Independent Communications News - 2023 Issue 9

ROBOCALLS... ACA CONNECTS IS HERE TO HELP!

BRIAN HURLEY, ACAC CHIEF REGULATORY COUNSEL

ATSC 3.0: ACAC IS LOOKING OUT ON YOUR BEHALF

MIKE JACOBS, ACAC VP OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS

SEEKING SOUND POLICIES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., USING YOUR VOICE

A LOOK AT MY FIRST YEAR LEADING ACA CONNECTS

GRANT SPELLMEYER, ACAC PRESIDENT AND CEO

Y'ALL ARE GOING TO TIS 2023, RIGHT?

PATRICIA JO BOYERS, ACAC CHAIRMAN

DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

SUMMIT 2024 Sav e th e Date!

March 5-7, 2024

EDITOR'S NOTE

6 / GRANT, BEAD, TIS, RETRANS AND A LOT MORE!

p.13

26 / LOOK FORWARD TO MORE THAN EVER AT THE 2023 INDEPENDENT SHOW

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

AMP23

MESSAGE FROM GRANT

8 / A LOOK AT MY FIRST YEAR LEADING ACA CONNECTS

#AMP23

MESSAGE FROM PATTY

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

12 / AMP23 VENDORS: ARE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR MEMBER BENEFITS?

14 / Y'ALL ARE GOING TO TIS 2023, RIGHT?

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE MORE EXPERIENCE MORE

MESSAGE FROM JOHN

18 / AN ALL-STAR LINEUP OF ACA CONNECTS SESSIONS AT TIS 2023

24 / DOWN WITH ROBOCALLS! UP WITH REGULATORY COMPLIANCE!

REGULATORY AFFAIRS

30 / THE ATSC 3.0 TRANSITION: ACA CONNECTS IS LOOKING OUT ON YOUR BEHALF

34 / HALFWAY THROUGH 2023: WHAT CONGRESS CAN ACHIEVE BEFORE THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE TAKES OFF

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE:

16 / NCTI

Keep it Simple, Keep it Honest

17 / Calix

Walk The Walk With Subscriber Experience

20 / Cinnamon Mueller

Retransmission Consent - A Primer for 2023

21 / OpenVault

High Scalability Collection and Analytics

Tools: Wielding Big Data to Sharpen Network Performance

38 / ACA CONNECTS

Pressures Mounting on Streaming Services

Ready Multitaps 29 / Technetix

28 / Adara Technetix

MEMBERS: SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE!

ALPINE GROUP

Grant, BEAD, TIS, Retrans and a Lot More!

By Ted Hearn

ACA Connects VP of Communications

Inside this edition of Independent Communications News (ICN), we celebrate innovation and creativity amid rapid technological change. Our sector keeps testing the limits in some unexpected and dynamic ways – have you given ChatGPT a try? Enjoy ICN’s thought-provoking features and user-friendly, effortless navigation.

Let’s start with our cover story. Grant Spellmeyer stepped into his role as ACA Connects President and CEO just one year ago, taking his first public bow at the Independent Show at Disney World. Grant promised that a top priority would be to travel the country to visit ACAC Members where they live and work. Judging from Grant’s ICN

article, he kept his word and then some. He’s been on the road almost constantly, a cyclone of activity, while at the same time positioning ACA Connects as the thought leader on all the big issues facing ACAC Members in Washington, D.C. Thanks, Grant for your policy acumen, bold vision, and steady leadership.

This issue of ICN comes just weeks ahead of the Independent Show in Minneapolis, Minn. In her matchless style, ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers urges her ACA Connects teammates hither and yon to register for TIS 2023 RIGHT NOW and show up because there will be so much to learn, especially about the

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which contains $42.45 billion in broadband deployment and adoption grants for the states, territories, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. A wave of cash like that doesn’t come around often, as Patty notes, so ACA Connects Members need to be prepared to share in the benefits stemming from BEAD’s noble goal of closing the digital divide once and for all. Patty also underscores that ACAC will do all it can to ensure BEAD money does not overbuild existing, privately funded broadband infrastructure.

Want some help from ACA Connects staff while at TIS 2023?

