September 17, 2014

ACA Commends Senate Commerce Committee Passage of STAVRA

PITTSBURGH, September 17, 2014 – American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement regarding Senate Commerce Committee passage of the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act (STAVRA):

“ACA salutes Sen. Rockefeller and Sen. Thune for their hard work over many months leading up to today’s important Senate Commerce Committee vote to approve the Satellite Television Access and Viewer Rights Act, a bill that makes big strides in reforming several outdated video competition laws, especially retransmission consent.

“Sen. Rockefeller and Sen. Thune deserve high praise for drafting a bill that represents a clear break with the status quo, and their cooperative approach affirms our faith in the notion that bipartisanship is an essential ingredient to producing good public policy. ACA thanks all members of the Senate Commerce Committee for their work on and their passage of STAVRA.

“ACA’s support for STAVRA is firm and unequivocal, and the independent cable community looks forward to securing final Senate and House approval of this badly needed pro-consumer, pro-competition measure before the end of the year.”

About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing about 850 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/