May 10, 2021

ACA Connects Says, “Thank You, C-SPAN Bus!”

PITTSBURGH, May 10, 2021 – ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement on news that the C-SPAN Bus will be leaving the road after more than two decades of public service:

“Usually the refrain is, ‘Thank you C-SPAN.’ But now it’s time to say, ‘Thank you, C-SPAN Bus,’ on word that the cable-created public affairs channel has decided to take this icon-on-wheels off the road for good.

“At ACA Connects, we took the news hard. For decades, the C-SPAN Bus was a fixture at our industry’s national conventions and in our Members’ communities, and the C-SPAN Bus served as a reminder that C-SPAN’s leaders had crafted an astonishingly powerful approach to drawing cable companies and their customers closer together. When the C-SPAN Bus rolled into town, it was a celebrity, it drew a crowd, it inspired students, and it showed how great the cable industry has been for America.

“The C-SPAN Bus checked a lot of boxes. The 50 Capitals Tour was special, which included the 2018 visit to Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, connecting Americans to a part of their past that many don’t have time to visit in person. For those who don’t live in Hawaii, the C-SPAN Bus taught that the USS Arizona has meaning that goes far beyond the name of our 48th State.

“If there’s a symbol that represents cable’s leadership in promoting diversity in American media and highlights its leaders’ entrepreneurial spirit best captured today by the near-ubiquitous deployment of high-quality broadband Internet access, it’s the C-SPAN Bus. It may be pulling into the garage for the last time, but the C-SPAN Bus will live on in the memories of everyone it touched.”

About ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association – Based in Pittsburgh, ACA Connects is a trade organization representing more than 600 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, phone and video services to nearly 8 million customers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA Connects’ members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their businesses. For more information, visit: https://www.acaconnects.org