January 25, 2024 – ACA Connects announced that its annual summit will feature a panel of broadband executives from across the country who are leading in innovative ways to close the broadband adoption gap and promote economic opportunities in places they serve. The panel, titled “Investing & Innovating to Connect American Communities,” will be held on March 6, 2024. It will be moderated by Brian Hurley, ACA Connects’ Chief Regulatory Counsel.
“ACA Connects is shining the light on three of our executives who are leading to invest in infrastructure, connect more Americans, and provide affordable broadband in their communities.” said President and CEO of ACA Connects Grant Spellmeyer. “They are part of America’s successful broadband story, which has benefitted from a balanced regulatory environment that encourages investment and the deployment of new and innovative services. I look forward to inviting these leaders on stage at our Summit to share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing smaller operators as they seek to compete and thrive in the broadband marketplace.”
Panel: “Investing & Innovating to Connect American Communities”
Featured Speakers:
- Patrice Carroll – President &CEO, ImOn Communications
- Dave Heimbach – President & CEO, Metronet
- Dave Hymas – VP, Legal & Regulatory and Deputy General Counsel, GCI
- Moderator: Brian Hurley – Chief Regulatory Counsel, ACA Connects
Patrice Carroll: Patrice M. Carroll is the President and CEO of ImOn Communications, LLC. She has been a leader in the telecommunications industry for more than 36 years. She served as Group Vice President of Business Development and General Manager of Advanced Technology Services at McLeodUSA, Senior Vice President of Communications Services Engineering at WorldCom Communications, and Vice President of Enhance Service Engineering at MCI Communications. As a distinguished leader, Patrice recently received the honor of Laureate Inductee into the Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa’s Business Hall of Fame. She has been recognized as one of the telecommunications industry’s Top 100 Executives, as well as one of the Most Powerful Women, every year since 2020 by Cablefax Magazine.
Dave Heimbach: Dave Heimbach joined Metronet in 2021 to expand the company’s capacity for rapid growth. Mr. Heimbach came to the company from Shentel (NASDAQ: SHEN), where he served as EVP and Chief Operating Officer for the telecommunications company, which operates wireless, cable and fiber-optic networks in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Prior to Shentel, Heimbach was COO of Rise Broadband, in Colorado, and led multiple business units for Cincinnati Bell, where he also served as COO. Mr. Heimbach is a graduate of the J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communications Technologies at Ohio University and The Executive Program at the Darden School of Business at UVA.
Dave Hymas: Dave has primary responsibility for legal and regulatory issues across GCI, leading the company’s Contracts, Regulatory, Environmental Permitting & Compliance, and Legal Teams. These teams provide comprehensive legal, regulatory, and permitting advice and support to business units throughout GCI. Dave has been with GCI since 2012 after spending seven years at large, national law firms—where he focused primarily on corporate work and high-stakes intellectual property disputes—and three years working for Alaska state appellate and federal trial court judges. He graduated with his J.D. from Berkeley Law School and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public Policy from Brigham Young University.
About #Summit2024:
For the past 30 years, the Summit has provided ACA Connect Members with a forum to gain insight into business trends and policy developments, advocate for a level playing field, and engage with policymakers and industry leaders.
The theme for this year’s Summit is “Invest and Innovate.” The event will take place March 5-7 at the Grand Hyatt, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. More speakers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
About ACA Connects: America’s Communications Association –America’s Communications Association – ACA Connects is a trade organization representing more than 500 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, video, and phone services covering 31.9 million households, 7.3 million of which are located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. 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.