Comcast's Calling

Comcast evp David Cohen on Thurs stopped by SCTE’s Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia to urge women- and minority-owned businesses to take advantage of the MSO’s efforts to hire diverse suppliers. "We want everyone to realize that we’re open for business," said Cohen, noting that Comcast recently created an internal "diverse supplier database" so the MSO’s thousands of purchasing agents can locate diverse suppliers more easily (Suppliers can fill out an online form to be included). Cohen said Comcast spent $120mln last quarter on diverse suppliers, but said it’s not easy for buyers to target new suppliers when they have been dealing with the same ones for years. "That requires some help from you," said Cohen. "You need to get yourself known." He noted a "real payoff" for those with good networking skills but acknowledged that the industry still has work to do. "We know we’re not where we need to be," he said. "Our hearts are in the right place. Please don’t get frustrated."