5Qs with Cable in the Classroom exec dir Peggy O'Brien

Why should operators support CIC-is there more than just a feel-good factor for them? We’re a great help to them in saying something really positive about their industry. Cable needs that positive story-and it’s a positive story in every community. Every community has a school system. It’s a no-brainer. But are companies seeing a bottom-line difference? Yes, there are companies who have really chosen to market this stuff and see if they can get it to influence the bottom line. Cox has been very successful with schools. Comcast is working more with after-school centers. Education is a multibillion-dollar business. There are certainly opportunities there. You released research recently about how cable improves classroom teaching and learning. Why is this the 1st time CIC has commissioned such a study? I think before I got here the focus was on penetration-on getting the schools wired and the content out there. Clearly, there was some frustration that we didn’t have any existing results… It was part of the evolutionary focus. Those results are beneficial to the whole industry.How does cable make educators understand that it wants to enhance the curriculum-not bombard students with marketing messages? I think cable does that by leading with the education message. Instead of, ‘We are the cable industry and therefore you’ll love this; the stuff is really good.’ We say that this technology and this particular type of content can make a real difference. That’s a fine line. Teachers are being sold stuff all the time. We have established that we have some educational integrity. Favorite Shakespearean quote? It’s from "Twelfth Night," Act 1, Scene 3, Sir Toby Belch: "these clothes are good enough to drink in;"