Retiring Lawmaker To Share Views On Telecom Policy With Independent Cable Operators
PITTSBURGH, April 13,2010 – The American Cable Association is very pleased to announce that U.S.Rep. Bark Stupak (D-Mich.), a longtime telecommunications policy leader whosenine-term House career is coming to a close in January, will deliver theCapitol Hill keynote speech during this year’s ACA Summit. Rep. Stupak’sremarks will be made on Tuesday, April 20 at 1:15 p.m.
“We are delighted that Rep. Stupak will be joining usat this year’s ACA Summit,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.”The ACA Summit is the perfect forum for such a distinguished Member ofCongress to share his policy views with the independent cable operatorcommunity that is always focused on the communications needs of ruralAmerica.”
On Friday, Rep. Stupak announced his retirement fromCongress at the end of his current two-year term. Rep. Stupak opted to stepaside to pursue new interests after playing a critical role in last month’spassage of the landmark health care reform law. Ensuring universal healthcoverage was a longtime policy goal of Rep. Stupak.
“Change in Washington is not only about the policy, but it’sabout the process, too.” Polka added. “And who better to talk about how bills become laws than CongressmanStupak, who was central to the passage of the historic health carelegislation. ACA Summit attendees willget an insider’s account.”
ACA 17th Annual Summit will take place on April 19-21 at theGaylord Hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, a major visitor destinationconvenient to downtown Washington, D.C.
Elected in 1992, Rep. Stupak represents Michigan’s FirstCongressional District, a sprawling 31-county jurisdiction that includes theentire Upper Peninsula as well as the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula.During his House tenure, Rep. Stupak has been supportive of smaller operators’efforts to ensure that rural communities have timely access to advancedcommunications services on an affordable basis.
Rep. Stupak is a member of the Energy and CommerceCommittee, a panel that oversees federal communications law and regulations. Healso serves on the Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications, Technology andthe Internet as well as the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and ConsumerProtection. He is Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
As previously announced, Blair Levin, Executive Director ofthe Federal Communications Commission’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative, willdeliver ACA Summit remarks on April 20 beginning at 8 a.m. on the agency’srecently released National Broadband Plan.
Senior staff members from Congress and other top FCC policyadvisors will also be on hand as frontline participants in discussion panels.
From Capitol Hill, staff members expected as panelistsinclude:
- Brian Hendricks, Minority Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation;
- Roger C. Sherman, Chief Majority Counsel, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee; and
- Seth Bloom, Senior Majority Counsel, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
From the FCC, officials scheduled to speak are:
- Sherrese Smith: Legal Advisor for Media, Consumer and Enforcement Issues, Office of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski;
- Brad Gillen: Legal Advisor for Media Law Issues, Office of FCC Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker; and
- Rick Kaplan: Chief of Staff, Office of FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn
From the industry perspective, the ACA Summit will include apanel of executives to discuss today’s policy initiatives, including:
- Tyrone Brown: President and CEO, Media Access Project (MAP)
- David Donovan, President, Association of Maximum Service Television (MSTV);
- Kyle McSlarrow, President & CEO, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA);
- John Rose, President, Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO);
- Matthew M. Polka, President & CEO, American Cable Association (ACA); and
- Paul S. Maxwell (Moderator), Owner & CEO, Media Business Corp.
The Summit is a unique forum that highlights the specialrole that independent cable operators play in providing state-of-the-artcommunications services to rural communities across the nation. Independentcable operators play a vital role in ensuring that every American hasaffordable access to the broadband infrastructure needed to keep America both strongand free.
Please visit the ACA Summit 2010 site by clicking here or visiting http://www.acasummit.org/
About the AmericanCable Association
Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is atrade organization representing nearly 900 smaller and medium-sized,independent cable companies who provide broadband services for more than 7million cable subscribers primarily located in rural and smaller suburbanmarkets across America. Through active participation in the regulatoryand legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA’s members work together toadvance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitivenessand viability of their business. For more information, visit https://acaconnects.org/