At The Independent Show in Salt Lake City, America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects) presented a gameplan for hundreds of independent broadband providers to win in the regulatory arena and go for the gold.
As Grant Spellmeyer, America’s Communications Association President and CEO said, “ACA Connects brought an A-TEAM of our top legal, regulatory, and political experts to The Independent Show. We’re united behind the mission to help our Members win in Washington, D.C. We will continue to advance policies that support the ability for independent providers to grow, innovate, and compete.”
Stay Ahead of the Game: ACA Connects Power Panel on the Shifting Regulatory Landscape
In the first session of the day, this power panel of top legal experts and D.C. insiders provided a fast-paced, no-spin breakdown of the major regulatory shifts shaping broadband and telecom policy.
From the FCC’s sweeping deregulatory push, to the evolving state-by-state approach to BEAD, permitting, and the FCC’s Upper C-Band auction mandate from Congress, no topic was off the table to give the TIS audience confidence to advocate for their businesses to policymakers in the nation’s capital.
Connecting Utah: A Conversation with Congressman Mike Kennedy
Grant Spellmeyer then led a fireside chat with Congressman Mike Kennedy (R-UT-3), a fresh voice on Capitol Hill and a passionate advocate for Utah’s future. The pair discussed the power of a reliable, high-speed internet connection to improve people’s standard of living in remote areas of the country, including in medicine to make remote lifesaving surgeries possible for patients in rural hospitals. Congressman Kennedy also voiced his support to speed up the permitting process to deploy more broadband infrastructure.
Read more in Light Reading, “Indie cable ops brace for BEAD, the C-Band auction and possible changes to the Cable Act.”
“A group of top cable industry legal experts hit the stage Tuesday at The Independent Show in Salt Lake City to address some of the big regulatory issues hovering over small and midsized cable operators.
The discussion centered on the revised Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, how operators should prepare for the coming C-Band auction and a possible revamp of the 1992 Cable Act.”
The Future of Government Broadband Funding
In an afternoon breakout session, Max Staloff, ACA Connects Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, led a panel with David Hymas, VP, Law & Corporate Advocacy and General Counsel for GCI, Thomas Cohen, Attorney, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, and Jenny Forrest, Vice President with The Alpine Group. Each offered their insights on what’s next for the BEAD program, how Congress may tackle USF reform, the importance of the government using accurate broadband maps, and more.
What’s Next for the FCC?
Bill Tortoriello, ACA Connects VP of Technology and Policy, led a discussion on all the changes happening at the FCC and what priorities Chairman Brendan Carr plans to tackle next. Brian Hurley, SVP, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Paul Hudson, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine, and Mike Nilsson, Partner, HWG LLP, broke down the legislative actions and legal decisions that are reshaping the agency’s mission and authority.
A special thanks to all the ACA Connects Members who joined us for The Independent Show! You are the champions in our industry– blazing the trail for a more connected America. We’ll gather again for our next big event, the ACA Connects Summit in Washington, D.C., March 3-5. See you there!