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Hi, I'm David Don, and this is Policy Questions With...
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A series where we explore the intersection
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of policy, technology, and business.
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Today we'll be speaking with my good friend, Elad Nafshi,
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Comcast Chief Network Officer,
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about connecting everyone, everywhere
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to state-of-the-art broadband.
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Elad, thank you for being here.
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Thank you for having me.
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Elad broadband is a major topic here in the US,
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especially coming out of COVID,
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that puts you in a really important position.
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Tell us a little bit
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about your journey to the Chief Network Officer at Comcast.
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Yes. I've been with the industry for over 20 years,
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18 of which, here at Comcast.
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I've held numerous roles,
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you know, throughout my career.
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I led our old digital efforts on our video channels.
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I launch our next generation HD services, on-demand,
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our transition to all IP video delivery.
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And in the last five or six years,
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I've been leading our network organization
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as we continuously innovate
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and make sure that we're able
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to deliver the absolute best connectivity experience.
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So you're the expert on broadband.
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Broadband is an important topic
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for policymakers all around the country.
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They want to make sure
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that consumers have access to state of the art broadband.
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We've recently announced the Xfinity 10G network.
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Is that state of the art?
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Are consumers
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on the network going to get the best experience possible?
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Absolutely. The Xfinity 10G network
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is a true network transformation like never before.
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It relies on a technical Emmy award winning
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for innovation technology that we built here
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at Comcast over the last five or six years,
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that enables us to deliver the fastest,
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most reliable, lowest latency
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in most broadly deployed broadband services
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that will reach each and every one of our homes
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across the 39 states plus the District of Colombia
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that are networked traverses in the US.
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The technology that we're bringing, by the way,
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abstracts the which wire connects which home,
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we're able to
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bring those multiple gigabits symmetrical services,
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we're able to bring that unrivaled reliability
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with the lowest latency to each and every one of our homes,
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whether they're connected with coaxial cable
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or with fiber cable, it doesn't matter.
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The technology gives us the ability to do both
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and that's what makes us so unique and what sets us apart.
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So how do you decide who gets this network
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and where this network is going to be deployed to?
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Now, what's defining us and what truly sets us apart is
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that we'll deploy those services everywhere,
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to each and every one of our homes.
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Our competitors that dig up the right side of the street
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or the better side of town,
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we will deploy the Xfinity 10G network technology
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across our entire footprint, whether it's downtown Detroit
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or downtown Philadelphia, all the way out to Silicon Valley
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and everything in between.
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Over the next couple years, by the end of 2025,
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the Xfinity 10G network upgrade will be available
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throughout our footprint.
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And what is that going to entail for consumers?
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What kind of experience will they have?
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Speeds like never before.
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Truly transformational speeds.
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Truly symmetrical, multi gigabit,
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symmetrical speeds across our footprint.
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But speed is just a headline,
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when we speak about reliability,
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it's truly reliability like never before.
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It's enabled by this award-winning architecture,
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which enables us to see down to the second view
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of how your services perform
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and be able to act on any type of impairment in real time,
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whether it's through artificial intelligence
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or whether it's through our support teams across the board.
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The latency that we're looking to deliver
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really will transform the way you are going
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to be able to experience,
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whether it's video communication
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or whether it's online gaming,
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all of that would greatly benefit from that.
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And we're going to be able to do that completely seamlessly
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to our customers.
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We don't need to dig up your front lawns,
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we don't need to dig up your sidewalks.
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The speed by which we're able to deliver it
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over the existing cable
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that already services your communities is like never before
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and unrivaled as you look at some of our competitors.
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So we'll be able to do this without digging up streets?
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That's exactly right.
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That's pretty incredible.
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And is it future proof?
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That's a term we hear a lot
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when we're meeting with policy makers.
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Yeah, so technology constantly evolves
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and technology constantly continues to improve.
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The important piece is that Comcast continues to invest
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in the latest technology
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and the latest broadband capabilities to make sure
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that the network that services the consumer homes is always
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up to speed with the absolute best technology,
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most robust delivery,
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and most reliable services that we could possibly deliver.
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So there's really no such thing as future proof.
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Well, you know,
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if you really take a step back and think about, you know,
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the innovation over the last 10 years, right?
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Think about the devices that we use,
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whether it's our cell phones,
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whether it's how we interact with, you know,
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televisions today.
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I look at my kids speaking
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through their Comcast voice remote
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and they will never know what a channel number is, right?
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And that type of innovation is
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what Comcast continues to invest in
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that will set us apart in the next 30 years.
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So the Xfinity 10G network ensures that all
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of our customers have access to state-of-the-art broadband.
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But as you know, policy makers are also very much concerned
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about getting service everywhere.
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And there are parts
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of our countries that still remains unserved with broadband.
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The federal government has allocated tens
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of billions of dollars
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and private ISPs like Comcast are partnering with a lot
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of state and local governments to deliver broadband
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to these unserved areas.
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What advice would you give state
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and local officials as they look to enter
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into these public, private partnerships?
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Yeah, if I were to make that decision, I would look
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for a partner that has the scale, that has the know-how
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and that has the capability to truly operate a modern
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and sophisticated broadband network,
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not just today, not just tomorrow, but many, many years
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into the future,
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that is ready and is excited to continuously invest,
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to continuously train,
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to continuously operate the network at its peak performance
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and I think that's what sets the Xfinity 10G network apart.
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You know, we talk with policy makers,
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we talk about beyond the build, there's a lot of focus
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on partnering with someone who can construct your network.
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But you're really talking about is a 30 year relationship,
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multi-decade long relationship,
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with a local government and a community.
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That's exactly right.
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And the investment that the technology will require
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over time to continue to innovate on this network.
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What's fast today is not going to be what's fast
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in 10 years from now.
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What's considered good enough today is not going to be
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what's going to be good enough 10 years from now.
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And Comcast is a partner that has a proven track record
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of continuously investing in technology,
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to continuously invest in the capacity
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and to truly operate at a level that is required
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in order to maintain flawless broadband delivery
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Elad, our last question here is one we like
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to ask all of our guests.
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You've obviously talked a lot about a lot
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of emerging technologies,
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but which emerging technology has you most excited?
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Yeah, so as engineers, we're always excited
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about the latest and greatest, but I think that
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what excites me is the ability to be part
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of this incredible team
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that takes this leading edge technologies
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and deploys them everywhere.
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And being a part
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of this incredible team is what excites me
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and what I look forward to continue to do.
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Well, it's a great team.
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Thank you, Elad, for being here today
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and thank you for joining us for this great conversation.
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This was Policy Questions with Elad Nafshi.
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We'll see you next time.
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