Lawmaker Helped Defeat FCC’s Set-Top Box Mandates
PITTSBURGH, January 18, 2017 – The American Cable Association is pleased to announce that Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-5), a small business owner and Capitol Hill leader who supports small business in the fight again excessive government regulation, will address ACA members gathering in Washington, D.C., on March 28-30 for the trade group’s 24th annual policy summit.
“Rep. Schrader has a solid understanding of the issues that ACA members care about the most. ACA members greatly appreciate Rep. Schrader’s attendance so they can thank him personally for helping fight unfair set-top box regulations brewing last year at the Federal Communications Commission,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.
Last May, Rep. Schrader led dozens of House lawmakers in signing a bipartisan letter opposing FCC Chairman Wheeler’s proposed FCC set-top box mandates. The letter focused specifically on the crippling costs the mandates would impose on smaller communities and their access to quality television, and the threat to innovation in a market that was already thriving with extensive innovation and choice. Prior to postponing an October vote on plan, Wheeler agreed to exempt smaller operators (those with fewer than 400,000 subscribers) from complying with his proposed set-top requirements.
Currently serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives, Rep. Schrader represents Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Marion, Polk, Lincoln and Tillamook Counties as well as the bulk of Clackamas and small portions of Multnomah and Benton Counties. Active on social media, Rep. Schrader posts to Twitter as @RepSchrader.
Before the Democrat was elected to Congress, Rep. Schrader was a farmer and veterinarian for more than thirty years. He established and managed the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic in Oregon City and operated his farm where he grew and sold organic fruit and vegetables. Rep. Schrader served in the Oregon State House of Representatives starting with his election in 1996.
The ACA Summit is a special event where small and mid-sized cable operators serving hometown America connect with the leading lawmakers and regulators as well as media representatives on the communications policy beat in Washington, D.C. This year’s summit coincides with the start of a new Congress and a new President in the White House focused on passing legislation designed to reduce regulatory burdens on communications providers and other businesses.
The ACA Summit website includes event details and secure online registration. Please visit the ACA Summit 2017 website by clicking here: ACA Summit. The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.
ACA’s more than 750 independent cable operators play a unique role in providing best-in-class communications services to millions of consumers, many living and working in rural areas of the country. Created in the early 1990s, the ACA Summit gives independent cable operators a vehicle for framing the diverse and complex issues in their own words during dozens of meetings on Capitol Hill and with regulators at the FCC.
About the American Cable Association: Based in Pittsburgh, the American Cable Association is a trade organization representing nearly 750 smaller and medium-sized, independent cable companies who provide broadband services for nearly 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, visithttps://acaconnects.org/