May 5, 2021 - Public Issue
ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS
ACA Connects to FCC: Existing Broadband Service Providers Alone Can Provide Immediate Robust Connectivity for Remote Learning
The $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program, enacted as part of American Rescue Plan Act, provides a tremendous opportunity to address the remote learning needs of students and library patrons during the COVID emergency, according to ACA Connects.
In comments filed on April 23, ACA Connects urged the Federal Communications Commission to seize that opportunity by relying on existing broadband providers’ performance capabilities and coverage to supply the immediate connectivity required to fulfill the ECF’s mission.
The FCC is scheduled to adopt rules for the ECF on May 10, 2021.
“What is clear from the COVID lockdown is that our nation’s broadband providers have developed world-leading infrastructure, which has more than met the performance and reliability needs of Americans to interact, shop, and work from home. Moreover, over the past year, many of these providers have worked with schools, libraries, and community institutions to ensure students and others can engage in remote learning,” ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.
In implementing the Emergency Connectivity Fund, ACA Connects urged the FCC to build on these efforts by turning to ACA Connects Members who are broadband providers to provide the immediate connectivity required to make the program successful. Read more.
ACAC Comment 4/23: Emergency Connectivity Fund for Educational Connections and Devices to Address the Homework Gap During the Pandemic
ACA CONNECTS: NEWS ACA Connects Unveils Independent Communications News
ACA Connects on April 28 unveiled Independent Communications News, a new editorial product created by the ACAC staff with the goal of informing a readership brimming with curious and spirited digital entrepreneurs. The aim is to highlight the work of our Operator and Associate Members as well as underscore our organization’s focus on the key policy issues in Washington, D.C.
Click here to see the new Independent Communications News.
It’s important to highlight two important changes. From this point on, ICN will be all-digital, which furthers the goals of timely delivery, ease of storage and frictionless sharing. We’ve also changed the name from Independent Cable News to Independent Communications News.
“We are proud of our cable heritage, including this groundbreaking publication led for so many years by long-time Cable Pioneer and our Member Bob Searle, whom we greatly miss. But this small, yet significant, change reflects the ongoing consumer migration to broadband products, including video. Consumer behavior is still video centric but increasingly less so within the traditional cable TV space,” ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. Read more.
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:
4/29: FCC Ex Parte Letter re ACAM Broadband Coalition’s Petition for Expedited Rulemaking re Expanding Broadband Service through the ACAM Program
4/23: FCC Ex Parte Letter (w/ EducationSuperHighway, Benton Institute, and NTCA) to Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel and Cmmsrs Carr, Starks, and Simington re Emergency Connectivity Fund for Educational Connections and Devices to Address the Homework Gap During the Pandemic
4/20: FCC Comments re Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts ACA CONNECTS CLOSEUP: CAROLINE PERSINGER
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 ACACloseUp video, meet Caroline Persinger, a Pittsburgh native who was ACA Connects’ fourth employee, joining the organization in 2001 as executive assistant to ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka. Caroline was just promoted to Manager of Grassroots based on her long experience supervising the ACA PAC. In the press release on her appointment, Polka praised for her dedication and for being a “CAN DO” person. Away from the office, Caroline’s family includes two grandchildren under the age of three. She’s an avid gardener, big Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fan and a regular beachgoer to places like Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Watch Video
We have some exciting news to share: There will be an Independent Show in 2021 and we hope you can join us!
The dates are Oct. 4-6 and the location is Minneapolis, Minn.
Event organizers are already hard at work at developing show plans to make this year’s Independent Show both rewarding and memorable.
TIS 2021 will follow CDC guidelines and social distancing best practices.
Click the image above or here to see the ACA Connects-NCTC video announcement. ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES
Blackstone Announces Investment in Hotwire (Release, 4/29) Funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners announced an investment in Hotwire Communications, a leading provider of fiber-to-the-home in the United States. Kristin Johnson, CEO of Hotwire, said: “The Hotwire Team is thrilled with the partnership with Blackstone.
Cable One Completes Acquisition Of Hargray (Release, 5/3) Cable One announced the completion of its acquisition of the remaining equity interests in Hargray Acquisition Holdings that it did not already own. Hargray is a leading facilities- based regional communications provider serving nearly 125,000 residential and business customers in 14 markets across Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Hargray offers gigabit-capable services to approximately 99% of its customers.
Charter Loses 138K Pay-TV Subs in Q1 (Fierce Video, 4/30) After two consecutive quarters of surprising growth last year, Charter lost 138,000 video subscribers in the first quarter of 2021. The company dropped 156,000 residential video subscribers – more than the 155,000 combined it added during the second and third quarters of 2020.
Big 5 TV Networks Down 12% In Prime-Time (Media Post, 4/30) As the end of the TV season draws near, the major five U.S. English-speaking networks are poised for another dismal year. With just a few weeks to go before the official end of the TV season, total prime-time viewers dropped 12% to a collective 21.6 million viewers versus a year ago, for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, and the CW.
FCC To Launch $3.2B Broadband Subsidy May 12 (Reuters, 4/29) The FCC said it will launch on May 12 a temporary $3.2 billion program to provide lower- income Americans with discounts on monthly Internet service and on purchasing laptops or tablet computers. The discounts, which were funded by Congress in December, are worth up to $50 a month for Internet service, and up to $75 on federally recognized Tribal Lands.
VP Harris To Lead Getting Every American Online (Wash. Post, 4/29) Vice President Harris will lead the Biden administration's unprecedented effort to ensure every American has access to affordable, high-speed Internet. President Biden announced Harris would take the lead on the issue during his first address to a slimmed-down joint session of Congress.
‘Light Touch’ and Its Enemies (Commentary, 3/15) In explaining why the sky didn’t fall, Net Neutrality supporters sound a bit like Millennialist cultists who dutifully assemble on the mountaintop but fail to be transported to heaven on the predicted date. Slightly sheepish, but with their faith unshaken, they assure us: It’s definitely going to happen. It just hasn’t happened yet.
John Eggerton Retires As B+C, MCN Senior D.C. Editor (Next TV, 4/26) After more than four decades as a reporter, John Eggerton has retired as senior content producer, Washington, for Multichannel News, Broadcasting+Cable and NextTV.com but will remain a contributing editor, the Future-owned publications said.
ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE
Most-Clicked Links From April 20, 2021 ACAction Brief:
1. Mediacom Named Among Best Managed U.S. Private Cos. (MCN, 4/13)
2. GCI Mobile Data Speeds in Anchorage Outpace Major Cities (Release, 4/14)
3. Cable Operators Brace for Spike in NFL Costs (Next TV, 4/12) 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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