Testimonials
If you haven’t attended the Summit before, it might be a little daunting. We get it, and we have you covered! We provide talking points for the meetings, assign a person who can lead the discussion, and pair first-time attendees with seasoned veterans. We also host a pre-Summit webinar to answer all questions and concerns regarding the congressional appointments. Plus, our staff stands ready to help you with whatever you need!
Hear from Past Attendees
We’ve asked two first-time attendees (one operator member and one vendor), to talk about their experience at #Summit2024! Hear directly from your colleagues about their takeaways from the show and how they would recommend it to others! Read the testimonials below from Chad Governale from LUS Fiber and Steve Blazenko from GSS Inc.
We’ve asked two veteran attendees (one operator member and one vendor), to talk about their experience at Summit and why they make it a priority to attend. Read the testimonials below from Chad Winters from Cable TV Services and Marc Cohen from Evolution Digital.
Chad Governale
First and foremost, to have your company’s voice heard by the only people who can help make a difference in your operations—the people in Congress and or the Senate. They can help remove current legislation that hinders growth and expansion as well as ease existing regulatory burdens. At the same time, they can help add legislation to help promote growth and remove barriers that currently prevent it as well.
The second reason to attend is the discussion panels allow you to gain insight from policymakers because the people on these panels usually have their pulse on what’s taking place on Capitol Hill.
And last but not least, for the valuable networking opportunities that present themselves with people just like you in the cable, telecom and broadband industries.
Well, the question itself is almost the answer in a way. I’ve been in a Regulatory Compliance/Government Affairs role for almost 16 years now and for the most part, it was not my decision not to attend, but primarily a company-wide travel expense constraint. This year we were allotted more travel and training expenses in our budget, so I decided to give the ACA Summit a try. During a busy network expansion election cycle, I wanted to make sure LUS Fiber’s voice was heard with our area congressmen and congresswomen.
As a result of attending the Summit and taking personal time to do a White House Tour, I was greeted in person at the White House tour entrance by Congressman Clay Higgins Chief of Staff Andrew David. We got along very well as I found out he was from Lake Charles, LA which is only a little more than an hour’s drive from where I lived in Lafayette, LA. We exchanged phone numbers and he told me that if there was anything pressing that we wanted to get in front of Congressman Higgins, he would be glad to assist. Outside of that, we agreed to get together next time he was back down in the Louisiana area.
Other than that, I met a few people that I haven’t routinely seen at the TIS and many who I already knew. I already have pretty strong relationships with the people that I already knew but was able to gain the trust and knowledge of the others that I didn’t know.
The first thing I would tell them is if they have never been to Washington, D.C., then take a few personal days before or after the Summit like I did and immerse themselves into the museums, monuments, and war memorials. Go visit Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, and the fairly new District Wharf area. Set up an appointment in advance through your local congressman to tour the White House. And make sure you have an adequate amount of money for Ubers or Taxi’s in the process. The Summit also is a great networking opportunity with other fellow ACA members and vendors that are present. The guest speakers that they invite are some of the best you can get in their respective professions.
Steve Blazenko
The major factor in deciding to attend was the opportunity to meet and network with leaders in the cable and fiber industries. Also, the pre-event publications gave the impression that the Summit was very well organized, which turned out to be true. There are very few industry events that provide such a strong overall program and willingness of the attendees to collaborate on solutions. Our firm has spent more than 29 years deploying fiber and telecom projects and the Summit looked (and turned out to be) a great addition to our marketing efforts. In addition, the cost was reasonable given the networking and educational opportunities.
I would strongly suggest that prospective vendors make the decision to attend future Summits. The overall program is fantastic and the networking opportunities are plentiful. One aspect that separates the Summit from other conventions/meetings I have attended is that the cable-provider members are accessible, friendly, and eager to meet with vendors that can provide proven and cost-effective solutions to their objectives. So often the end users of the services we provide are unavailable or unwilling to sit down with new vendors but this was not the case at the Summit. The overall program was well designed and addressed many aspects of various industry topics and challenges.
With the impending implementation of BEAD, having the opportunity to hear from folks such as multiple FCC commissioners and a sitting United States Senator was extremely pertinent. Other shows/conventions might highlight one such official but I have never seen this many on the same day. Each official has a different opinion and outlook on pending fiber deployment so having the opportunity to hear multiple perspectives was very informative. It allowed the attendees to gain a well-rounded view of upcoming challenges rather than the narrower perspective gained by hearing from a single commissioner or elected official. Panel speakers at the Summit were totally relevant to the industry which is both unusual and refreshing.
