Pat Esser, President, Cox Communications

As Cox’s hometown readies the welcome mat for The National Show this weekend, my excitement level about the state of our industry is extremely high. However, so is my level of impatience about the undue influence the telcos are exacting on the regulatory and legislative agendas.

Thanks to the formidable force of the telcos’ noise machines and press release factories, I fear an inordinate amount of time and effort are being devoted to the regulatory environment at a time when far more important priorities should be taking precedence. The shall-we-say “aspirational” claims of AT&T, Verizon and others frequently don’t correlate with reality, yet still often weigh disproportionately on matters regulatory and legislative.

I’m so glad that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and several FCC commissioners are coming to Atlanta for the show, and I welcome our opportunity to demonstrate to them the amazing progress Cable is making in delivering competition and fulfilling consumer demands. I hope they take from Atlanta a renewed sense that a balanced combination of minimal regulation and a free marketplace remains the ideal way of encouraging competition, furthering technological innovation, and empowering consumers.

So this is it, colleagues: our prime opportunity to re-shape the discussion, to demonstrate the power of Cable, and to shift attention and action back to substantive matters. And back to ensuring a fair, level playing field where the consumer—not telco bluster—is the power broker that determines which companies and products are successful, and which are not. For those of you making the trip to town, welcome. Enjoy Atlanta!