Broadband Demand Increasingly About Capacity: Comcast CEO

The cable industry's slowed broadband subscriber growth reflects a maturation in penetration, but the growing demand for capacity will mean data peaks "unlike anything we've seen today," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said at a MoffettNathanson conference Tuesday. He said meeting peak demand will be where the company expects notable broadband revenue growth. With sports increasingly going to streaming, "the last thing you're going to want is a spinning wheel" of buffering, he said. He said slow broadband sub growth also reflects not competing well for the lower end of the marketplace, but the company is making new efforts there. He said housing growth needs to resume in the U.S. before subscriber growth returns.