PITTSBURGH, March 20, 2014 – The American Cable Association today announced that U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.), a leading voice in Congress regarding the need to reform outdated retransmission consent rules and many more communications policies, will speak April 2 to ACA’s 21st Annual Summit in Washington, D.C., offering insights into the key Capitol Hill issues facing the independent cable operator community for the remainder of 2014. Rep. Eshoo will participate in a one-on-one discussion with ACA Chairwoman Colleen Abdoulah, Chairwoman and CEO of WOW! Internet Cable and Phone.
“ACA is delighted that Rep. Eshoo — a lawmaker with deep knowledge of our issues and the skills to develop bills into laws — will be joining us as at the Summit to share her thoughts on the issues that ACA members care about so passionately,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. “We look forward to her update and her suggestions for achieving positive outcomes in Congress.”
Rep. Eshoo is the most senior Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, through which flows virtually every piece of legislation influencing the business affairs of independent cable operators and the millions of customers they serve with world-class voice, video and broadband services in predominantly rural markets.
Last December, Rep. Eshoo introduced the Video CHOICE Act (H.R. 3719), which would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to respond to TV station signal blackouts waged against multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and allow consumers to buy cable programming services without subscribing to the service tier that includes only TV stations electing retransmission consent.
The ACA Summit will coincide with independent cable’s efforts on a number of policy issues, including action to update retransmission consent, halt the practice of separately owned, same-market TV stations from jointly negotiating retransmission consent with MVPDs, and ensure the ability of a buying group like the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) to avail itself of the pro-competitive program access rules, as well as much, much more.
This year’s 21st annual ACA Summit will take place April 1-3 at the Grand Hyatt, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C. The ACA Summit is a unique forum that highlights the special role that independent cable operators play in providing world class communications services to consumers in hometown markets throughout the United States.
Previously, ACA announced that U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler are scheduled to speak April 2 at the ACA Summit on their ideas and outlook for U.S. communications policy in the coming years. Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia will also speak to the assembled ACA audience on his company’s efforts to champion new technology and give consumers more choices.
ACA also announces that registration for the ACA Summit is now open for D.C. government relations professionals and partners and associates at law firms. The one-day registration pass for April 2 will permit attendees to observe all keynote sessions and panels, including the Q&A with Chairman Wheeler.
The theme of this year’s summit – Our Time Is NOW! – underscores the important legislative and regulatory goals ACA and its Members are pursuing on Capitol Hill and at the FCC.
Registration for ACA Members and D.C. Professionals; Call for Exhibitors and Sponsors:
The ACA Summit website includes event details and secure online registration for ACA members. Separate registration to attend the Summit on Wednesday, April 2, for D.C. government relations professionals and law firm partners and associates is also available on the ACA Summit website. Registration for the day pass includes breakfast and lunch, attendance at all keynote sessions and other panels, and exclusive exhibit hours.
ACA is currently seeking exhibitors and sponsors for the event. Interested parties should contact Stacey Leech at [email protected] or 412.922.8300, ext. 15.
Please visit the ACA Summit 2014 website by clicking here: ACA Summit.
About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing about 850 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7 million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s 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/