The ROI has proven to be outstanding. It is always a daunting task to evaluate potential ROI and benefits when assessing whether or not to attend an event for the first time. The Summit was no different in that we did not have the benefit of having attended previous Summits nor did we have close relationships with vendors that historically attend. That said, the contacts and business generated from the Summit was outstanding. We would have spent several times more money attempting to meet the plethora of industry representatives that were all at the Summit. The single trip to DC would have become a dozen or more trips to various locations across the USA in order to meet and get to know the Summit attendees. In addition, the cable providers that attended the Summit are all actively seeking deployment solutions; thus they sent decision makers to the event.
The simplest way to describe this is to say that there is simply no similar event (that we have encountered) that provides top-notch networking opportunities for the vendor attendees. We all attend shows covering various industries and in most cases the number of decision makers is few or the ones who are there are reluctant to meet with new vendors. The Summit was a totally different culture than other events in that the end-users were very open to dialog and exploring solutions provided by vendors that they had not worked with previously. The overall Summit schedule is a great mix of education and networking opportunities. The networking events were well scattered in the program which hopefully helps the provider members to not feel inundated or that they do not get a break from those of us looking for a few minutes of their time. There is a camaraderie at the Summit between vendors and end-users that we have not experienced at other events.
Chad Winters
There are multiple reasons to attend the Summit. Attending offers us an opportunity to network with peers and vendors, hear some amazing presenters, such as FCC Commissioners, but the main reason we attend is because the government plays a significant role in our operations. It is my job to bring awareness of the positive and negative impacts our leaders can directly have on our business. We realize the value of building new relationships and strengthening our existing relationships with Members of Congress and their staff, so we can continue to operate our businesses and provide our customers with quality services.
After attending several lobby days, you realize there are going to be good and bad meetings. It is the good meetings that really stand out. There are a couple of Summit experiences I would like to highlight.
In 2008, I met with Mike, who was a staff member for Rep. Phil Hare. I had met with Mike multiple times, including the 2009 and 2010 lobby days. Our meetings were always productive, with a lot of back-and-forth discussion. It was not until after my second lobby day visit with Mike that I realized the true value of the relationship we started. Mike called me on a Saturday while I was at home to discuss a piece of legislation he was reviewing. He wanted to know the impact it could have on us. This instance really opened my eyes to the impact I can have by attending the Summit on a regular basis.
Over the years, I have met with Rep. Darin LaHood’s office multiple times. Several of those meetings were with Mary Ellen, from Rep. LaHood’s staff. During that time, we had built a relationship and I became a resource for their office. Mary Ellen has reached out on a few occasions to get my input on topics like the RDOF auction and broadband mapping. Rep. LaHood and Mary Ellen have also been a valuable resource for our company. The Representative has supported positive legislation and signed onto letters to the FCC on our behalf.
I would tell them to have patience. It takes time to build your relationship with the Member of Congress and their staff. You have to continually make an effort to stay in contact with them by sending follow-up emails to the staff or attending their local events. You could even offer to host a local event for them or invite them to your facilities to see how you are making life better for their constituents.
I have always appreciated how the ACA Connects staff is able to line up Members of Congress, their staff, and FCC Commissioners to speak at the Summit. One presenter who stands out is former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. We have been fortunate to hear from him on multiple occasions. He is a phenomenal public speaker and he always made me feel like he was very passionate about the work he was doing at the FCC.
I don’t think I can shout this loud enough, but “You are not alone!” Every operator at the show deals with the headaches that come from things like retransmission consent, pole attachments, right-of-way access and more. The Summit provides you direct access to fellow operators who have lived through those headaches and can be a resource to help you. You also have access to several vendors who have listened to the operators and have been working on solutions to help us.
Marc Cohen
As a partner to the independent service provider community, it is important for Evolution to support ACA Connects and similar organizations that help make the industry strong and vibrant. Our partner companies have always indicated the need for strong support of ACA Connects, and Evolution has always agreed. The voice that ACAC gives us and our partners in Washington, D.C., is critical work.
First-time Summit2025 participants should work with the ACA Connects staff to create a unique sponsorship plan to get as much exposure as possible. Unlike other industry events, the C-level attendees of the Summit truly appreciate the sponsors enable this event to be vibrant and well-attended. It is also important to have a plan in-place to reach out and secure meetings with targeted executives prior to the show.
Participants will find the ACA Summit to be a unique experience in the landscape of tradeshows available all year long. Also having direct access to the conversations that drive the legislative agenda of the industry enlightens Evolution for our long-term planning and positioning of products and services to optimally position our organization.t.
Summit2025 is an intimate setting that allows for longer and more meaningful conversations. The insight gained from the sessions allows for a different type of interaction with attendees. Hearing and knowing the legislative items impacting service providers businesses allow for a more insightful strategic approach to meeting with and understanding the issues impacting the growth of our service provider partners.
Join Us in DC!
You’re invited to connect with colleagues, gain insight from policymakers and engage with vendors from across the industry during our Summit 2025.
