May 18, 2021 - Public Issue

ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS

ACA Connects Chairman Boyers and CEO Polka Issue Statement on Launch of the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

ACA Connects leaders – Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers and ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka — issued the following statement on the May 12 launch of the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program, a $3.2 billion broadband subsidy program that will connect eligible households with free or discounted broadband service during COVID-19.

Commented CEO Polka:

“ACA Connects is proud that more than 300 of our member companies have elected to participate in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. Through this program, ACA Connects members will connect eligible households with robust, high-speed broadband service that can support enhanced connectivity needs – for online learning, telehealth and more. The EBB program builds on the substantial efforts that ACA Connects members have undertaken throughout COVID-19 to help their customers and their communities make it through this unprecedented crisis. We applaud the FCC and USAC for all of the hard work that culminated in today’s launch of this important new program.”

Commented Chairman Boyers, who is President of BOYCOM Vision in Poplar Bluff, Mo.:

“The EBB program offers a tremendous opportunity to help struggling households overcome the challenges of COVID-19, but it is a temporary program with limited funds. The next step is to develop a permanent, sustainable funding mechanism for delivering enhanced broadband connectivity to low-income households going forward. ACA Connects is encouraged by discussions taking place in Congress to make this concept a reality, and we are committed to supporting these efforts in any way we can.”

A list of ACA Connects members that have elected to participate in the EBB program can be found here.

ACA Connects Statement on FCC Adoption of the Emergency Connectivity Fund Order

ACA Connects Sr. Vice President of Government Affairs Ross Lieberman issued the following statement on May 11 on adoption of the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund Order:

“ACA Connects supports the FCC’s order adopting rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund, which will support broadband connectivity for remote learning. The new rules properly support providing broadband connectivity for students during the remainder of the COVID emergency and correctly rely on existing providers to offer broadband service and enable all providers in a market to participate in the program.

“ACA Connects members have long stood by and supported their communities and their customers so they can have essential broadband connectivity. This has been especially true during the COVID emergency as our members have stepped up to work with schools, communities, and not-for-profit organizations to provide students with connectivity for remote learning.” Read more.

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS

ACA Connects Says, “Thank You, C-SPAN Bus!”

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following May 10 statement on news that the C-SPAN Bus will be leaving the road after more than two decades of public service:

“Usually the refrain is, ‘Thank you C-SPAN.’ But now it’s time to say, ‘Thank you, C-SPAN Bus,’ on word that the cable-created public affairs channel has decided to take this icon- on-wheels off the road for good.

“At ACA Connects, we took the news hard. For decades, the C-SPAN Bus was a fixture at our industry’s national conventions and in our Members’ communities, and the C-SPAN Bus served as a reminder that C-SPAN’s leaders had crafted an astonishingly powerful approach to drawing cable companies and their customers closer together. When the C- SPAN Bus rolled into town, it was a celebrity, it drew a crowd, it inspired students, and it showed how great the cable industry has been for America.

“The C-SPAN Bus checked a lot of boxes. The 50 Capitals Tour was special, which included the 2018 visit to Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, connecting Americans to a part of their past that many don’t have time to visit in person. For those who don’t live in Hawaii, the C- SPAN Bus taught that the USS Arizona has meaning that goes far beyond the name of our 48th State.” Read more.

ACA CONNECTS CLOSEUP: ROSS LIEBERMAN ACACloseup Videos: You work with us every day and talk via phone, Zoom and email, but what do you really know about your ACA Connects Team? Here’s the chance to meet us “close up.”

We’ll post a new ACACloseup video in our ACAction Brief, our Daily Media Sweep and on social media, giving you insight into the background, experience, favorite teams and fun things about your ACA Connects Team Members. We had fun doing these videos for you, and we’re glad to tell you more about us!

You can find all our ACACloseup videos on our ACAConnects website

In this staff video, meet Ross Lieberman, ACA Connects Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, which mainly involves leading the trade group’s advocacy before Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. Ross, who joined ACA Connects in 2007, says his goal is ensure that ACA Connects develops a consistent approach to its advocacy and stays in touch with members to find out what they want to achieve. Married and the father of two boys, Ross does not have a lot of spare time. But when he gets a break, Ross is a big N.Y. Mets baseball fan and a craft beer enthusiast, as his Tweeter feed will attest.

Watch Video

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES

Mediacom Takes Iowa Google Fiber Complaint to FCC (Fierce Telecom, 5/13) Mediacom escalated a battle with the city of West Des Moines, Iowa, asking the FCC to review what it claimed was an illegal deal between the municipality and Google Fiber. Thomas Larsen, Mediacom’s SVP of government and public relations, told Fierce its request to the FCC “is the first Section 253 petition Mediacom has ever filed,” adding “it is a truly unique situation that we’ve encountered in West Des Moines.”

Fact-Checking Biden/Harris On Broadband Affordability (Forbes, 5/6) Joe Biden and Kamala Harris say Americans pay too much for the Internet and more than people in many other countries. Both these claims are false, and this article explains why. These assertions are based upon a multi-year advocacy campaign under the rubric of Cost of Connectivity by the Google-backed New America Foundation (NAF). TDS Reaches Major Milestone: A Half Million Broadband Subs (Release,5/11) TDS is proud to announce it has reached a major milestone: a half million broadband subscribers. The achievement was shared in the telecommunications company’s first quarter earnings report, which showed strong broadband connection growth and a 4% increase in revenues during the first three months of the year. TDS also reported it is delivering 1 Gigabit internet speeds to more than half of its total service addresses.

TiVo Pays $18.5 Million at Auction to Buy MobiTV (Next TV, 5/12) TiVo has emerged as the winning bidder for bankrupt IPTV solutions provider MobiTV, paying $18.5 million to beat out a competitive joint bid from Amino Technologies and Roku over the course of a two-day auction process. Emeryville, Calif.-based MobiTV represented a competitor for TiVo in the market for delivering IPTV solutions to cable companies. TiVo's bid includes $17.4 million in cash.

AT&T Unveils $43B Deal To Merge WarnerMedia With Discovery (CNBC, 5/17) AT&T announced a deal to combine its content unit WarnerMedia with Discovery, paving the way for one of Hollywood’s biggest studios to compete with media giants Netflix and Disney. Under the agreement, AT&T will unwind its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, which closed just under three years ago, and form a new media company with Discovery.

Shentel Expands its Beam Internet Service In Virginia (Release, 5/13) Shetel announced the expansion of high-speed Internet access to New Canton, Mount Jackson and Dillwyn, Virginia through Beam, its new fixed wireless broadband service. This expansion will benefit approximately 2,700 target households within Buckingham and Shenandoah Counties in northwestern Virginia and is part of a larger expansion that has already made service available to over 15,000 households this year.

As Congress Dithers, States Step In to Set Internet Rules (N.Y. Times, 5/14) News outlets in Florida may soon be able to sue Facebook and Twitter if the social media companies take down their content. Arkansans shopping on Amazon will be able to see contact information for third-party merchants, which the site won’t be required to show people outside the state.

ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE

Most-Clicked Links From May 5, 2021 ACAction Brief:

1. Blackstone Announces Investment in Hotwire (Release, 4/29)

2. Cable One Completes Acquisition Of Hargray (Release, 5/3)

3. Big 5 TV Networks Down 12% In Prime-Time (Media Post, 4/30)

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 600 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]

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