31 Oct Boston Globe: Same initials but new name as TV trade group evolves
Posted at 20:59h
in Media
By Jon Chesto
It’s a name change that was three years in the making: In recent weeks, the signs were finally switched at NECTA’s Boston office. Formerly the New England Cable and Telecommunications Association, the group is now the New England Connectivity and Telecommunications Association.
The rebrand essentially has been in the works since Tim Wilkerson was promoted to be NECTA’s president in 2019. The goal was to come up with a name that honored the group’s past, while hinting where it is headed. Even its core members of Comcast Corp., Charter Communications, Cox Communications, and Breezeline (formerly Atlantic Broadband) know the future is in Internet connectivity, not necessarily cable TV, Wilkerson said.
“These companies have become Internet providers first, . . . then cable and phone,” Wilkerson said.
NECTA hired communications firm Seven Letter to help with the rebranding, with a goal of having it done by NECTA’s annual conference in Newport, R.I., a week ago. Wilkerson hopes to broaden the appeal to potential members, by making it clear the group isn’t simply a “cable TV” trade association.