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September 23, 2020 - Public Issue

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September 23, 2020 - Public Issue September 23, 2020 - Public Issue ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS ACA Connects Says Broadband Being Deployed in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion ACA Connects, whose members provide broadband service to millions of rural consumers, urged the Federal Communications Commission to find that broadband Internet access continues to be deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion, adding that network performance during the height of the COVID-19 crisis also demonstrated these networks’ robustness and reliability. “This success story is the result of broadband providers’ sustained investments in their networks – driven to a significant extent by competitive forces, a light-touch regulatory regime and the FCC’s efforts to remove barriers to deployment – to meet their customers’ rapidly growing appetites for high-performance, high-capacity broadband service,” ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. The FCC defines broadband as the provision of 25/3 Mbps speed from fixed broadband service, viewing it as the level necessary to provide users the ability to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video telecommunications. ACA urged the FCC to maintain the same benchmark because doing so facilitates the ability to make useful year-to-year comparisons in terms of measuring progress. ACA Connects’ position came in comments filed with the agency on Sept. 18 in connection with the agency’s annual inquiry concerning deployment of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion. Read more ACA CONNECTS FILING 9/18: FCC Comments re Inquiry Concerning Deployment of Advanced Telecommunications Capability to All Americans in a Reasonable and Timely Fashion ACA CONNECTS: NEWS ACA Connects Statement on the Passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ACA Connects issued the following statement on the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “All of us at ACA Connects are so saddened to learn of the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her life stands as a testament to the rule of law and the fight for equality. Her strong voice and indomitable spirit will be missed. We thank her for her service to our nation, and we wish her family peace in their time of grief.” ACA CONNECTS ON TWITTER ACA CONNECTS: FILINGS ACA Connects has been actively representing independent cable in many other ways and on many issues in Washington, D.C. Those efforts are described in the filings, letters, and testimonies linked below for your review: 9/17: FCC Reply Comments re Accelerating Wireline Deployment by Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment 9/17: FCC Reply Comments re Establishing the Digital Opportunity Data Collection and Modernizing the FCC Form 477 Data Program 9/14: FCC Comments in Support of MCTV’s Petition for Reconsideration re International Bureau Releases List of Incumbent Earth Stations in the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band in the Contiguous United States 9/11: FCC Comments in Support of Hotwire’s Petition for Reconsideration re International Bureau Releases List of Incumbent Earth Stations in the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band in the Contiguous United States ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES Mediacom Opens Door To The '10G Smart Home' (Light Reading, 9/17) Billing itself as the first cable operator to field-test the industry's evolving "10G" platform, Mediacom Communications has teamed with a group of industry and tech partners to demonstrate the latest in hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network technologies and an array of bandwidth-intensive apps, including 8K video and a light field display. Mission Broadcasting Stations Go Dark To Dish (Next TV, 9/11) Mission Broadcasting’s television stations went dark to Dish Network subscribers on Sept. 11 after the company said it had failed to reach a retransmission consent agreement with the satellite TV service provider. Dish and Mission had warned their subscribers and viewers hours earlier that they were at an impasse concerning their retrans deal. FCC Proposes $10M In First-Ever Retrans Negotiation Fines – Next TV The FCC has voted to deny an appeal of its decision that eight station groups failed to negotiate retransmission consent in good faith and has further decided to propose each of the 18 stations at issue over $500,000 apiece. It is the first time the FCC has ever issued a forfeiture order for a failure to negotiate retransmission consent in good faith, as its rules require. Shentel Files For Blacksburg, Va., Franchise (Roanoke Times, 9/20) Shentel is looking to provide cable and Internet home services in Blacksburg, Va., a market dominated by telecom giant Comcast. Shentel is seeking a cable franchise with the town. The sought-after franchise agreement is a notable development for the area as it involves one major provider making a rare move to build a presence in a market already dominated by another company, Comcast. TDS Now Offering 1Gig Speeds In Hobbs, Eunice, New Mexico (Release, 9/11) TDS is now offering 1Gig Internet speeds in Hobbs and Eunice, New Mexico. Residential and business customers can now go faster than ever with a variety of high-speed Internet packages from TDS. “If speed is what you want, 1Gig is what you should get," says Julie Maiers, vice president of TDS Marketing and Product Development. Cogeco Calls Altice Bid A ‘Futile Exercise’ (Bloomberg, 9/16) Cogeco Inc., facing continued pressure from suitors Rogers Communications Inc. and Altice USA Inc., rejected takeover advances for at least the third time and said the companies were using bad-faith tactics to spur negotiations. In a testy letter to Rogers and Altice, Cogeco lead director James Cherry reiterated that the family-controlled cable provider isn’t for sale. “We will not engage in a futile exercise aimed at diverting the attention of management and key resources from our business operations while creating friction among our stakeholders,” he said. ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE Most-Clicked Links From Sept. 10 ACAction Brief: 1. Audet Family Will Not Support Altice Bid For Cogeco (Yahoo, 9/2) 2. Shentel Seeking Cable TV Franchise In Frederick, Md. (WFMD, 9/2) 3. FCC Abandons CableCARD, Navigation Devices Rule Review (Next TV, 9/4) ABOUT ACA CONNECTS Across this vast country, small and rural markets participate in the digital revolution by receiving video, broadband, and phone services from more than 700 small and medium-sized independent operators represented by ACA Connects - America’s Communications Association. ACA Connects' members -- cable, phone, and fiber-to-the- home operators and municipalities -- deliver affordable basic and advanced services to nearly 8 million households and businesses. ACA Connects members operate in every state, offering high-definition television, next generation Internet access, and digital phone service. Access to advanced communications is not a luxury but a critical necessity for consumers and companies, schools and hospitals. America's economic prosperity in smaller markets and rural areas depends on the growth and success of ACA Connects members, who believe a connected nation, is a united nation. ACA Connects asks lawmakers and regulators to ensure fair treatment so that small and medium-sized independent operators may continue to supply affordable video, broadband, and phone services to Main Street America. Through active participation in the policymaking process, ACA Connects members and leaders advocate for the interests of their customers, their companies, and their communities to help ensure the continued viability of their way of life in hometown America. For more information, visit www.acaconnects.org, or contact: Ross Lieberman, SVP Government Affairs 202-494-5661 | [email protected] Ted Hearn, VP Communications 202-713-0826 | [email protected] By clicking unsubscribe, your email address will be taken off all email distribution lists of ACA Connects - America's Communications Association. If you have clicked unsubscribe by accident and wish to re-subscribe, please call 412.922.8300. ​ ​ ​ ​.
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