ACA Applauds House Focus on Rural Telecom

The American Cable Association is applauding the creation this week of an Energy and Commerce Committee working group to promote the rural telecom service many of its members provide.

The 18-member bipartisan group -- nine Republicans, nine Democrats -- was launched by Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio).

"From broadband access and spectrum issues, to problems with call completion, rural areas of our districts often have unique concerns," said Welch in a statement. "This bipartisan working group will serve as a forum to educate committee members on rural issues to ensure that rural priorities are understood and addressed in the important work of this committee."

ACA is hoping the group will extend its gaze to a host of issues of high interest to the small and midsize operators it represents, including the cost of sports programming, program bundling and retrans.

"Matters important to cable operators in rural areas that are deserving of the group's attention," said ACA president Matt Polka in a statement, "include the implementation of the Connect America Fund to fund broadband in high-cost areas; the lack of access to middle mile infrastructure at reasonable rates; difficulties in obtaining access to pole attachments at reasonable costs; and expeditious access to rights of way on fair terms and conditions.  Moreover, the group should consider the high cost for smaller providers in obtaining access to programming, both local broadcast signals and regional and national sports, and the aggregate burdens of regulations on smaller providers."

Also on the working group are John Barrow (D-Ga.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Lee Terry (R-Neb.), G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.),  Lois Capps (D-Calif.), Billy Long (R-Mo.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Corey Gardner (R-Colo.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

Rural telecom issues are being scrutinized on both sides of the Hill. They were the subject of the inaugural hearing in the new Communications Subcommittee last week.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.