February 3, 2011

ACA’s 18th Annual Summit To Take Place April 11-13 At Hyatt Regency, Capitol Hill

Hot Button Issues: Retransmission Consent, The Hottest!

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 3, 2011 — The American Cable Association is pleased to announce that this year’s

ACA Summit will take place April 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill.  The ACA Summit is one of the cable industry’s major events where smaller, independent and competitive cable operators converge on Washington, D.C., to share their public policy concerns and views with Obama Administration officials, key players from Capitol Hill and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as members of the print and electronic media.

This year’s event will mark the 18th ACA Summit, traditionally the most important forum nationally for highlighting the critical role that nearly 1,000 independent cable operators play in providing advanced communications services in remote areas of the country. The theme for this year’s show, “Turning Up The Heat,” properly reflects ACA’s ongoing need to seek opportunities for public engagement on a number of critical issues in 2011, including retransmission consent, Universal Service Fund reform, AllVid, the CALM Act, and online privacy.

“A secure future for the small cable operator industry is vital to millions of Americans in every corner of our country, especially in smaller markets and competitive areas where ACA members have been the leading communications providers,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. “ACA members will indeed continue to ‘Turn Up The Heat’ so policymakers always know that the costs of disproportionate regulation are high and necessary to prevent.”

ACA has already begun the hard work of developing proposals for reforming communications policies that have the most dramatic impact on small and midsize cable providers. ACA’s 18th Summit is a major conference for underscoring that ACA members are in the best position to fulfill the broadband infrastructure needs of rural America and competitive areas, where the smallest firms now have the necessary tools to reach consumers on a global scale.

Hundreds of ACA members will attend the ACA Summit for the purpose of informing policymakers of their unique concerns and their interest in seeing telecommunications policy look beyond the realm of the big players. The ACA Summit is a venue for an open discussion on crafting smart rules and regulations within the context of a fluid and dynamic market environment that represents a day-to-day challenge to small companies with above-average costs, limited resources and many competitive threats.

The three-day event will also include ACA member meetings on Capitol Hill and public sessions on regulatory and legislative issues. A lobbying preparation session, networking events, and an expanded exhibit hall for programmers, technology vendors, and service providers round out the Summit’s list of key events.

ACA is currently seeking exhibitors and sponsors for the event. Interested parties should contact Stacey Leech at [email protected] or (412)-922-8300, ext. 15.

Further information about the ACA Summit 2011 agenda and the exciting lineup of speakers will be made available on the ACA Summit 2011 Web site closer to the time of the event.

To register and learn more about ACA Summit 2011, please visit: ACA Summit.org

About the American Cable Association

Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 900 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7.6 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/