PITTSBURGH, Nov. 8, 2022 – ACA Connects issued the following statement on the passing today of Mike Pandzik, the first person to head the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), which was originally called the National Cable Television Cooperative until it changed its name earlier this year.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mike Pandzik, who was not only a good friend to ACA Connects members but someone we always counted on to provide wise counsel and guidance, especially during our crucial early years when the organization was mapping big plans. On behalf of ACA Connects’ entire staff and membership, I want Mike’s family members to know that we are thinking of them at this difficult time,” ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer said.
When ACA Connects was getting started 30 years ago, NCTC under Mike Pandzik was a key source of funding used to establish ACA Connects at the leading voice of America’s independent video providers in Washington, D.C.
“Mike Pandzik was a great leader in our industry, and his vision led to the creation of NCTC, which stands strong today for ACA Connects members,” said former ACA Connects President and CEO Matt Polka. “But more than that, Mike was a warm and welcoming friend to me and ACA Connects in our earliest days and every day thereafter, and I will always be grateful to him.”
Pandzik led NCTC for 21 years, starting off in 1984 with about a dozen Midwestern cable companies with fewer than 110,000 subscribers. He retired in 2005. Over the years, NCTC stayed true to its mission as a co-op that negotiates contracts with cable and broadcast TV programmers as well as hardware vendors to help smaller video and broadband firms attain volume-price discounts normally realized by large companies.
About ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association –America’s Communications Association – ACA Connects is a trade organization representing approximately 500 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, video, and phone services covering 29.5 million households. ACA Connects Members operate in every state, providing advanced communications to connect homes, companies, main street, schools, hospitals and more. America’s economic prosperity in smaller communities and rural areas depends on the growth and success of ACA Connects Members, who believe a connected nation is a prosperous nation.