John Higginbotham, ACAC’s

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, has many of those key details in his article. And please take his advice and do stop by the ACA Connects TIS 2023 exhibit floor booth, even if it’s just to say hello and grab a tchotchke or two. And our good friend, Pam Gillies, VP of Marketing and Communications, NCTC, has her own interesting outlook for TIS 2023.

ACA Connects staff always takes great pride in helping make ICN such an interesting read.

This ICN has efforts by Senior Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs Stacey Leech, Chief Regulatory Counsel Brian Hurley, and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Mike Jacobs. Topics include our Associate Member Program (AMP) and ACAC Community Champions 2023 Contest (Stacey), the scourge of robocalls (Brian) and TV stations’ gradual transition to NextGen TV (Mike). Alpine Group VP Curtis Philp, as only he can, tells us what to expect on Capitol Hill for the balance of the year.

This issue of ICN highlights what many in the multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) community would consider a lowlight: Retransmission consent. In his article, Cinnamon Mueller partner Bruce Beard notes the coming of the new election cycle in the fall. Please heed Bruce’s friendly advice: “As you enter into negotiations, you need to know and remember that there have been recent changes and interpretations of the rules.”

ICN has broad appeal because ACA Connects’ partners routinely contribute. So we’d like to thank the fine contributions to this issue from AMP participants NCTI, Calix, Adara Technologies, OpenVault and Technetix.

For ICN’s sharp layout and professional look, we thank ACA Connects’ Digital Media Specialist Nathan Penrod, whose passion for style, design and innovation is reflected in all 48 pages of this issue of ICN, and is confirmed by the wonderful feedback he routinely receives from grateful readers.

Enjoy your new edition of ICN! ■

Ted Hearn is Vice President of Communications of ACA Connects. He is responsible for interacting with media representatives as well as preparing and distributing nearly all ACA Connects external communications. These communications include: Press releases, statements, speeches, the ACAC Daily Media Sweep, and the biweekly ACAction Brief.

Publisher John Higginbotham 502.330.4057

jhigginbotham@acaconnects.org Editor Ted Hearn 202.713.0826

thearn@acaconnects.org

Advertising/Business Stacey Leech 724.971.6388

stacey.leech@acaconnects.org

Creative Director Nathan Penrod 412.715.2494 npenrod@acaconnects.org

Subscriptions aca@acaconnects.org

ACA CONNECTS STAFF

President & CEO

Grant Spellmeyer

Assistant to the President & CEO

Tomeika Slappy EVP & COO

John Higginbotham

VP Communications

Ted Hearn

Chief Regulatory Counsel

Brian Hurley

VP Regulatory Affairs

Mike Jacobs

Director of Regulatory Affairs

Bill Tortoriello

Sr. Director of Meetings/Industry Affairs

Stacey Leech

Grassroots Manager Caroline Persinger Digital Media Specialist Nathan Penrod

A Look at My First Year Leading ACA Connects

By Grant Spellmeyer, ACA Connects President & CEO

At last year’s Independent Show in Orlando, I donned my CEO T-shirt for the first time, symbolically marking the beginning of my tenure as President and CEO of ACA Connects. As we get ready to reconvene in Minneapolis next month, I find myself reflecting on the remarkable journey of the past year. I am thrilled with the progress we have made, and I know that the best is yet to come!

As promised, much of my first year was spent on the road meeting face-toface with leaders of ACA Connects Members. I was honored to attend two Cable Hall of Fame Dinners in Manhattan to see the induction of ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers, Cable One CEO Julie Laulis and Mediacom EVP of

Programming and Human Resources

Italia Commisso Weinand. Another highlight was joining WOW! Internet, TV & Phone CEO Teresa Elder in Florida to announce WOW!’s $45,000 donation to the Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School Kids Space Center in Sanford.

It was great grabbing lunch in Winchester, Virginia, with Shentel EVP & COO Ed McKay and VP of Industry Affairs and Regulatory Chris Kyle to learn about the company’s ambitious Glo Fiber deployments in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

I knocked on the door at Armstrong in Pennsylvania to visit with President Jeff Ross; at Mediacom in New York to see the senior management team; at Buckeye Broadband in Ohio to connect with President & General Manager Geoff

Top left: ACA Connects President & CEO Grant Spellmeyer dons a CEO T-shirt for the first time at last year's Independent Show in Orlando, Florida.

