SCTE names new CTO

Chris Bastian

The US Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has named Chris Bastian as its new senior vice-president and chief technology officer.

Bastian joins the SCTE following more than 10 years at Comcast, where he most recently had been executive director focusing on Comcast’s Xfinity WiFi network.

In his new role, he will be responsible for all areas of technology and engineering to ensure that SCTE and its international arm, the International Society of Broadband Experts (ISBE), maintain a leadership role in standardising and operationalizing advanced technology, including the SCTE Standards Programme and the SCTE Engineering Committee – as well as efforts such as SCTE’s Energy 2020 programme.

“Harnessing the power of new services, maintaining the integrity of our networks and ensuring our customers’ security are among the objectives that will define cable’s future success. Chris Bastian’s strong record of accomplishment in those areas, his background with large and small MSOs and his leadership abilities all made him an ideal fit for our CTO position,” said Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of the SCTE.

“One of our goals for SCTE is to anticipate future industry needs and to provide the technical resources operators and vendors need to achieve those objectives. Chris Bastian has the industry vision, the knowledge base and the interpersonal skills to address the broad range of cable technologies, and his background in Wi-Fi, DOCSIS 3.1 and cybersecurity will be of particular value in the years ahead,” said Tony Werner, chairman of the board of directors for the SCTE and executive vice-president and CTO, Comcast Cable.