ACA Public Issue – February 24, 2012

ACA Creates $129 Day Pass For March 14 D.C. Summit

The American Cable Association (ACA) is pleased to announce that it has created a $129 day pass for individuals interested in the ACA Summit’s public policy program slated for Wednesday, March 14.

ACA’s 19th Annual Summit, which is the cable industry’s marquee event for independent cable operators, will take place March 13-15 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.

With the day pass, attendees are entitled to join ACA members and vendors for a communications policy discussion with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, and a Congressional keynote address by U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.). The day pass also includes a lively panel discussion between representatives of the cable and broadcast industries on retransmission consent, and welcoming remarks by .ACA Chairwoman Colleen Abdoulah, CEO of WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone. Also enjoy lunch and time to browse exhibits. For a detailed agenda and other information, please visit: www.acasummit.org.

The day pass is available only to individuals who wish to attend for informational or educational purposes. Solicitation of names and addresses of attendees for business purposes, distribution of commercial literature, or the sale or distribution of goods or services is strictly prohibited by individuals attending with a day pass.

We hope you will join us on March 14 from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m – Register Today for the Day Pass!

Key Development
ACA Commends FCC On Adoption Of Balanced VoIP Outage Order American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew M. Polka commended the Federal Communications Commission’s Feb. 15 vote to adopt VoIP outage reporting requirements, noting that the agency refrained from imposing even more costly new regulatory burdens on the independent cable community. "ACA applauds the FCC for adopting reasonable VoIP outage reporting requirements that are aligned with its public policy goal of ensuring that consumers that utilize VoIP services have reliable access to emergency services. ACA is pleased that the FCC’s Order showed a willingness to respond to the concerns voiced by smaller VoIP providers, and ACA does not believe that the new reporting obligations will cause undue burdens on them,” Polka said. Read More / Comment on Story
ACA: No FCC Broadband Support For Big Telcos That Face Broadband Competition The American Cable Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to withhold Connect American Fund (CAF) support from AT&T, Verizon, and other price cap incumbent local telephone companies that face competition in the provision of broadband Internet access, arguing that such a policy would prevent wasteful spending and cause competitive providers to continue investing in high-cost areas. "ACA strongly supports the FCC's decision to dedicate Universal Service Fund (USF) money to broadband deployment for the first time in the program's history, recognizing that broadband Internet access is the cutting-edge technology that links hometown America to the networked global economy," ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said. "Nevertheless, the FCC must ensure that financial subsidies do not flow into any area where price cap telco incumbents face competition in the provision of broadband service." Read More / Comment on Story
News Headlines
New Pay-TV Service Will Stream Local TV Stations In New York Minus Retrans Fees (The New York Times, 2/20) Barry Diller, who created the Fox television network almost 30 years ago, now wants to free it and other networks from the chains of what he calls the “closed cable-broadcast-satellite circle.” Time Warner Cable Hands Out 21,000 Antennas To Texas Subscribers Impacted By Blackout Of NBC Affiliate (FierceCable, 2/17) Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) says it has handed out more 21,000 TV antennas to subscribers on its Corpus, Christi, Texas, system who have not been able to access the feed for NBC affiliate KRIS-TV and three other stations as a result of a retransmission-consent dispute with Cordillera Communications. FCC Can Auction Spectrum, But Will Broadcasters Sell? (Los Angeles Times, 2/17) When it comes to parting with their spectrum, many broadcasters have the same attitude Charlton Heston had when it came to his rifle: The government can pry it from their “cold dead hands.” Congress Approves Spectrum Incentive Auctions (Broadcasting & Cable, 2/17) Congress moved swiftly Friday to pass compromise payroll tax break/unemployment benefit legislation that gives the FCC the ability to reclaim and auction broadcast spectrum. Retrans Ammo: Aereo Could Help Cable Operators Bring Broadcasters To Their Knees (FierceCable, 2/16) If every Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) home in the New York area had access to Aereo's array of dime-sized over-the-air antennas that night in October 2010 when Fox pulled game one of the World Series in an attempt to force the cable MSO to pay increased retransmission-consent fees, CEO Jim Dolan could've told Fox to take a walk. Kagan: Retrans Fees UP 47% Since 2009, Average Fee Grows To 33 Cents From 23 Cents (Mutichannel News, 2/15) Broadcast retransmission consent fees rose nearly 47% in the two years between the third quarter of 2009 and 2011 and are expected to continue that blistering pace, according to SNL Kagan. FCC Cracks Down On Robocall Telemarketers (The Washington Post, 2/15) Federal regulators are making it harder for telemarketers to interrupt dinner and eat up cell phone minutes. Study: 4% Of Households Bought OTT Box For Holidays (dmwmedia.com, 2/15) Nearly a third (31 percent) of U.S. broadband households regularly watch over-the-top content – TV programs or movies accessed from the Internet – on their TVs, according to a new report from Parks Associates. Three More Years Of Analog TV: FCC Wants To Extend Cable's Viewability Mandates (Multichannel News, 2/14) The FCC has suggested extending its cable analog TV carriage mandate for another three years -- through June 2015 -- and more definitively proposed extending its waiver of the HD carriage mandate for smaller cable operators for three more years as well. Dish Targets 'Heartland' With $5 Family Package (Multichannel News, 2/14) Dish Network unveiled a specialty programming package aimed at rural families -- the Heartland Package -- that includes movies, classic TV series, inspirational concert specials and rural lifestyle content. NFL Should Drop TV Blackout Policy, Five U.S. Senators Tell FCC (Bloomberg, 2/14) Five U.S. senators called on the National Football League to stop barring television broadcasts of games that lack a sellout crowd, as the league told regulators the practice benefits fans. For more ACA News visit the Newsroom on the ACA Website.

About ACA
Across this vast country, small and rural markets participate in the digital revolution by receiving video, broadband, and phone services from nearly 850 small and medium-sized independent operators represented by the American Cable Association (ACA). ACA’s members -- cable, phone, and fiber-to-the-home operators and municipalities -- deliver affordable basic and advanced services to about 7.4 million households and businesses. ACA members operate in every state, offering high-definition television, next generation Internet access, and digital phone service. Access to advanced communications is not a luxury but a critical necessity for consumers and companies, schools and hospitals. America’s economic prosperity in smaller markets and rural areas depends on the growth and success of ACA members, who believe a connected nation, is a united nation. The ACA asks lawmakers and regulators to ensure fair treatment so that small and medium-sized independent operators may continue to supply affordable video, broadband, and phone services to Main Street America. Through active participation in the policymaking process, ACA members and leaders advocate for the interests of their customers, their companies, and their communities to help ensure the continued viability of their way of life in hometown America. For more information, visit www.americancable.org, or contact: Ted Hearn, VP Communications (202) 713-0826 | thearn@americancable.org Ross Lieberman, VP Government Affairs (202) 494-5661 | rlieberman@americancable.org
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