April 14, 2026—America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects) submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opposing the adoption of new rules for communications service providers (CSPs) regarding their use of negative option marketing practices, commonly referred to as “click-to-cancel.”
“America’s independent and community-based providers work every day to provide value and ensure their customers receive the services of their choice. In addition to being motivated by competitive pressures and risk of reputational harm, providers already follow and comply with Federal, state, and local laws governing negative option practices,” said Grant Spellmeyer, President and CEO of America’s Communications Association. “For those reasons, the FTC cannot justify applying any new negative option rule that would create unnecessary confusion and frustration for customers.”
Many ACA Connects member companies and other communications services providers (CSPs) utilize negative option marketing as a standard practice to deliver communication services on a continuous basis, typically month-by-month, unless and until a subscriber affirmatively cancels service. This practice allows subscribers to receive continuous and uninterrupted access to broadband and other desired services without undue hassle while preserving the option to cancel service at any time for any reason.
FTC Comments re Rule Concerning the Use of Prenotification Negative Option Plans
April 13, 2026
In its comments, ACA Connects urged the FTC to exempt CSPs from its rulemaking.
- ACA Connects members are already subject to Federal, state, and local laws that address negative option plans.
- ACA Connects members have a track record of taking these consumer protection requirements seriously and have dedicated considerable resources to develop service plans and contracting procedures that comply with them.
- There is no evidence of any gap in this regulatory oversight that would warrant an additional layer of regulation by the FTC.
- An additional layer of FTC rules governing CSPs’ negative option marketing practices would not protect consumers, only generate regulatory chaos.
- For example, prescriptive rules would complicate compliance challenges and potentially conflict with the many existing Federal and State laws that govern the communications industry.
ACA Connects raised similar concerns about the previous administration’s efforts to issue sweeping regulations over the click-to-cancel, which would have reshaped how businesses handle nearly all aspects of a transaction from enrollment to cancellation. The Eight Circuit ultimately vacated those rules because the FTC overstepped its authority.
Read more about ACA Connects’ advocacy on this matter in the latest issue of Independent Communications News (ICN).
America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects) is a trade organization representing approximately 500 small and medium-sized, independent companies that provide high-speed internet, video, phone, and mobile services covering 29 million households. ACA Connects members operate in every state, providing advanced communications to connect homes, companies, main street, schools, hospitals and more. America’s economic prosperity in smaller communities and rural areas depends on the growth and success of independent operators, who believe a connected nation is a prosperous nation. For more information, visit www.acaconnects.org.