ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS - Public Issue ACA CONNECTS

April 6, 2021 - Public Issue

ACA CONNECTS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS

More Than 100 ACA Connects Member Companies Seek to Participate in
the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program From Day One

A large contingent of ACA Connects member companies is on
track to participate in the Federal Communications
Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program from
the day it launches. More than 100 members have expressed
interest and completed necessary steps to join the program.
Collectively, these providers pass more than 10 million homes
in total, representing the vast majority of homes passed by all
ACA Connects members. In nearly all cases, these providers
have networks capable of offering service of at least 100/20
Mbps, and all can offer at least 25/3 Mbps.

“The significant number of our member companies gearing up for the Emergency
Broadband Benefit Program is not surprising given the great work they have already done
to help their customers and their communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said
ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka. “Their participation in this new
program will allow them to greatly expand upon these efforts. Consumers should know,
more help is on the way.”

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a $3.2 Billion broadband subsidy program
that will connect eligible households with free or discounted broadband service during
COVID-19.

“In these extraordinary times, struggling households need robust broadband service that
can meet enhanced connectivity needs — for online learning, telehealth, and more. ACA
Connects members have deployed high-speed, reliable networks that are up to the task,”
said ACA Connects Chairman Patty Boyers of BOYCOM Vision in Poplar Bluff, Mo. “ACA
Connects members, like mine, are eager to participate in this new program and to
promote awareness of the benefit to eligible households in our communities.” Read more.

ACA Connects Statement on President Biden’s American Jobs Plan

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka
issued the following statement on March 31 on the
release of the Biden Administration’s plan to provide
high-speed broadband to all Americans:

“ACA Connects supports the Biden Administration’s aim

to provide high-speed broadband to all Americans.
There are too many households, mostly in more rural
parts or other economically challenged areas of the
country, without access to any broadband services or
that only have access to unreliable, low-speed service.

“In these areas, ACA Connects supports spending
government funds to build ‘future proof’ broadband
infrastructure. Build it once, build it right. And, ACA
Connects members — smaller operators with long-
standing local roots, extensive experience in deploying advanced networks, and whose
territories are proximate to many of these unserved areas — are eager to participate in
this new infrastructure program.

“But more deployment alone will not bridge the digital divide. As ACA Connects members
know, not every household that has access to broadband subscribes and for any number
of reasons.” Read more.

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS

ACA Connects Salutes Rich Fickle, CEO & President of the National
Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), as He Prepares to Depart the
Organization

ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M. Polka issued the
following statement on March 31 on news that Rich Fickle, CEO
& President of the National Cable Television Cooperative
(NCTC), intends to leave the organization by the end of the year:

“A true partner, friend and visionary executive, Rich led the
NCTC over the past decade to extraordinary new heights during
a time of disruptive innovation that shows no signs of abating.

“Because of Rich’s skill, commitment and thought leadership,
NCTC has flourished, and our two organizations have never
been closer. We have made tremendous strides, and we are in position to make even
more progress in the future for the benefit of our members as they compete in the dynamic
video and broadband marketplaces and in the Washington, D.C., policy arena.

“So much has changed over the years, and it took someone with Rich’s special qualities to
successfully navigate our sector’s many challenges, whether traditional content matters,
Over the Top (OTT) services as consumers migrated away from traditional video
packages, and implementation by our members of new technologies.” Read more.

ACA CONNECTS: FILINGS
ACA Connects has been actively representing independent cable in many other ways and
on many issues in Washington, D.C. Those efforts are described in the filings, letters, and
testimonies linked below for your review:

4/5: FCC Comments re Emergency Connectivity Fund for Educational Connections
and Devices to Address the Homework Gap During the Pandemic

3/29: FCC Ex Parte re Emergency Connectivity Fund Program w/ Office of Cmmsr
Simington

2/24: White House Letter (w/ CTIA, NCTA, and USTelecom) re Supply Chain for
Semiconductor Chips

2/24: FCC Ex Parte re Emergency Broadband Benefit Program w/ Offices of Cmmsrs
Carr, Simington and Starks

ACA CONNECTS CLOSEUP VIDEO: KAREN YOCHUM
ACACloseup Videos: You work with us every day and talk via phone, Zoom and email,
but what do you really know about your ACA Connects Team? Here’s the chance to meet
us “close up.”

We’ll post a new ACACloseup video in our ACAction Brief, our Daily Media Sweep and
on social media, giving you insight into the background, experience, favorite teams and fun
things about your ACA Connects Team Members. We had fun doing these videos for
you, and we’re glad to tell you more about us!

You can find all our ACACloseup videos on our ACAConnects website

In this video, meet Karen Yochum, ACA Connects Senior Director of Administration
& Finance. As you will learn, Karen and ACA Connects President and CEO Matthew M.
Polka go way back – 31 years, in fact. They worked together at a law firm and then a
small cable company before Karen joined Matt at ACA Connects in 1997. Based in
Pittsburgh, Karen has many day-to-day responsibilities, including managing the
association’s finances, supervising compliance, and carrying out all HR functions. Asked
by Matt to say what it has been like to work for him for 31 years, Karen said, “Well,
obviously, I’m still here!” And everyone at ACAC is grateful for that.

