strong field and there
is a lot of growth potential out there
for new technicians. In fact, accord-
ing to ESPA, more than 57 percent of
all current custom installation busi-
ness owners got their start in the
industry as front-line technicians.
>TRAINING 9

<7 EMPLOYEES base, it results in geographically-dispersed employees,”

to the workers. There is a lot more overtime. There
is a lot more getting home late. That's presenting a
lot of constraints on their time. And yet the need for
their training and higher education has never been
greater."
To overcome that obstacle and others, Jones/NCTI pro-
vides its curriculum online. The Web-based courses give
students flexibility to work on a degree “or go to the
next level and earn a master's degree. They can finally
go back to school after all of these years,” Thompson
says.
In March 1999, Jones International University became
the first entirely virtual university to be accredited by
the Higher Learning Commission.
In addition to giving students flexibility in handling
coursework, the online environment is a bonus for a
multiplatform industry that faces geographical chal-
lenges.
“Given the size of some of these organizations and just
the sheer geographical dispersion of their customer
says Thompson. “You cannot set up a training center in
Denver when you have employees all over the place.
That would mean taking them off the job, bringing them
here, delivering some education and then sending them
back. (With the online courses) they don't have to go
somewhere for training."
He adds, "It's even more heightened in the cable part
of telecom where there is a lot of de-centralization and a
lot of local market and divisional autonomy."
Students also must figure out how to pay for continu-
ing education.
At Jones/NCTI, partial or full reimbursement of tuition
from companies is available to a segment of the student
population. Jones/NCTI students also can apply for fed-
eral student aid.
In addition, Jones/NCTI has a program in place in
which cable workers who have completed one of the
company's courses can become eligible for a scholarship
of up to 20 percent of tuition through Jones International
University.•

8

<8 TRAINING
"It's about not only recruit-
ing and training," explains
ESPA managing director Deb
Rolfes, "but also showing
[applicants] that there is a
career here. There is a future
in this industry and there are
ownership opportunities – this
is a viable career."
To accomplish this, ESPA is
developing a variety of intro-
ductory courses, online review
classes and workbooks to get
new technicians up to speed
on the basics of system
design. From there, techs can
move on to industry-specific
certification programs in fields
ranging from satellite to cable
to broadband.
Training
N
But recruitment is just part
of the equation. Once appli-
cants become employees, the
next step is getting them In fact, according to the ESPA, more than half of
ready to work. all the custom installation dealers in business
Lepper offers a fairly today got their start in the industry as front-line
straightforward training pro- technicians.•
gram at his Virginia shop,
combining several weeks of
classroom time with plenty of field
experience. "We only have seven to
eight installers," he says, "so we
aren't too structured. In our compa- they're on the job.
ny the selection of new products
involves a technical evaluation, so
when they go out there we have a
guy who can become a mentor to
the other guys about how that piece
works."
He also takes advantage of manu-
facturer resources and manages his
business in such a way as to mini-
mize the necessity for extra training.
"If you're constantly trying new
things, you'll have a massive training work for a five-minute "Sat Chat," he "And a lot of that has to do with
problem," Lepper says. "But if
you're very methodical about how
you select products then you'll be
OK."
DIRECTV currently requires new
hires to go through two weeks of
classroom time and another week or
two of on-the-job training with an
experienced field technician. And
they cover it all – everything from
how to approach the door to the
technical requirements of the latest
equipment.
Independent Installers
Outside of the
Industry (43%)
Former Technicians
(57%)
obody likes to start out on the bottom rung,
but there is room for growth in this industry.
But that isn't the end of it. The
provider also takes advantage of its
nationwide satellite network to con-
tinue educating its employees while
"I can go into the studio in the
morning and immediately speak to
almost every person in my organiza-
tion," Brown says. "Obviously
Echostar has the same capability,
but from a cable standpoint we defi-
nitely have a leg up there. It makes
us much more agile, quicker to
respond to changes, and quicker to
get information out."
Trainers will often jump on the net- everyone," says DIRECTV's Brown.
says, that can then be sent directly
to the company's local offices. Then, and make sure every person knows
when technicians come in for their
shifts, they can fire up the DVR and
watch while they get ready.
And DIRECTV isn't the only compa- fact is they won't be successful."
ny taking advantage of new delivery
methods. At Comcast, which last
year hired about 4,000 front line
installers and customer contact
employees, the focus has been on
incorporating new technologies into
the traditional training program,
Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007
which lasts several weeks.
"The big push we've done in
the last year is what's called
desktop-based learning, going
from classroom instructor led
to web-based training,"
explains Chris Ellis, Comcast's
corporate communications
manager. "It enhances the
classroom training and allows
us to offer new modules, one-
off topics, and to introduce
new products and services
without having to schedule a
class around the instructor's
schedule. It shortens the
whole process."
The arrangement allows
Comcast's training staff to
offer installers quick refresher
courses and product-specific
lessons without taking time
away from work. Plus, it's an
approach that many of the
company's younger employ-
ees, who grew up in the digi-
tal age, are comfortable with.
"At the end of the day it's
all about making the customer
experience better," Ellis says.
"If you can shorten the train-
ing time, get more information
to your installers, the cus-
tomer experience is going to be that
much better."
Retention
On the flip side, employee reten-
tion stands to be a bigger issue in
the coming years as more providers
find themselves fighting over the
same pool of applicants.
"As long as it takes to train some-
body these days and as much as it
costs, to see a guy walk down the
street after a few months is bad for
recruiting. You've got to sit down
what they're getting into – do they
really like climbing ladders and talk-
ing to people? – because if not, the
Beyond turnover from technicians
who leave the industry, managers
these days also have to worry about
employees jumping ship to go work
for the competition.
"I think that the Circuit Cities and
>TRAINING 11
9

