Mark your Calendars for the 2016 Training Sessions!
July 26, 27 and 28, 2016
The CCTA’s annual Technical Training Sessions are right around the corner. The sessions will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan on July 26, 27 and 28, 2016. A variety of relevant technical subject matter will be explored by leading experts in the industry. The 2016 program will cover: “Fiber Optics 101”; “Best Construction Practices and Splicing for Fiber Networks”; “System Design”; “Troubleshooting the Fiber Network”; “Understanding the Digital Network”; “DOCSIS 3.1”; “Increasing System Bandwidth”; and more. The final session will be the very popular “Ask the Experts” Panel of all speakers. Special thanks are due to John T. Kurpinski, Sr., who is the mastermind behind the training session, even though he is no longer a member of the CCTA’s Board of Directors.
The CCTA has provided free annual training to employees of Active Members for many years and the response has always been positive. Bringing information on the current topics in the cable television and telecommunications industries to the region is one of the organization’s primary missions. Although member companies must cover transportation, lodging and evening meal expenses, the CCTA handles the cost of the training sessions and all daytime meals. For representatives of Associate Members or non-members, the training sessions are available for reasonable daily fees.
For the 2016 Technical Training Sessions, the CCTA has negotiated a special rate with the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino - $130 per night, single or double occupancy, plus 11% tax and a 16% hotel service fee. There is also a $1.00 per room, per day, maid gratuity and $6.00 per person, one-time bellman gratuity. This special rate is available from July 23 through July 31, based on availability.
For further information on the 2016 training sessions, please contact Executive Director Andrea Martin.
Welcome to the CCTA’s Newest Members!
The CCTA is proud to acknowledge its newest Active Member (cable and telecommunications company). People’s Television of Turks & Caicos Islands recently joined the association, and we are looking forward to learning more about this company and its activities in Turks & Caicos.
The Board of Directors also unanimously approved the membership applications of the following new Associate Members: Cinemoi, Digital Adware, General Cable Inc., SmartRG and Times Fiber Communications, Inc. We welcome these companies and their representatives to the CCTA.
Listings for these six new members can be found on the the CCTA website’s Membership Page, where you can also find listings for the other fine members of the association.
The 2017 Annual Meeting at Atlantis on Paradise Island
January 22 to 24, 2017
Next year’s Annual Meeting will be held at the spectacular Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. The CCTA has negotiated a very favorable hotel rate, and the 2017 Caribbean Show will surely be yet another to remember! More details to follow in future Wavelengths newsletters.
2016 Community Charities Program
Seven exceptional charities will benefit from the CCTA’s Community Charities Program this year. The board of directors unanimously agreed to award $1,400 to each organization that was nominated by a cable system member of the CCTA.
The seven grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: The Barbados Cancer Society nominated by Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation of Barbados; Queen Louise Home for Children nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Croix; Nana Baby Children's Home, Inc. nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John; Colegio de Educacion Especial y Rehabilitacion Integral nominated by Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Island Hoops Foundation nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; House of Deliverance New Testament Church of God nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; and Fundashon Teatro Pispein nominated by T.V. Distribution Systems of Curaçao. The Community Charities Program was established by the CCTA in 1993. Since then, the program has distributed over $301,000 in grants to more than 120 charities in the region.
Checks made payable to the charities were sent to the nominating cable operators, which in turn presented the checks and brought recognition to their own companies and the regional cable and telecommunications industry. The Community Charities Program is one of the cornerstones of the association's non-profit mandate. The majority of funds for the program are generated by the Annual Meeting auction, which raised nearly $8,600 in 2016.