Key Lawmaker To Discuss Communications Policy Tasks Ahead For Congress
PITTSBURGH, July 7, 2016 – The American Cable Association today announced that Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a Capitol Hill leader with a bold vision for advancing broadband services and infrastructure in rural America, will address the 11th annual Independent Show on Monday, July 25, offering independent cable operators a first-hand assessment of the communications policy agenda in the remaining months of the 114thCongress.
“ACA is very delighted that Sen. Fischer will be on hand to discuss the key issues that she and her constituents across Nebraska care so much about. Her leadership on providing 21st Century telecommunications services in the hard-to-reach spaces of the State and country mirrors so many of ACA’s perspectives. Sen. Fischer’s views on these issues are widely respected as few on Capitol Hill have a better handle than she does on the particular concerns of the independent cable community and its longstanding support for communications policies that promote choice and competition in hometown America,” ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.
Sen. Fischer, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, is scheduled to begin speaking at 9:30 a.m. in a one-on-one session with ACA’s Polka, who will serve as the moderator. Immediately following Sen. Fischer are remarks by Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who is expected to address FCC-related matters of importance to cable and programming attendees prior to a Q&A with ACA’s Polka. On July 26, the Independent Show will also feature a panel on the challenges faced by both smaller cable operators and independent programmers.
Broadband is vital to rural Nebraska and all smaller markets in the country. Sen. Fischer will discuss her views on her work along with her colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee regarding broadband deployment, video matters, the threat to small businesses by over-regulation, the desire for consumers to have more broadband and video choice, and the vital national need to protect our broadband networks from cyber-attacks.
A lifelong Nebraskan, Sen. Fischer is the senior senator from Nebraska, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. The Senate Commerce Committee is the panel that oversees the FCC and a host of regulated industries, including cable operators, broadcasters, telephone companies, wireless carriers, and satellite distributors.
Sen. Fischer also sits on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, where she continues to advocate for policies that will promote innovation, more regulatory certainty for innovators, and modern rules for new technology.
The Independent Show is being held July 24-27 at Walt Disney World’s award-winning Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fl. The show is an annual forum created to focus attention on the key public policy issues facing independent cable operators. ACA co-hosts the event with the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), a Lenexa, Kansas-based group that buys programming and equipment for U.S. cable operators. Please find show news on Twitter at #TIS16. Hotel, registration and full agenda details can be found by clicking here.
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, visit https://acaconnects.org/