Heartland Headlines

SCTE Regional Representatives

11/21/2022

Call for Nominations
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) is now accepting candidate nominations for the 9 Regional Representative seats that will work with the chapters & members in 2023- 2024. The responsibility of the Member-Elected Regional Representative is to support and represent the needs of the general membership and chapters through ideas and recommendations made to any Standing Committee within the society.
Eligibility: Candidates must be active SCTE members who have been members for at least the last three (3) years and reside within the Region they will represent. SCTE members may nominate themselves, or other candidates, by using the online nomination form.
Candidates interested in running for a Regional Representative seat should read the Roles and Responsibilities of the Regional Representatives prior to completing the nomination form.
Region 2 representative is currently open so soliciting nominations for the remaining year of that term. All other Regional Representatives are elected to a two-year term taking office on January 1, 2023.
The 9 regions up for nominations are:
Region 2 representing AZ, CO, MT, NM, UT, WY
Region 3 representing AK, ID, OR, WA
Region 4 representing OK, TX
Region 5 representing IA, IL, KS, MO, NE
Region 7 representing IN, MI, OH
Region 8 representing AL, AR, LA, MS, TN
Region 10 representing DC, KY, NC, VA, WV
Region 12 representing CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT
Region representing CANADA
If you are interested in running for one of these regional representative positions, please complete the call for nominations form by December 9, 2022. If you have any questions, please reach out to elections@scte.org.
THE DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2022.

End The Year with Our Webinar Wednesdays!

10/29/2022

NOTE: Training schedule updated!

The Iowa Heartland Chapter is planning to end the year with a bang, offering several training opportunities on Wednesdays beginning November 30th!

Topics for Webinar Wednesdays are:

November 30, 2022 - High Split DOCSIS
December 7, 2022 - Leadership Skills In Action (joint with North Florida Chapter)
December 14, 2022 - Focusing on the Customer Service Experience
December 28, 2022 - Basic PON Design

As webinar details are finalized, registration links are available on our Events and Training page. We will also be sending out email blasts for these trainings, so we hope you can participate!

2022 Cable Tec Games

10/14/2022

On October 12, 2022 13 people participated in the Iowa Heartland Chapter's first Cable Tec Games since 2019.

The overall winner of the Iowa games was Brayden VanRyke with Mediacom.

Iowa Heartland Chapter President Mike Brems (Power & Tel) congratulates the 2022 Cable Games winner Brayden VanRyke (Mediacom)

Mediacom technicians also took second and third place positions in the overall standings. Gage Tittle took second place and Shawn Stogdill finished third.

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all the participants. We also want to extend a big THANK YOU to our Cable-Tec Games judges and sponsors!

FTTX Activation/DWDM Training Moved to April 25

4/25/2022

The the FTTX/DWDM training that was originally scheduled for April 18, 2022 has been moved to April 25, 2022.

For details, visit our Events and Training page.

Chapter Display at IAMU Spring Forum

4/9/2022

Iowa Heartland SCTE Board members (left to right): Curtis Dean, Mike Brems, Eric Lage, and Ron Grigsby

The Iowa Heartland Chapter had a display at the 2022 IAMU Spring Forum on April 7th in Johnston, Iowa. The tabletop exhibit had information on Chapter trainings, membership, and certification opportunities.

Iowa Heartland SCTE at the ICA Annual Conference

3/29/2022

Iowa Heartland SCTE Board members (left to right) Eric Lage, Kirik Hauskins, Francis Fourney, and Curtis Dean

The Iowa Heartland Chapter of the SCTE participated in the Exhibit Hall at the Iowa Communications Alliance Annual Meeting and Expo. The Expo on March 29th and 30th featured educational sessions and a great exhibit hall.

The goals of the exhibit were to recruit new SCTE members and spread the word about the Chapter's planned 2022 trainings.

Board members Francis Fourney and Eric Lage man the fort at the ICA Annual Meeting and Expo in Des Moines.

Join SCTE Today!

3/25/2022

We want to keep growing the Iowa Heartland Chapter membership roles, and we'd love you to join us!

Many companies will pay for or reimburse employees for SCTE membership, so check with your supervisor.

When you sign up, make sure you indicate that you are affiliated with the Iowa Heartland Chapter!

Iowa, Michigan Chapters Team Up for April Training

3/25/2022

The Iowa Heartland Chapter is once again excited to collaborate with the Great Lakes Chapter for a virtual training on April 21, 2022 beginning at 11:30am Central.

Internet Is Essential - Rural Broadband 2.0 is a follow-up to a session held in 2021 on the need for better broadband in rural areas.

Session Schedule

11:30am Central
Eric Frederickson, Connected Nation Michigan
Tune in to our first session to hear from Eric Frederickson of Connected Nation Michigan to hear about the need for access and adoption to broadband.

11:45am Central
Ken Green, Comcast
Tune in to our second session to hear from Ken Green of Comcast to hear about how a telecommunications company delivers broadband to rural communities.

Noon Central
Tom Demuse, Commscope
Tune it to our third session to hear from Tom Demuse of Commscope to learn about the technology needed for rural communities and end of line challenges. Presented as an evolution of technology over time.

12:15pm Central
Panel Discussion/Q&A with Eric Frederickson, Ken Green, and Tom Demuse. Moderated by Curtis Dean with the Iowa Heartland Chapter

The session is FREE and open to all. To RSVP, CLICK HERE or visit our Events & Training page!

Evolution of IPTV Training Postponed

3/21/2022

The Iowa Heartland Chapter training "The Evolution of IPTV" has been postponed to later in 2022. We continue to work on securing a trainer(s) for the session and will reschedule as soon as possible.

As always, keep checking our Events and Training page for the latest in scheduled events!

Mediacom Raising Download Speeds

3/16/2022

A majority of Mediacom internet customers will see download speed boosts in the coming weeks.

In a news released issued March 14th, the company announced the following changes to their download speeds, which will be delivered at the same price as before:

Download speeds for Access Internet 60 will rise to 100 Mbps, a 67% increase.
Download speeds for Internet 100 will jump to 200 Mbps, a 100% increase.
Download speeds for Internet 300 will move to 400 Mbps, a 33% increase.

In addition, Mediacom will be doubling the download speeds for the Connect2Compete Plus (C2C+) tier from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. C2C+ offers qualifying customers a complete high-speed broadband experience for just $30 per month. The service is designed to work in conjunction with the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) which provides a corresponding $30 monthly benefit ($75 in Tribal Areas) to help eligible households pay for broadband access.