Verizon, Comcast CEOs Share Common Vision, Different Paths for Communications’ Future

ATIS committee participants attending TELECOM ’04 got an exciting start to the week Monday with Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg (right) and Brian Roberts (left), CEO and chairman of cable giant Comcast, delivering keynotes and a roundtable discussion on the future of communications. Broadband delivery of voice, entertainment and information was the common goal voiced by Seidenberg and Roberts. The two executives acknowledged their growing competition between traditional phone and cable companies, but voiced shared concerns about the regulatory environment and the potential limitations on investment and entrepreneurial innovation in a heavily regulated environment.

For more information, see the USTA press release and the text to this morning’s speeches.

The morning keynote session also included opening remarks from Brian Strom, president and CEO of SureWest Communications and USTA Chair, and a State of the Telecom Industry address from Walter McCormick, Jr., President and CEO of USTA.

Elsewhere at TELECOM ’04 Monday, attendees packed the exhibit hall floor between conference session. More than 200 companies – including over 40 ATIS members – are showcasing the latest telecom technologies and services. The ATIS Annual Meeting of Committees, co-located at TELECOM ’04, held its first series of committee meetings Monday afternoon.