In his remarks to a large crowd in the massive Georgia World Congress Center hall this morning, Kyle McSlarrow, President & CEO of NCTA, said he's received frequent questions about why NCTA chose “A Great American Success Story” as the theme of Cable’s ad campaign in D.C. That suggests, at least to me, that some have questioned the rationale of the “rag-tag group of dreamers” motif of the campaign created in response to the RBOCs' ceaseless noise machine in D.C.

“First, it’s important for those outside our industry to understand our roots, and for all of us to value and build on our strengths, because they suggest what our future can look like. A future that will continue to be entrepreneurial, involving risk and opportunity…a future that in all likelihood will take off in unexpected directions,” he said. “It’s also important to tell our story to public policymakers. We will always have specific issues and specific battles back and forth, but industries are defined in many ways, and in the policy environment, if you don’t define yourself, others certainly will.”

He added that, “If it feels like we’re at the center of the storm, well, we are, and for good reason. What other industry has created the template for the greatest diversity of programming and married it to the most versatile distribution platform in the world? What other industry is as well positioned for an age of convergence….Other industries [read: the RBOCs] understand this, and the simple truth of the matter is they want what we already have, without the hard work and without the risk.”

Signaling that the industry can and will go beyond the positive message of the “Success Story” campaign and meet fire with fire, McSlarrow said, “I have some fundamental views about policy fights. First, no false claim is going to go unchallenged. And, second, no false and negative ad campaign is going to go without a response.” He showed a commercial, “Meet the Phoneys,” that does just that. [Click here for the full transcript of McSlarrow’s remarks.]