PITTSBURGH, May 16, 2018 – American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the following statement regarding today’s vote on Senate Joint Resolution 52:
“Crafting reasonable, workable, and durable open Internet rules can be done, but it takes a serious effort. Senate Joint Resolution 52, which will not be enacted, is not it. The members of the American Cable Association believe it is time for all sides of this debate to come together to move open Internet legislation that once and for all establishes permanent rules prohibiting blocking and throttling and are applicable not just to ISPs but to all participants in the Internet-based economy. This legislation should also ensure ISPs are not regulated as common carriers. This century-old regulatory regime only serves to hamper the ability of smaller providers to invest in their networks, which are critical to their customers and closing the digital divide in rural America. The legislation should additionally permit ISPs to engage in reasonable network management and offer specialized services.
“Until such time that real ‘Net Neutrality’ legislation becomes law, customers of ISPs, particularly smaller ISPs, can rest assured they will be able to reach lawful Internet content of their choice and won’t find their access blocked, degraded, or otherwise inhibited. Customers of ACA members are their friends and neighbors, and ACA members pride themselves on giving customers reliable, high-performance broadband service. ACA members have no incentive or ability to harm upstream edge and content providers, and, quite frankly, just as in the video programming world, ACA members are more likely to be leveraged by edge players, to the detriment of ISPs’ customers.”
About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing about 800 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/