History of the SCTE.

The Early Years. Cable television was invented before television. That is to say, the idea of distributing a signal to a number of receivers by means of wires originated as radio relay. The Wireless Relay Services Association (later, just Relay Services Association) was formed in 1931 to be the trade body for this new industry. Shortage of materials during World War II led to increasing dialogue between the engineers working for the radio relay companies and the Relay Services Association began hosting technical meetings. From this Tom Hall, together with 23 other prominent engineers of the time, decided a separate organisation should be formed for engineers and the Society of Relay Engineers was formed in 1945.

	Meetings and Publications. The SRE began holding lecture meetings almost immediately and, in 1946, published the very first 'Proceedings of the Society of Relay Engineers' which publication eventually became the CTE journal of today. Originally, the journal reproduced the entire lectures and all of the ensuing discussion but, later, when it became impossible to justify the cost of a reporter to note every word said at meetings it progressed to publishing papers of interest to the members, whether or not they had been given as lectures.

Television Arrives. Improvements in wireless signal distribution, after the war, reduced the demand for relay systems and the work of the RSE. This quiet period for relay systems had its effect on the RSE and, without the dedication of Tom Hall and a few others of the founders, the Society would not have survived. Only as wired distribution of television in the USA became a major industry did its potential in the UK begin to be explored and it was not until 1973 that the Society changed its name to the Society of Cable Television Engineers.

	The Hunt Report and a False Dawn. In the early 1980s there was much hype about advanced cable TV systems being built throughout the UK as the Hunt Report painted a picture of interactive services for all and interest in the Society increased. This optimism, however, proved false when changes in tax law removed the incentive to invest in networks and the Society reached its lowest point in these years.

The Americans Arrive. It was not until the late 1980s, when the franchising authority deliberately found ways to enable American companies to invest in cable TV in the UK that the Society came into a prominent position. The rapid growth of the industry meant there was a growing need for engineers and other technical staff and the Society provided the means of bringing these engineers together and, by means of its training courses, of bringing technicians into the lower levels of the cable TV engineering world.

	Telephony and Convergence. Deregulation of the telecoms industry enabled the new cable TV networks to be used for providing telephony services and the skills set of the engineers in the industry expanded to include this. As a result, in 1994, the Society became the Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers offering membership to anyone involved in broadband communication networks. Membership of the Society increased considerably during the early and mid 1990s only to fallback as consolidation amongst the operators and a reduced new building programme reduced the demand for engineers.

The SCTE and the IBC. One of the most significant events of the 1990s was the Society's involvement in the International Broadcasting Convention, initially as a sponsor but now as one of the partners who own the event. As well as securing the SCTE's position in the technical development of all forms of telecommunication, the IBC provides a strong income stream helping the SCTE to continue its work.
© Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineer.