July 15, 2008

Pipeline Profile: Nomi Bergman

New At-Large Director

SCTE member since 2002

Title: President, Bright House Networks

Broadband Background: Nomi Berman is a newly elected SCTE at-large director, representing the entire membership. In her "day job," she is president of Bright House Networks.

How did you first get involved in cable and the SCTE?

I first became involved through work I was doing as a systems consultant, for the Newhouse cable and newspaper properties. Together with a cross-functional team from our operations, we made a decision to migrate to a single billing system. I came on board full time to coordinate those billing conversions, which put me on the road for a couple of years. It ended up being a precious opportunity to simply learn about what it took to operate a very good cable operation. While I did not immediately become involved with SCTE, I have been learning indirectly from SCTE, as so many of the industry’s early engineers, also the early members of SCTE, were my mentors.

What prompted you to run for a seat on the board?

Some very special SCTE members, whom I admire, suggested it to me.

What do you see as the key issues for the SCTE and the industry as a whole?

Being new to the Board, I am looking forward to learning the issues from the perspective of the SCTE membership. Clearly, training and development are more important than ever, and the SCTE has a strong opportunity to help fulfill the industry’s growing needs to continually mentor its employee base. And the SCTE has a sweet spot to maintain and grow, as it helps to facilitate the exchange of information, tips, Q&As, job listings, and healthy debate between its membership. Of course, the SCTE conferences, such as the recent Cable-Tec Expo, offer a unique and valuable opportunity for members to gather and learn first hand, together, about the latest technologies and effective operations tools, etc. All of these SCTE services are critical to helping our industry maintain its competitive edge. And I have deep respect for the well-run and very effective SCTE Standards Program.

Can you share any memorable experiences from your time in the industry?

I am especially proud to be joining the board with Dick Amell, of TWC’s National Cable Division. I had the good fortune of learning from Dick for quite some time, starting in the late '80s/early '90s, when we were both with Newhouse Broadcasting. Dick and I were part of a team that was asked to make recommendations about how the Newhouse cable systems should upgrade to an HFC architecture. I knew then, and I appreciate even more today, what a rare opportunity that was for me … I had a seat at the table during those discussions and thus an opportunity to listen to, and learn from, Dick’s thought process. Some other very special industry pioneers were present as well - including Richard White and Tom Staniec. I am particularly thrilled to be serving on the SCTE Board with Dick Amell, as he is most definitely one of our industry’s most talented engineers and just a really wonderful person.