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“Cable Modem ‘Father’ to Grant Grants”
Jeff Baumgartner

“Grant winners will participate in a six-week training session at the $10 million Yassini Broadband Knowledge Center in Boston”

Rouzbeh Yassini, known in some circles as the “father of the cable modem,” has completed the submission process and selected an advisory board made up of cable engineering royalty for a new $200,000 broadband research grant program.

The program will offer four post-graduate projects per year. The first will be granted on Sept. 10, 2008. The deadline for the short-form app is July 4. Submission materials and guidelines are available at the YAS Broadband Ventures Website. The program will offer four post-graduate projects per year. The first will be granted on Sept. 10, 2008. The deadline for the short-form app is July 4.

Grant winners will participate in a six-week training session at the $10 million Yassini Broadband Knowledge Center in Boston, followed by a nine-month mentoring and collaboration cycle with visiting students and other members of the center. At the end, the grant winners will present their research at an annual “Broadband Summit”.

But obtaining the grants won’t be easy. Candidates will have to win approval of cable folk who have agreed to aid in the evaluation process:

    • Chris Bowick, CTO, Cox Communications Inc. ;

 

    • Marwan Fawaz, CTO, Charter Communications Inc. ;

 

    • Dave Fellows, executive fellow (and former CTO), Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK);

 

    • Mike Hayashi, executive vice president, advanced engineering, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC);

 

    • Wilt Hildenbrand, former executive vice president and CTO, Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC);

 

    • Balan Nair, CTO, Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY); and

 

    Dermot O’Carroll, senior vice president, network engineering and operations, Rogers Communications Inc. (Toronto: RCI).

Nomi Bergman, EVP of strategy and development for Advance Newhouse Communications, the parent of Bright House Networks , also has signed on as an adviser. Fellows is chairing the advisory board.

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