March 5, 2025—Today, ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer delivered the following remarks as an expert witness in the Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on rural broadband. Spellmeyer advocated on behalf of America’s small, rural, and independent broadband providers that are leading to bridge the digital divide and reach unserved locations in their communities.
His testimony, as prepared for delivery:
America’s Communications Association
“Chairman Hudson, Ranking Member Matsui, Chairman Guthrie, and Ranking Member Pallone it is always an honor to appear before this committee.
“America’s Communication Association—ACA Connects—proudly represents more than 500 independent broadband and cable operators. Together they cover all 50 states – offering connectivity to nearly 1 in 4 American households.
“Although some of my members serve hundreds of thousands of customers, most of my members serve only a few thousand in a county or two in any particular state. They remain committed to finding ways to make quality broadband service available and affordable for all Americans. They live in their communities alongside their customers.
“In the past 5 years, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have expanded coverage by 64 percent. While my members often prefer fiber builds because of their superior performance and durability, they deploy all available technologies to get the job done.
“They have deep roots in the communities they serve that can be traced back generations. Cable television service started because the largest providers ignored rural America. My members needed a way to bring programming to places where broadcast TV signals couldn’t reach. Providers actually dragged “cables” over the hills to bring that signal to customers. Today, it has evolved to what we see in the broadband world.
Fixes Needed in the BEAD Program
“This history is why, many of my members were initially eager to participate in BEAD when it was passed by Congress. Unfortunately, their enthusiasm has waned due to the way NTIA subsequently implemented parts of the law.
“The areas that remain in need of service are the most-costly to serve. The job won’t get done ‘but for’ BEAD funding. The reality is every dollar providers spend complying with unnecessary regulatory burdens drives up prices and takes away from investment in growing their networks.
“By happenstance, we have a large presence in town this week for our annual DC Summit.
Our message this week is simple. We are ready to finish the job. We urge Congress to fine tune the BEAD program and get shovels in the ground later this year.
“In order to do that, Congress should direct NTIA to strip costly and extraneous requirements that are deterring participation and ensure that states have reasonable flexibility in evaluating and selecting broadband technologies for deployment projects.
“The one thing we as a nation can’t afford to do is to delay implementation further. If states are ready to proceed quickly, they should have the flexibility to do so.
Speeding up Deployments
“Beyond the BEAD program itself, Congress must act to speed up the deployment of broadband by adopting reforms to the permitting and right-of-way reforms.
“Specifically, we encourage Congress to adopt reforms that encourage consistency in state and local permitting, and to take action to streamline and harmonize permitting policies across Federal agencies.
“ACA Connects was proud to support Congressman Buddy Carter’s bill from the previous Congress, the American Broadband Deployment Act. We are also glad that Congressmen August Pfluger and Darren Soto are leading again this year on the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act.
Certainty to Invest
“Backing up to 50,000-foot level, the Energy and Commerce Committee has a huge legacy of bipartisan problem solving.
“As the courts have reaffirmed recently, Congress writes the laws and federal agencies implement them. The issues we are discussing here today are ripe for action and the Committee should codify clear directions for the federal agencies involved on both of these subjects and move forward quickly.
“We also urge the Committee to apply this approach of regular order to tackling other thorny telecommunications issues under its jurisdiction, whether it be USF reform or guaranteeing a free and open internet. Congress has a golden opportunity to codify clear rules that will remove uncertainty and encourage investment.
“ACA Connects welcomes the opportunity to assist the Committee.”