Joseph J. Collins, a longtime cable executive who helped transform the industry into a crucial part of the modern internet economy, has died at 81. Collins held senior leadership roles at major media and telecommunications companies such as HBO, Time Warner Cable, and Comcast. He was instrumental in transforming cable into a broadband infrastructure capable of supporting broadband and digital services. His work forerised the development of high-speed cable internet and anticipates future on-demand and streaming models.