[Satellite TODAY 10-15-09] There will be over 20 million cable broadband connections in Europe by the end of 2009, Cable Europe, an association of cable operators throughout Europe, reported Oct. 13.
     The number was revealed at meetings held in Brussels yesterday between senior executives of the cable industry and Vivian Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media.
     “Continuing on the theme of cooperation between business and decision makers, we find it important to seek areas of mutual benefit for Europe. The employment numbers in the latest report we commissioned paint a positive picture as by the end of 2008 the Cable industry employed around 84,000 people which is 43 percent growth over a five year period, and if you include related jobs at suppliers and the broadcast industry, we’re talking about 178,000 jobs. These aren’t jobs that get off shored – they ‘re sustainable given the local nature of cable and its next generation networks,” said Caroline van Weede, Cable Europe’s Managing Director, in a statement.