CableLabs, an industry group backed by the cable industry, is launching UpRamp, a broadband accelerator in Boulder, Colorado. CableLabs says it is launching the accelerator to merge the power of local startups with cable company-run broadband networks.
UpRamp plans to start taking applications to join the accelerator in March of this year.
UpRamp is primarily focused on established startups and later stage emerging technology companies that it plans to enhance with mentorship provided by its member cable companies.
According to Scott Brown, who will be running UpRamp, the accelerator will be aimed at helping established startups find products/fit within the cable industry. Companies that join UpRamp will be part of a 3 month, non-resident program aimed at finding them customers in the cable industry for products that are already in market.
The effort is notable given CivSource’s previous reporting on the lack of competition and ghost networks within broadband service in the US. However, as companies like Google delve more into the research and development of 5G networks and millimeter wave technology, it appears that cable companies are also looking for ways to get in on the action.
CableLabs counts most of the world’s cable providers among its membership. View the full list here.