FTTP Challenges Lead to New Tech Opportunities
A
Telcos and Their Install Teams Thrilled About Fiber's Potential
by Michael Hopkins
challenge and an
opportunity.
That's what those who
toil on the phone side of the
installation business say
about connecting consumers
to the newest wave of wired
communications. Telco
technicians working on
fiber-supported services,
whether it's fiber-to-the-
premises (FTTP), also
known as fiber-to-the-home
(FTTH), or fiber-to-the-node
(FTTN), are finding them-
selves moving away from
age-old copper wires to
more advanced technology
and network infrastructure.
Take Verizon's approach
as an example. The big
telco, which is rolling out
FiOS-branded services in 10
states, has a dozen training
centers spread throughout
its service territory focused on
teaching field employees the details
of fiber technology. So far, the train- employees and Verizon veterans take fusion about FTTH and “make it clear
ing has been a big positive for both
employees and the company.
“There certainly is some enthusi-
asm in our employee base about the
new technology. It simply is amaz-
ing,” says Mark Marchand of Verizon.
“There are employees who have
spent 10 to 20 years working in cop-
per. All of a sudden they are work-
ing with fiber. They are working with relations,” says Marchand. “These
new technology. They are excited
about it. It has been very energiz-
ing.”
FiOS, which delivers phone, broad-
band and video services to Verizon
customers via FTTP infrastructure,
was first offered in Keller, Texas, in
September 2005. The debut was
followed by service launches in sev-
eral of the telco's local markets in
California, Delaware, Florida,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia and elsewhere in Texas.
During the past two years Verizon
has been deploying the fiber plant,
which travels to the consumer's
home, the telco has hired about
Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007
U-verse TV is relying on
FiOS Capital Expenditures - fiber-to-the-node infra-
By Premises
structure in developed
areas and FTTP in new,
greenfield areas.
Other communications
firms are rolling out fiber
August Year-End to consumers, and they're
2006 2006 Goal relying on training and
FTTH property certification
to guarantee consumers
are getting services deliv-
Average Cost ered by high-capacity fiber
$873 Per $850 Per plant.
for Passing a In an effort to inform
Premises Premises
Home consumers about what
fiber to the home really is,
and ensure there is some
Average Cost to $933 Per $880 Per sort of standard for deter-
mining FTTH-supported
Connect a Home Premises Premises
properties, the FTTH
Council has a certification
Source: Verizon (9/2006) program that recognizes
fiber infrastructure that
The BRIDGE 2007 goes all the way to the
home. The certification/
3,000 technicians to roll out the badge program and the council's
service. education efforts aim to resolve con-
The training program that new
that FTTH is the right thing to do,”
lasts between two to three weeks. says the council.
In addition to learning about fiber,
As with any training and education
trainees are taught about working
program, there's a focus on alterna-
with in-home coax networks, set-top
tives for delivering communications
boxes and televisions. There's also a
services throughout the home. At
strong focus on the basics of cus-
the moment, those in the fiber space
tomer service.
are eyeing the hybrid fiber/coax that
“There are people in our training
exists in most U.S. households, cop-
centers that focus just on customer
per wires that deliver phone, wire-
less options or powerline-based
men and women are wearing Verizon
resources.
uniforms. They are driving Verizon
trucks. We know these employees In a white paper written for the
represent us in a big way inside a FTTH Council, Sandy Teger and
customer's home.” David Waks of Broadband Home
AT&T, which keeps pushing ahead Central say there's a possibility
with its IPTV-centric U-verse TV communications providers will use a
service, also has an eye on training combination of several technologies
and recruiting. The company won't (existing coax, wireless technology,
go into specifics, but says it conducts powerline capacity and phone line
extensive local training for man- networks) to connect users to fiber-
agers, technicians and call center delivered services.
representatives who work on U- Existing fiber-coax, which is esti-
verse. “This is a new service of mated to be in about 90 percent of
great importance for the company U.S. homes, has become the de-facto
and we're investing a lot of time and network for most rolling out fiber-
effort into our training program,” an based services, including Verizon.
AT&T spokesperson says. >TELCOS 11
10
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

