The ACA Connects, CCA, and Charter Proposal Offers Unmatched Benefits To Consumers
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ted Hearn
(202) 713-0826
[email protected]
PITTSBURGH, August 15, 2019 – Yesterday, in reply comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, ACA Connects – America’s Communications Association, Competitive Carriers Association, and Charter Communications (collectively, the “Coalition”) urged the FCC to adopt the 5G Plus Plan, the Coalition’s comprehensive joint proposal for repurposing a large portion of valuable C-band spectrum for 5G wireless services. The Plan would reallocate at least 370 megahertz of the 3.7-4.2 GHz band spectrum from satellite to terrestrial use and remains the only C-band solution that serves the broader public interest.
In a statement, ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said, “The wide-ranging benefits of the 5G Plus Plan are abundantly clear. The plan will turbo-charge deployment of 5G, expand fiber connectivity in rural America, create thousands of jobs, and collect billions in auction revenues for the U.S. Treasury. No other plan comes close to matching these benefits. Furthermore, the 5G Plus Plan is the only proposal on record that appropriately balances the interests of all affected stakeholders – pay television providers and cable programmers, other C-band users, satellite companies, prospective 5G deployers, and the public at large. And contrary to the assertions of some parties – which the Coalition’s reply comments address – the 5G Plus Plan is workable to implement and cost-effective. The FCC should add some nitro to the nation’s 5G deployment engine by adopting and implementing the 5G Plus Plan without delay.”
CCA President & CEO Steven K. Berry said, “C-band spectrum offers tremendous opportunities for carriers, including those in rural and hard-to-reach areas, to provide next-generation technologies to their customers, and the 5G Plus Plan is the only proposal in the record that serves the broader public interest. Rural areas hold great promise for advanced wireless services. The positive economic impact of precision agriculture, healthcare, distance learning, and small business applications will be a boom to rural America. The FCC should look no further than the Plan, endorsed by both cable and wireless, if it wants to give American consumers more of what they need and desire – more spectrum, more competition, more guaranteed benefits to taxpayers, and more fiber for broadband and backhaul. All carriers need more spectrum, and the FCC has a real opportunity through the 5G Plus Plan to maximize the amount of valuable spectrum available for the benefit of consumers and industry.”
Elizabeth Andrion, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Charter, said “The 5G Plus Plan is the best option to ensure valuable spectrum gets into the marketplace quickly for widespread 5G deployment and achieves the broader public interest benefits of funding fiber buildout to help close the urban rural digital divide and future-proof the delivery of advanced video services.”
About ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association – Based in Pittsburgh, ACA Connects is a trade organization representing more than 700 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, phone and video services to nearly 8 million customers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA Connects’ 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