PITTSBURGH, July 9, 2021 – The following statement can be attributed to ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka:
“ACA Connects — which represents more than 600 smaller providers of video, broadband, and voice services to more than 11 million customers nationally — welcomes President Biden’s focus on promoting competition in our economy. Every day our members are unfairly leveraged by large video programmers and broadcast station groups, causing our customers’ video rates to soar.
“These same members fear that dominant Internet platforms and powerful streaming services may choose not to make their services available to the subscribers of some smaller ISPs. These concerns abound while our members spend billions of dollars annually to upgrade their robust, reliable broadband networks to provide even greater performance in some of the hardest-to-reach areas in the U.S.
“We urge the Biden Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to address the competitive issues we raise here, as well as the full spectrum of anticompetitive acts and practices in these sectors.”
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