<9 TELCOS
Marchand says there isn't any
demand for a pure fiber household …
at least not yet. And, the Verizon
spokesperson points out, coax can
deliver data via its short distance in
than a previous year-end 2006 goal
of $890. The company re-estab-
lished a year-end 2006 target cost
for homes passed at $850 per prem-
ises.
of $880 for an average fiber/home
connection.
Verizon says that by 2010 expen-
ditures are expected to average
$700 to pass a home and $650 to
connect a home.

“There are employees who

a home at about 100 Mbps. That's
enough bandwidth to support the
most demanding video and broad-
band services.
In the meantime, Verizon techni-
cians are discovering various tricks
of the trade when working with
fiber infrastructure. Fiber-to-the-
premises is a relatively new tech-
nology, and to make all of the
pieces work employees and the
company itself are learning a lot
about fiber while on the job.
“We are amassing a great body of
knowledge from the men and women
working in the field,” says Marchand.
That effort also is helping the telco
giant reduce costs.
The company says that in August
2006 the average capital expendi-
tures to pass a home were $873
each premises. That figure is less
have spent 10 to 20 years
working in copper. All of
sudden, they are working
with fiber ... It has been
very energizing.”
—Mark Marchand, Verizon
Expenditures incurred to switch on
a home to fiber, which includes a
truck-roll and connecting consumer
electronics (TV, computer) to the
network, have steadily declined from
an average of $1,220 in January
2006 to about $933 in August.
Verizon set a year-end 2006 target
In addition, Verizon says it
expects to realize savings of about
$1 billion in annual, ongoing oper-
ating expenses by 2010 as a result
of the efficiencies gained from its
fiber network facilities.
The push from Verizon and oth-
ers come as more consumers look
at fiber for delivering their commu-
nications offerings.
A survey conducted last year by
RVA Market Research found that
15 percent of consumers with a
direct fiber optic link say they pur-
chased an HD television to take
advantage of programming available
via the high-capacity connection.
Also, 80 percent of those with direct
fiber connections say they would be
interested in one or more futuristic
applications that can be delivered by
fiber.•

<9 TRAINING fish? But regardless where they go,

Best Buys are going to exacerbate
the problem because of their desire
to deliver services now," Lepper
says, "and when they roll out it's
going to be a big sucking sound.
They're going to promise a steady
paycheck, steady work, and a truck,
and that's going to appeal to a lot of
guys out there."
How can the little guys keep their
employees from following these big
"The same way you offer your cus-
tomers a choice," Lepper says. "You
have to do the same for your
employees. It's about being cooler
and offering better personal atten-
tion. Our business is sufficiently
more upscale than Best Buy to be a
different animal. It's like, 'are you
going to Burger King or do you
want to go to Mortons?' It's the
same meal, meat at both places."
providers all agree that these days
technician retention is critical.
"Employers out there know that it's
a lot easier to keep your good
employees than having to go out and
find new employees every week,"
says SBCA's Hill. "Everybody in this
industry is focused on finding, train-
ing, and keeping quality people, and
I think you're just going to see more
of that moving forward."•

A Service of Media Business Corp

Chief Financial Officer: News Editor:
165 S. Union Boulevard, Suite 280 Gina Rayne Matthew Colella
Lakewood, Colorado 80228 gina@mediabiz.com matthew@mediabiz.com
303.271.9960 (T) 303.271.9965 (F)
ISSN # 1550-1779 Editor-in-Chief: Retailer Editor:
Chairman: VP/Group Publisher: Evie Haskell Timothy Sprinkle
Paul S. Maxwell Rob Stuehrk evie@mediabiz.com tsprinkle@mediabiz.com
maxfax@mediabiz.com robs@mediabiz.com

