July 29, 2025— ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association sent a letter today to the Administrator of NTIA, Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth, urging the Administration to strengthen its prohibition on rate regulation in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
In the letter, ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer commended NTIA for restoring BEAD’s main goal of connecting unserved and underserved locations expeditiously. He noted that ACA Connects agrees that the previous administration’s actions to encourage rate regulation were unlawful, raised costs, and prevented participation in the program.
Spellmeyer wrote, “As documented in our recent study with Cartesian, broadband rate regulation – even in less restrictive forms – depresses investment and reduces competition materially, and smaller providers with limited resources and scale are harmed most severely. This holds true when investment takes the form of matching funds in government programs such as BEAD. By holding the line against rate regulation, NTIA will encourage broader participation and more competitive bids. This is good news for unserved and underserved communities – and for all American taxpayers.”
Spellmeyer urged the Assistant Secretary to take further steps to protect the BEAD program and the marketplace in general from unwarranted rate regulation.
He wrote, “We urge you to expressly condition access to BEAD funds on an Eligible Entity agreeing not to apply or enforce rate regulation in the context of BEAD deployment projects and to make clear that no waivers of this policy are forthcoming.”
CLICK HERE to read the full letter.
ACA Connects represents approximately 500 independent broadband and video providers throughout the country. Earlier this year, it partnered with Cartesian on an analysis that details the cascading harms of broadband rate regulation, especially in rural and remote areas where connection and network investment is most needed.
Visit ACAConnects.org/rateregulation to access the study.
ACA Connects—America’s Communications Association is a trade organization representing approximately 500 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, video, and phone services covering 29.5 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 ACA Connects Members, who believe a connected nation is a prosperous nation.