October 2, 2020

The Independent Show 2020 Breaks Records with Virtual Conference: Sees Increases in Attendees and Companies

Pamela Gillies
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
National Cable Television Cooperative
[email protected]
(720) 594-8085

NCTC, ACA Connects Showcase Members’ Efforts During Pandemic

PITTSBURGH, PA., AND LENEXA, KAN., OCT. 2, 2020 – The Independent Show (#TIS20) concluded its three-day virtual conference with a comprehensive agenda that documented the impact of COVID-19 and outlined opportunities for the rural broadband industry.

#TIS20 was held Sept. 29-Oct.1 and produced virtually by the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) and ACA Connects. The production included live and pre-recorded segments that featured scores of NCTC and ACA Connects Members who explained their strategic responses to COVID-19.

In addition, attendees heard from Wall Street economists, financial analysts, political commentators, and Washington, D.C.’s telecommunications policy leaders. Other key topics included pay TV and OTT strategies, customer service and broadband.

After the decision was made to stage a virtual format, NCTC and ACA Connects met individually and with a cross-section of members to review the topics, trends and policy issues on their agendas.

“Our Independent Show virtual conference had record attendance from our members and companies. We thank all our colleagues who worked tirelessly to bring together all the ingredients for a successful conference: Outstanding speakers, current topics and, during this pandemic year, the opportunity to learn from each other,” said NCTC CEO & President Rich Fickle.

“A special ‘thank you’ to our members who stepped up during the pandemic and with their teams delivered the broadband networks our country requires during these uncertain times. It was an honor to learn in detail how hundreds of members went to work as the pandemic hit,” ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said.

Polka added that whether it took shifting equipment from the office so employees could work from home safely, increasing network capacity throughout their communities, or meeting with school districts to determine equipment needs, our members worked to meet these challenges. The Independent Show ‘Reimagined’ gave us the opportunity to showcase these efforts and plan for continued investment in broadband networks.”

Fickle and Polka offered special praise to conference planners Lisa Miller, NCTC Director Meetings & Special Events, and Stacey Leech, ACA Connects Senior Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs, for their hard work in putting on a fantastic show, which involved coordinating the production logistics as well as speakers and topics.

Registered attendees can view #TIS20 content for 30 days using the same links for the live event.


To follow this year’s Independent Show on social media, please refer to these links for assistance:

For more details, please visit www.theindependentshow.org

Follow us on Twitter: The_Independent_Show @IndieShow2020 & #TIS20

Follow us on Facebook: The Independent Show: https://www.facebook.com/theindependentshow/


About the National Cable Television Cooperative: The National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc. (NCTC), is a Kansas-based, not-for-profit corporation that operates as a programming, hardware purchasing and broadband organization for its member companies that own and operate cable systems throughout the U.S. and its territories. NCTC seeks to maximize current and future opportunities to ensure the profitability, competitive stature, and long-term sustainability of its member companies. NCTC represents more than 700 member companies in programming and technology acquisition. NCTC is actively engaged in helping network providers and suppliers evolve their business models to deploy new video/data solutions to match the changes in the media landscape.

About ACA Connects – America’s Communications Association: Based in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., ACA Connects is a trade organization representing more than 700 smaller and medium-sized, independent companies that provide broadband, phone and video services to more than 8 million customers primarily located in rural and smaller suburban markets across America. Through active participation in the regulatory and legislative process in Washington, D.C., ACA Connects’ members work together to advance the interests of their customers and ensure the future competitiveness and viability of their businesses. For more information, visit: https://www.acaconnects.org