PITTSBURGH, December 20, 2017 — American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement regarding Wave Broadband’s Federal Communications Commission petition again Comcast-affiliated regional sports networks for engaging in conduct designed to undermine Wave’s ability to compete in the market:
“Comcast’s behavior is outrageous. For years, ACA has drawn the FCC’s attention to the severe harms that a cable-affiliated programmer like Comcast-NBCU can cause to competitors and their subscribers. We’ve called on the FCC to be vigilant in protecting consumers. Just last month, ACA highlighted the unreasonable minimum-penetration requirements imposed by Comcast-NBCU’s regional sports networks. These requirements prevent Comcast’s competitors from broadly offering an inexpensive ‘broadcast basic/ service tier that viewers increasingly desire. We don’t find it surprising that the programmer most aggressively seeking to prevent ACA members from offering their customers a popular service tier has especially high levels of vertical integration. And Wave is by no means alone in being subject to Comcast’s unreasonable demands. Other, smaller operators suffer as well. This must stop.”
About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 750 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for nearly 7 million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their business. For more information, visit https://acaconnects.org/