Day 3 of #TIS24 was jam-packed with programming from ACA Connects to help small, independent, and rural providers navigate the regulatory world so you can make the best decisions to grow your businesses and connect your communities.
ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer led a discussion with the ACA Connects government affairs team on the most pressing issue before Congress, the courts, and government agencies facing our industry.
Spellmeyer: “From historic bead funding, rate regulations, Title II, and digital discrimination, our industry has a tremendous amount of items going on and what I’ll call regulatory whiplash. We’re at a defining moment in history for our industry, and ACA Connects is here to help our Members navigate it all.”
ACA Connects Chair Patricia Jo Boyers on the value of joining ACA Connects: “We’re in a milestone moment… [ACA Connects] has spent the last 30 years laying the groundwork at the FCC, with Congress, with all our elected officials at our state levels and mostly federal levels to get things done.”
She added: “If you’re not a member of ACA Connects, see me after, and I can convince you to be a member because there’s no better investment in your company than this association.”
Curtis Philp, Senior Vice President with the Alpine Group on why this election matters: “We have a lot of important issues that we have to discuss that we’re pushing forward every day with members of Congress, policymakers, and regulatory bodies, and the election undermines everything… The election will really make a major difference either way on how things get done.”
Brian Hurley, ACA Connects Chief Regulatory Counsel on the courts putting the FCC’s internet takeover on ice: “The Sixth Circuit issuing a stay on the FCC’s net neutrality rules was a tremendous victory for ACA Connects and our Members… It’s a higher bar to get a stay than it is to ultimately win the case, so I think that’s a really good sign of what is to come in this litigation.”
Tom Cohen Partner Kelley Drye & Warren LLP on the judge blocking the anti-competitive sports juggernaut: “It’s a big win… We now have an injunction about those three programmers (Walt Disney Co., Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.) coming together to start this joint venture. On Tuesday, they went to the appellate court and asked them to overturn the judge’s decision. I think the odds are against them.”
Spellmeyer on BEAD implementation and concerns raised by ACA Connects: “We all recognize that BEAD is very important. ACA Connects Members play a pivotal role in delivering service… and the government isn’t going to get the job [of closing the digital divide] done without us. It’s been our issue number one for the past two years.”
Want to dive into these issues and more with ACA Connects in the future? Don’t miss our monthly Member webinars and save the date for #Summit2025 in Washington, D.C., March 4-6. Registration for operators is open on ACASummit.org.