Earlier this year it was reported in the media that video monitors could someday be built into contact lenses. Prototype lenses have already been created and tried out on rabbits. These "bionic" lenses have tiny antennas and would be powered by body heat. The inventors see the possibility of many uses for bionic lenses. They could be used by commuters for surfing the Internet while riding on buses, taxis, subways and other public transport. Gamers wearing bionic lenses would be more fully immersed in the game environment. Racecar drivers and pilots could have current speed displayed on the surface of their eye.
      The technology mentioned above is real, but I am using it here as a fictional what-if scenario. Continuing to think about a fictional situation in which video contact lenses became a commercial success with consumers, my thoughts turned to how bionic lenses might impact the cable industry? If "cable-to-the-eyeball" (CTTE) becomes a reality someday, how would it be installed and by whom? How would a technician go about running a service call on a bionic lense problem? Would video contact lenses be swapped out just like an HD DVR box or cable modem? Would the SCTE come up with a CTTE training course and certification? What would test equipment look like?
      As the SCTE celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it is interesting to look forward into the future and try to guess what the next 40 years might bring. The rapid pace of technology evolution makes it nearly impossible to predict what networks will look like four decades into the future. The pioneers of cable that were building cable systems four decades ago would not have guessed that today's networks would use light riding inside tiny strands of glass to carry vast amounts of data and information to our customers. As recently as last year it would not have occurred to me that bionic contact lenses were a possibility. Whether customers will actually be willing to wear bionic lenses remains to be seen. But the point of mentioning bionic lenses is to emphasize how difficult it is to guess what new things will be dreamed up.
      Rather than making guesses about future technology, I'll stick to a few thoughts about the people working with technology. Companies are only as good as the people working for them. The game is won or lost, now and in the future, based on the quality of people that a company has working for it.
      Technology will continue to change and our customers will want to take advantage of the advancements. The majority of customers won’t have the time nor the interest to troubleshoot complex problems with the complicated technology being used. In a perfect world with a static environment that never changed, networks could be designed that would never experience problems. In the real world of constant change, networks will be less than perfect. That means that having trained technicians to solve real world problems and keep customers happy will continue to be the answer 40 years down the road. Technicians in the future, as well as today and in the past, need an industry organization that provides current training as well as a structure for discussions of challenges and sharing of information.
      The SCTE is an organization that is about people. It just happens to be the case that the people that are members of SCTE are heavily involved with technology. SCTE must continue to evolve and stay ahead of change to be the place where future technicians and engineers come together for professional development and networking. SCTE chapter meetings should be a place where technicians and engineers gather to learn valuable information about new technology and how to accomplish the increasingly complex challenge of maintaining the network. I believe that one of the most important challenges for SCTE is to find a way to ensure that each and every chapter meeting includes the most effective and interesting presenters. Each speaker should hold the audience's keen interest and provide information that is useful in their jobs and helps advance their careers.
      Returning to the present, I recently had an interesting discussion with a long-time colleague and friend who travels to many countries around the world and has gained a global perspective on testing issues. That discussion follows in a question and answer format.

Simple truths and trends
      We hold this truth to be self-evident: The cable industry is continuously changing and evolving, not only here in the United States but around the world. Rapid change can be unsettling, but exciting for those who thrive in a moving landscape. With that said, let’s kick this off.
      Q: Over the years we’ve had a number of discussions about testing on HFC networks. Much of our conversation has been on the topic of the return path. Based on your observations the return path is a major source of communication issues in the RF network and troubleshooting efforts by operators. Your observation matches up with my own experience in the United States. Do you see problems with return path as a common issue for operators in other countries?
      A: Yes. In fact, I can say that as much as everyone believes that their system or their situation is unique and very different from others, most but not all return path problems are actually more common than unique.