NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell kicked off the first Near Future "unconference" with speakers and demos to underscore the industry's role in delivering an array of next-generation digital services. The forum, an invite-only event produced by NCTA (the Internet and Television Association) and CableLabs, drew decision-makers from Congress, regulation, media, and technology, and was meant to show how cable's broadband platform is the conduit that runs through the latest innovations in society.