LOUISVILLE, COLO.: Dr. Paul Liao has been tapped to take over CableLabs, the cable-TV industry technology incubator outside of Boulder. The announcement of Liao’s selection came after a meeting of the CableLabs board on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

“The board is united in its view that Paul is the right person to lead the laboratory going forward,” said Brian Roberts, chairman chief executive of Comcast and CableLabs board chairman.

Dr. Liao most recently served as vice president and chief technology officer for the Panasonic Corp. of North America and has led Panasonic’s technology direction and research and development in North America. Prior to joining Panasonic, he held a number of positions at Bell Communications Research, (Bellcore) and Bell Laboratories. Dr. Liao is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, and is a recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Millennium Medal.

He replaces Dr. Richard R. Green, who has led the laboratory since September 1988. Green announced in September 2008 that he would retire as CEO of CableLabs when his contract expires in December 2009.

“I feel extremely honored to be selected to follow in the footsteps of Dick Green,” Liao said. “Over the years, I have watched CableLabs create a continuous string of successes and seen it grow in prestige under his leadership. It’s an exciting time to be joining CableLabs and I look forward to being a part of the cable industry and to contributing to the industry’s technical future.”

Under Green’s leadership, CableLabs established the Data over Cable Service Interface Specifications, or DOCSIS, program for broadband Internet access. It also has established common specs to enable cable operators to deliver digital voice services to consumers. The two programs combined resulted in more than $22 billion in annual revenue for cable operators, according to CableLabs.