Tom Wheeler: The FCC Chairman’s Tense Keynote

On Wednesday Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler delivered the keynote address at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association’s Internet & Television Expo in Chicago.

That’s seemingly ordinary, except for the fact that Wheeler isn’t exactly a popular figure with cable execs  (opens in a new tab), with NCTA currently suing the FCC over its recent decision on net neutrality, and the commission pushing back against the failed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable  (opens in a new tab).

Despite the potential for a negative response, Wheeler stuck to his stance—and it created an interesting keynote strategy for the group.

“Your challenge will be to overcome the temptation to use your predominant position in broadband to protect your traditional cable business. The Internet will disrupt your existing business model.” Wheeler said in his keynote, according to the Los Angeles Times  (opens in a new tab). “It does that to everyone. More competition would be better.“

The Times noted that many in the audience were ”“visibly squirming.”

While NCTA and its members clearly have concerns, it nonetheless welcomed Wheeler’s speech.

“As strong supporters of an open and robust Internet that is delivering ever-increasing speeds and a great experience for American consumers, we appreciate that Chairman Wheeler would use the show to highlight the importance of net neutrality,” the group said in a news release  (opens in a new tab).

Millennials and Associations

https://twitter.com/WileyExchanges/status/595940240910585856

It’s always nice to be able to get into the minds of members, especially new ones. Associations are also curious about what member benefits their younger audiences want.

Lucky for them, Wiley Exchanges asked millennials what membership benefits they value  (opens in a new tab) when joining an association.

The group’s top-valued benefit was continuing education and training, followed by peer-reviewed journals. Also worth noting: Millennials were the only generation to not have attending in-person events in their top-five list.

Wiley says it plans to release a whitepaper on the topic. Stay tuned.

Additional Links of Note

“Content marketing these days is more complex than ever before,” says Steve Rotter, CMO of Acrolinx. In a piece for CMSWire, he breaks down a couple of key considerations  (opens in a new tab), such as focusing on context and meeting the customers’ expectations.

Be prepared: We always get dragged down by writing follow-up emails after an event. Patrick Allan at Lifehacker says we should be proactive by writing those emails before networking  (opens in a new tab).