President: VP Sales/New Business: Senior Editor: Production Manager:

Robert Lehmann James Donnellan Michael Hopkins Cheryl Hoeppner
lehmannr@mediabiz.com james@mediabiz.com mhopkins@mediabiz.com cheryl@mediabiz.com

11
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

der
n
U

apping with Roberts? Here's one we Rap Time in Philly

R would have liked to see: Sean “Diddy”
Combs and Jay-Z jiving with Comcast's Brian
Roberts this past Wednesday. Yeah, really.
Spies for the Philadelphia Inquirer spotted
them at Comcast HQ, along with movie pro-
ducers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. So what's
next? The Gangsta Style network perhaps?

he great cable unbundling could really happen this time. July 1 is the
T latest deadline for enforcement of a provision in the 1996
Telecommunications Act (aren't extensions great? Only 11 years to comply
with the law ...) that says cable cos must share the software that decodes cable
signals. If the FCC Boy Wonder actually decides to enforce this deadline (and,
with his rep as the anti-cable kid, odds are he will) then the cable guys lose their
control over who can make equipment for use on their net-
works, Scientific Atlanta and Motorola lose their pretty-
close-to monopolies on the cable markets and ... who
knows what could happen next? iCable, anyone?

or big Bowl dollars two multiplatform players

F rank in the top five. The Super Bowl ad totals
for Time Warner and Walt Disney came in at spots
No. 4 and No. 5 in the 1987 to 2006 rankings. As
of last year, Time Warner had reportedly spent
$63.4 million on Super Bowl ads while Disney
came in at $43.5 million.

he “most multiplatform integrated toy?” Apple's

T iPhone took it on the chin again recently as Steven Colbert
of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report awarded it the
dreaded “Wag of the Finger.” Said Colbert, “This all-in-one
abomination is an insult to gadget lovers.” Even worse, he
scolded Apple, “The phrase is whoever dies with the most toys
wins, not whoever dies with the most-multiplatform integrated
toy wins.” Ouch.•

12
 Training/Recruiting - February 6, 2007

Upcoming Events
February 12-14 March 21-24 May 1-3
Argo Systems Users CEDIA CU on the Road CONNECTIONS
Conference ‘07 Mt. Vernon, NY Santa Clara, Calif.
Napa Valley, Calif. http://www.cedia.org http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp
http://www.argosys.com/confer-
March 26-28 May 7-9
ence/
CEA Entertainment NCTA National Show
February 19-22 Technology & Policy Summit Las Vegas
Satellite 2007 Washington, DC http://www.thecableshow.com
Washington, DC http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp May 11-13
http://www.satellite2007.com Home Entertainment Show
March 27-29
February 25 CTIA Wireless 2007 Grand Hyatt, New York, NY
2007 Academy Awards Orlanda, Fla. http://www.he2006.com/index.html
Hollywood, Calif. http://www.ctia.org May 22-24
http://www.oscars.org March 27 2007 BCFM/BCCA Conference
Digital Patriots Dinner Las Vegas
March 6 http://www.bcfm.com
Cable Positive Dinner 2007 Washington, DC
New York City http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp June 18-21
http://www.cablepositive.org/ind April 9-12 NXTcomm
ex.html The National Space Symposium Chicago
Colorado Springs, Colo. http://www.tiaonline.org
March 6 http://ustelecom.org
Horowitz Associates 7th http://www.SpaceFoundation.org
Annual Multicultural Media July 23-25
April 14-19 CTAM Summit
Forum NAB 2007
New York City Washington, DC
Las Vegas http://www.ctam.com/confer-
http://www.horowitzassociates.com http://www.nabshow.com ences/summit
March 6-7 April 17-18 October 15-17
Digital Music Forum East ACA Washington Summit CEA Industry Forum
New York City Washington, DC San Diego, Calif.
http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp http://www.americancable.org http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp
March 6-10 April 27-30 October 30-November 2
EHX Spring 2007 CEDIA CU on the Road CASBAA Convention 2007
Orlando, Fla. Calgary, Alberta Canada Hong Kong
http://www.ce.org/Events/default.asp http://www.cedia.org http://www.casbaa.com

Upcoming Issues of The BRIDGE

February 13 March 13
April 10
EPGs Merger Talk Annual — Satellite
February 20 March 20
Battles Royale The Mammoth April 17
Manufacturers Annual — Broadcasters
February 27
March 27 April 24
Customer Service
2006 Numbers Wrap-Up Annual — Telcos
March 6 April 3
The New Look of How Internet Changes May 1
Premiums Programming Annual — Cable

13