Feb. 23, 2021 - Public Issue

ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS

ACA Connects Supports FCC’s Effort to Use the E-Rate Program to Facilitate Online Classroom Learning for All Students

ACA Connects called on the Federal Communications Commission to use E-Rate funds promptly to adopt a targeted remote learning program for in-need students during the COVID emergency.

ACA Connects — in its Feb.16 comments filed in response to the FCC’s Feb. 1 Public Notice — explained that such a program is critical because so many schools throughout the country have closed their doors and are engaging in virtual learning, yet far too many students cannot afford the robust broadband connectivity required for online learning. As a result, these in-need students are in real jeopardy of missing out on critical months, if not years, of schooling.

“In-need students often face challenges that well-off students do not, and we owe it to them to ensure they do not fall behind during the COVID emergency because they cannot engage in online learning due to a lack of broadband connectivity. This is especially the case because the FCC’s E-Rate program provides a ready avenue to address this concern. The FCC should act promptly to adopt rules and requirements to establish this new emergency program,” ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.

In its comments, ACA Connects proposed that the FCC recognize that the home is often the new “classroom” for many in-need students during the pandemic. Read more.

ACA Filing 2/16: Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program

ACA Video 2/17: Just Filed (Ep1): ACAC's Comments before the FCC re Addressing the Homework Gap Through E-Rate

ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers Congratulates Sen. Maria Cantwell On Her Historic Selection As The First Woman To Chair The Senate Commerce Committee

ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers, who is President of BOYCOM Vision in Poplar Bluff, Mo., issued the following statement Feb. 15 on the selection of Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) as the first woman to chair the Senate Commerce Committee:

“On behalf of all of us at ACA Connects and from here in the Boot Heel of rural Missouri, I just want to take a moment to congratulate and welcome Sen. Maria Cantwell as the first woman to chair the Senate Commerce Committee.

“It is indeed a great privilege for us to work with you, and we look forward to working with you leader-to-leader on important communications issues that truly unite our country.

“Whether in Missouri or Washington, we are connected in so many ways that affect the lives of families, students, communities and local businesses. Chairwoman Cantwell, we are committed at ACA Connects to serve all of our communities, and you can count on our and my productive and straight-forward voice to help you every step of the way!” 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:

2/16: D.C. Circuit Motion for Leave to Intervene re California Public Utilities Commission v FCC (Restoring Internet Freedom Order on Remand) 2/11: FCC Ex Parte Letter re Emergency Broadband Benefit Program 2/10: FCC Ex Parte re Emergency Broadband Benefit Program w/ Office of Acting Chairwoman 2/10: FCC Ex Parte re Emergency Broadband Benefit Program w/ Office of Cmmsr Simington

ACA CONNECTS CLOSEUP VIDEO: JOHN M. HIGGINBOTHAM

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 (Twitter, Facebook etc.), 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 video, meet John M. Higginbotham, ACA Connects EVP Member Services & Finance/Chief of Staff, former Assistant General Manager of Telecommunications at the Frankfort Plant Board in Kentucky, former NCTC Board Member, amateur Civil War historian and lover all things Ford Mustang.

Click here to view.

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES

Cable One Stays On M&A Tear (Light Reading, 2/16) Cable One is expanding through acquisitions again, this time inking a deal to acquire the equity interests of Hargray Acquisition Holdings that it does not already own. The deal comes together roughly four months after Cable One grabbed a minority stake in Hargray through a transaction that had Cable One contribute its Anniston, Alabama-area systems to Hargray in exchange for a 15% piece of the company. The new deal, which will have Cable One acquire the rest of Hargray, implies a $2.2 billion total enterprise value for 100% of the equity interests of Hargray on a debt-free and cash-free basis.

Comporium Awarded a $2.8 Million ‘GREAT’ Grant (Release, 2/12) Brevard, N.C.-- Comporium will bring faster broadband speeds to areas of Transylvania county with a $2.8 million grant from North Carolina’s Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Program. All together, the improvements will require over $7 million. The project includes the construction of 105 miles of fiber optic cable that will provide service to over 800 customers using a partnership arrangement with Haywood Electric Membership Corporation (EMC).

ISPs Prepare for Flood of Broadband Billions (Next TV, 2/22) The FCC is getting a lot of help in deciding how to spend the $3.2 billion — and potentially much more — set aside by Congress in a December COVID-19 relief bill for an Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund (EBB), as well as new pandemic-driven investment being teed up. Congress is requiring the agency to make all that money available for an Internet service available at a $50-per-household discount ($75 on tribal lands).

TDS Telecom To Double Fiber Footprint In 2021 (Fierce Telecom, 2/22) TDS Telecom is ramping up its fiber expansion efforts. TDS executives said that in 2020 the company spent about $130 million to deploy fiber in existing and new markets. However, in 2021 the company wants to be even more aggressive with its fiber and will spend $220 million on expanding its fiber to more addresses. By 2024 the company plans to have 625,000 total fiber services addresses, which will be more than 50% of its total coverage area.

FCC's Simington Warns of Title II-Driven 'Artificial' Crisis (Next TV, 2/16) New Republican FCC commissioner Nathan Simington can clearly see the Title II-based net neutrality reg handwriting on the wall, now that Democrats will control the FCC, but wants make sure its proponents consider the potential message it will send to the financial markets and the possibility of an artificial broadband infrastructure crisis created by government.

Frontier Raises ‘Inet Infrastructure Surcharge’ To $7 (Ars Technica, 2/12) Frontier Communications is raising its "Internet Infrastructure Surcharge" from $4 to $7 later this month, widening the gap between its advertised broadband prices and the actual prices customers pay. The Internet Infrastructure Surcharge began at $1.99 in 2017 and rose to $3.99 the next year. It's going up again this month, Frontier told customers in a message on their billing statements, the company confirmed in a new FAQ on its website.

Comcast Discloses 9.3% Stake in Fubo TV (Media Play News, 2/15) Comcast has acquired a 9.3% minority stake in fubo TV, the online TV subscription service featuring live sports and soon gambling. The corporate parent to NBCUniversal and Peacock and Xumo streaming services, disclosed the stake in a Feb. 12 fiscal filing.

Sparklight Extends Relief to Texas Areas Impacted by Storm – (Release, 2/17) As nonprofit organizations work to provide food and shelter for Texas residents impacted by Winter Storm Uri, Sparklight, part of the Cable One family of brands, has donated $15,000, along with food and supplies to support relief efforts in the markets it serves. Funds have been distributed to local non-profit agencies, including the Salvation Army.

ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE

Most-Clicked Links From Feb. 9, 2021 ACAction Brief:

1. Shentel To Issue $18.75 Per Share Special Dividend (Release, 2/3)

2. Vexus Fiber Begins Construction In Wichita Falls, Texas (Release, 2/2)

3. DOJ Drops Challenge to California Net Neutrality Law (Next TV, 2/8)

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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