Motorola Seeks to Sell Set-Top Unit

Motorola is looking for buyers for the part of its business that makes cable television set-top boxes, and is seeking about $4.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports.

For anybody who has been in the cable TV industry any length of time, the potential sale brings back memories of a company headquarters in Hatboro, Penn. and known as "Jerrold." Few companies have roots in the U.S. cable industry as deep as Jerrold did, in its later incarnation as General Instrument representing one of the two big names in the old cable TV business, in addition to Scientific Atlanta, whose assets now are part of Cisco.

The big attraction for any buyer is the chance to become a major player in the cable TV infrastructure business overnight.

Logical potential buyers would include the ranks of any number of major electronics companies who want major exposure to the U.S. cable TV industry.

It makes you realize just how long it has been since you were in the cable business.