                                      Watch Video

ACA CONNECTS: BLOG

Your Finest Hour
By Matthew M. Polka, President and
CEO of ACA Connects

It was about one year ago when I was
sitting at my desk wishing you and all
of our ACA Connects Members well
as most of us headed home for what
was a very uncertain future because
of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were all in uncharted waters and,
frankly, I know we were scared.

But at the same time, as scores and
scores of our customers went home to work, learn, see their doctors and connect through
our broadband Internet networks, we knew we had a job to do to keep everyone
connected.

And you did your jobs in amazing ways!

Your networks met the need with capacity to spare, and you found innovative ways to
serve the four corners of your communities.

On behalf of all of us at ACA Connects, we are so proud of you and thank you, even
though we both know the job is not done.

There are more homes, schools, students, businesses, hospitals and other places to
connect, and we know how committed you are to connect every single person in your
communities. Read more.

ACA CONNECTS: NEWS HEADLINES
T-Mobile Is Shutting Down Its Pay-TV Services (Variety, 3/29)
T-Mobile is throwing in the towel on its ambitious “uncarrier” move to shake up cable TV:
The wireless provider is shutting down TVision about six months after launching it.
The company announced Monday that YouTube TV is becoming T-Mobile’s preferred live
TV solution, with the three TVision packages it introduced last fall “winding down” on April
29.

Disney Plus Hikes Price 14% (Variety, 3/24)
As of March 26, 2021, Disney Plus will be priced in the U.S. at $7.99 per month, up a
dollar from the current $6.99, or $79.99 per year, compared with $69.99 for the annual
plan previously. It’s the first time the company is increasing rates for U.S. customers since
Disney Plus debuted in November 2019.

Netflix Lost 31% Of Market Share In The Last Year (The Wrap, 4/5)
After a year in which streaming became even more important to millions of Americans,
thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Netflix still dominates the streaming universe in the
U.S. But new data shared by Ampere Analysis with TheWrap shows that while Netflix
holds 20% of the U.S. streaming market, its dominance over the rest of the streaming
landscape has shrunk from 29% — a drop of nearly one third as more services enter the
market.

Moffett: Stimulus Poised To Offset Risk Of New Regs (Light Reading, 3/24)
While the general consensus is that 2021 broadband subscriber growth will slow to 2019-
like levels and avoid a repeat of the explosive growth seen in a pandemic-marked 2020, a
top industry analyst believes that a string of federal stimulus projects could provide a
surprising boost to the U.S. broadband industry. "New stimulus measures are aimed for
the first time not just at rural broadband expansion but also at urban broadband
affordability," MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett noted.

Starlink Rockets Past Broadband Speed Promisesd (Forbes, 4/3)
Independent speed tests carried out on Starlink’s satellite broadband service find the
service regularly surpasses its promised 150Mbits/sec download speed. Tests carried out
by SamKnows, which measures real-world performance for broadband providers and

governments across the world, found that Starlink customers were regularly seeing
download speeds exceeding 150Mbits/sec, sometimes even surpassing 200Mbits/sec.

Meredith Explores Sale of Local Television Stations (Bloomberg, 4/1)
Meredith Corp. is considering selling its television stations, according to people familiar
with the matter, a move that would focus the media conglomerate on its magazine division.
Meredith is working with a financial adviser on the potential divestiture, said the people,
who asked to not be identified because the matter isn’t public. Meredith’s television arm
consists of 17 stations, including affiliates of Fox and CBS, in markets such as Atlanta,
Las Vegas and Portland, Ore.

Verizon Fios to Give More Bill Credits for Lost Games (Next TV, 3/31)
Verizon said that it will give a second round of billing credits to Fios TV subscribers for lost
game events on regional sports networks due to COVID-19. “Verizon is fulfilling its
promise to Fios TV customers who previously received bill credits for a reduced number of
live sporting events due to COVID-19,” Verizon said in a statement.

NFL Owners Ratify 17-Game Schedule For 2021 Season (CBS, 3/30)
The NFL will undergo its first significant regular-season schedule change since 1978, as
the owners approved to add a 17th game to the schedule beginning in 2021. The change
was a year in the making as the owners had the option in the new collective bargaining
agreement to increase the number of regular-season games per club to 17 -- but not more
-- at any time.

ACA CONNECTS: ACTION BRIEF TOP THREE

Most-Clicked Links From March 24, 2021 ACAction Brief:
1. FCC's Carr Blasts Gov-Funded Broadband Overbuilding (Next TV, 3/15)
2. A Closer Look At Cable vs. 5G Fixed Wireless (Light Reading, 3/16)
3. For TV, NFL Deal Is Likely A Matter Of Survival (AP, 3/22)

ABOUT ACA CONNECTS
Across this vast country, small and rural markets
participate in the digital revolution by receiving video,
broadband, and phone services from more than 700 small
and medium-sized independent operators represented by
ACA Connects - America’s Communications Association.

ACA Connects' members -- cable, phone, and fiber-to-the-
home operators and municipalities -- deliver affordable
basic and advanced services to nearly 8 million
households and businesses. ACA Connects 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 Connects members, who
believe a connected nation, is a united nation.

ACA Connects 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 Connects 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.acaconnects.org, or contact:

Ross Lieberman, SVP Government Affairs
202-494-5661 | rlieberman@acaconnects.org

Ted Hearn, VP Communications
202-713-0826 | thearn@acaconnnects.org

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