Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017 - 14

2017 TOP OPS AWARDS
MSO REGIONAL EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Steve Purcell
Mediacom
Mediacom group vp Steve Purcell manages the company's operations
in Missouri and Kansas, as well as the bulk of Iowa. That's no
small footprint, especially since his team was largely responsible for
making Iowa the nation's fi rst gigabit state.
The company launched 1 gig service across its entire Iowa footprint,
meaning more than 300 communities are passed by its fi ber network.
" From a technical perspective, it took an awful lot of work from an
awful lot of people to get all the engineering in place, " Purcell says.
The payoff was huge though, with Iowa towns with populations as
small as 250 people now having that fast connection to compete.
For Purcell, it looked like Iowa not only catching up, but also becoming
a leader in technology. The gigabit rollout is part of a three-year,
$1 billion capital spending plan launched by Mediacom in 2016.
" Whether building fi ber to connect new businesses, launching
community WiFi, or giving Iowa bragging rights as the fi rst gigabit
state in the nation, Steve and his team have dedicated themselves
to making sure the money we are investing in our communities
enriches the lives of the customers we serve, " says Mediacom
chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso.
One of the keys of success for Purcell has been his strong communications
skills.
" We communicate regularly, whether it's in staff calls or direct
conversations. There's a general understanding from our viewpoint
from top down as well as down up that we need to continue to make
sure that we are the leader in broadband speeds if we're going to
continue to be successful as a company, " he says. General conversations
often revolve around whether or not Mediacom is stages
ahead of what is currently available in the local marketplace when it
comes to Internet speeds and broadband services.
Even after propelling Iowa forward as the nation's fi rst gigabit state,
the digital divide remains a major focus for Purcell and his territory.
He specifi cally pointed to Des Moines as a good area for tackling
as it has seen a lot of recent residential growth. Because of this,
Mediacom has been putting a larger focus on making sure it builds
out into the service communities around the city as well as the areas
of residential growth.
Of course, growth isn't limited to Des Moines. " We're doing some
testing on WiFi rollouts and continuing to grow and expand not only
our residential services in our marketplaces but also our commercial
services, " says Purcell.
But that's not all. Purcell and his team are also heavily involved in
Mediacom Business' Project Open Road, which involves proactively
expanding Mediacom's fi ber and coax networks into new commercial
service areas.
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cablefaxmag.com
Regardless of what's next, the communication tactics Purcell uses
will continue to play a major role in moving his territory forward. As
someone who has been working with Mediacom CEO Commisso
and evp John Pascarelli for a number of years, Purcell notes there's
a mutual understanding of " work hard and lead ahead. " It's more
than a phrase-it's a way of life that's helped drive Purcell's territory
forward and it doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon.
- Katie Nale
FAST FACTS
uMediacom has invested $3 billion of private capital in
Iowa since 1999.
uNearly one million households and more than 300
cities and towns across Iowa are passed by Mediacom's
network.
uPurcell was able to travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
in 2013 to watch his son play in the Little League
World Series.
July 2017
Cablefax: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - July 2017

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