February 4, 2020 - Public Issue

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

ACA Connects Commends FCC On Adopting RDOF To Advance Rural Broadband Deployment In A Cost-Efficient Manner

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement on Jan. 30 commending the Federal Communications Commission on adoption of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF):

“Over the past decade, the FCC has made great progress in evolving its high-cost universal service programs so that existing providers are not overbuilt and funds are awarded more cost-effectively to providers offering higher- performance broadband service. Today’s adoption of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund by the FCC is a significant step in that evolution.

“By adopting a challenge process to ensure eligible areas are unserved and by using the ‘budget clearing round’ approach to awarding funds in the auction, the FCC will further ensure that residents and businesses at millions of unserved locations receive broadband service that is reasonably comparable to the service urban consumers receive. ACA Connects commends the Chairman and Commissioners for adopting this sound and forward-looking approach and instituting the new program.”

ACA Connects Applauds FCC For Allowing Cable Operators To Email Required Notices To TV Stations

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement on Jan. 30 applauding the FCC for allowing cable operators to use email to transmit required notices to TV stations:

“ACA Connects applauds the FCC for adopting a Report and Order that will allow cable operators to send required notices to broadcasters by email rather than certified mail. This transition to email delivery will reduce administrative burdens and environmental waste while ensuring that notices are still timely received. Today’s action is the latest in a series of FCC efforts to streamline and modernize its media regulations, and we look forward to working with the FCC on further reforms.”

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:

1/28: FCC Reply Comments re National Association of Broadcasters, et al. Petition or Reconsideration of Political File Orders

1/27: FCC Reply in Support re Viya’s Petition for Clarification or Reconsideration re The Uniendo Puerto Rico Fund and Connect USVI Fund, Connect America Fund, and ETC Annual Report and Certifications

1/24: FCC Ex Parte re Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and Connect America Fund w/ Offices of Chairman and Cmmsrs Carr, O’Rielly, Rosenworcel, and Starks

1/23: FCC Ex Parte Letter re Electronic Delivery of Notices to Broadcast Television Stations and Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative

ACA CONNECTS: PODCASTS

PREVIOUS PODCASTS:

Phil Spencer, President & CEO of MegaBroadband: Stitcher | ACA Connects: The Hub | Apple | Spotify | iHeart

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES

Hargray Acquires Electronet Broadband Communications (Release, 2/3) Hargray Fiber, a regional communications provider and metro-fiber overbuilder, announced that it has purchased Electronet, a fiber-based broadband communications company operating in Tallahassee, Fl. The transaction further expands Hargray's network in the southeast and positions the company to offer Electronet's customers and the broader commercial market a more robust suite of communications services. YouTube Is A $15 Billion-A-Year Business For Google (The Verge, 2/3) On an annual basis, Google says YouTube generated $15 billion last year and contributed roughly 10% to all Google revenue. The announcement marks the first time in YouTube’s nearly 15 years as a Google-owned platform, since Google bought the website in 2006 for $1.65 billion, that the company has revealed how much money YouTube-hosted ads contribute to the search giant’s bottom line.

Cox Urges Judge To Nix $1 Billion Piracy Verdict (Media Post, 2/3) ISP Cox Communications is asking a federal judge to reverse a jury's decision requiring the company to pay record labels $1 billion over piracy by subscribers. In papers filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Cox argues it took steps to stem copyright infringement by users and therefore isn't responsible for their piracy.

TV Retrans Battles Spill Into Streaming (Axios, 2/3) Roku and Fox reached a distribution agreement on Jan.31, narrowly avoiding a programming blackout that could have otherwise left TV viewers unable to watch the Super Bowl on their Roku devices. The companies were at odds over Roku's contract to carry Fox content, which expired Jan. 31 without a renewal deal in place. The dayslong spat meant that all Fox apps on Roku's platform were be unavailable until a new contract was brokered.

Microsoft's President: We Need More Tech Regulation (MCN, 1/30) Microsoft President Brad Smith is calling for more regulation of tech companies. He says those businesses need to step up and provide more self-regulation, but "we do think we need more regulation of technology." Smith said his company would like to see a strong national privacy law and has been advocating for that for years. He gave a shout out to California's new privacy law.

Macquarie Fund Makes Rival Bid For Cincinnati Bell (Bloomberg, 1/30) A Macquarie Group Ltd. infrastructure fund has made an unsolicited offer for Cincinnati Bell Inc., potentially upsetting the telecommunications company’s deal with Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. Cincinnati Bell said it had received a bid of $12 a share.

AT&T Telco Loses 1.2 Million TV Subscribers (Variety, 2/29) AT&T’s top line was stung by its investment in HBO Max in the fourth quarter of 2019 to the tune of $1.2 billion in “foregone licensing revenues.” The telco also continued to see rapid deterioration in its pay-TV business, losing a total of nearly 1.2 million subscribers in Q4. WarnerMedia — comprising Turner, HBO and Warner Bros. — saw Q4 revenue drop 3.3% to $8.9 billion, while operating income fell 9.5% to $2.4 billion.

ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE

Most-Clicked Links From Jan. 22 ACAction Brief: Atlantic Broadband Buying Thames Valley Comm. (Release,1/10) NBCU: Streamer Peacock Will Be Free With Ads (N.Y. Post, 1/16) TiVo Seeks 'Win' In Streaming Wars With New Device (Light Reading, 1/14)

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]

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