Top right: ACAC CEO Spellmeyer as WOW! Internet, TV & Phone donates $45,000 to the Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School in Sanford, Florida.

Right middle: ACAC CEO Spellmeyer with ACAC Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers and ACAC Chief Regulatory Counsel Brian Hurley in New York City, New York.

Bottom: Armstrong President Jeff Ross and ACAC CEO Grant Spellmeyer in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Shook; and at Associate Member Viamedia in Kentucky to spend time with President and CEO David Solomon. Of course, there are many more, and I am sorry space prevents me from mentioning you all.

Another big highlight: I hosted in March my first ACA Connects Summit, which included our 30th Anniversary Dinner and a really special speaker lineup, followed by an important day of meetings on Capitol Hill and at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Huge shoutout to ACAC EVP & COO John M. Higginbotham and ACAC Senior Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs Stacey Leech for making this such a memorable milestone event.

I have also spent a lot of time in strategy discussions with National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) CEO Lou Borrelli. I think our two organizations have never been closer. I look forward to seeing implementation of NCTC’s bold and exciting move in April to establish an exclusive Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement. And of course: Please remember to register for the Independent Show, July 30-Aug. 2, in Minneapolis. Here is the link to register.

I would be remiss if I did not pause to say what an honor it has been to get to know and work with the talented and accomplished Patricia Jo Boyers. As our Chairman, Patty cares deeply about our issues and is passionate about making

sure that lawmakers and regulators know our concerns. Because of Patty, just about everyone in Washington, D.C., has heard about her family-owned video and broadband provider BOYCOM Vision in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Did you know that Patty has a side gig breeding cattle in her very limited spare time? Her bovine creatures never go missing at the Boyerosa because when Patty builds a fence, you can be sure it is hog tight, horse high and bull strong!

It has been a privilege to lead ACA Connects this past year as it advocates for Members and strives to shape positive outcomes in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Much is at stake. I can assure you we are ready to take on the toughest tasks to ensure ACA Connects Members are heard, respected and treated fairly in the policy battles ahead.

A top area of focus is the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program,

which includes $42.45 billion to be distributed among states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and other territories, for projects that support broadband infrastructure deployment and adoption. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) oversees the BEAD Program. Needless to say, NTIA just released on June 26 a tidal wave of money, representing the federal government’s largest commitment ever toward achieving the goal of ensuring universal broadband

service to all Americans.

A key step came on May 30 when the FCC released the newest version of the National Broadband Map. The agency said the updated map shows 114 million broadband serviceable locations in the U.S., with about 8.3 million U.S. homes and businesses lacking access to broadband. That is up some 330,000 unserved locations since the first FCC map was released seven months ago.

The importance of the FCC’s map cannot be stressed enough. As NTIA put it recently: “This version of the [FCC broadband] map –plus additional refinements based on the FCC’s continuing work to resolve availability challenges – will be used as the basis for the state allocations for the BEAD program.”

In addition, the National Broadband Map - along with another FCC map that shows locations with enforceable commitments to deploy broadband under Federal programs – will be the charter on which states

"IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO LEAD ACA CONNECTS THIS PAST YEAR AS IT ADVOCATES FOR MEMBERS AND STRIVES TO SHAPE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND BEYOND."

Left: ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers with ACAC CEO Spellmeyer at the Boyerosa in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Middle: ACAC CEO Spellmeyer provides opening remarks at the ACA Connects 30th Anniversary Dinner on February 28 in Washington, D.C.

Right: From left - ACAC CEO Spellmeyer with Shentel EVP & COO Ed McKay and Shentel VP Industry Affairs and Regulatory Chris Kyle in Leesburg, Virginia.

and territories must rely in conducting challenge processes and, later, when awarding funds. A process that fails to rely on the FCC’s map could expose ACA Connects Members to needless harm and divert scarce taxpayer resources toward wasteful overbuilding of existing broadband infrastructure.

I can promise you that, going forward, my team at ACA Connects will do everything in our power to limit the ability of states and territories to bring in alternative data sources that override the FCC maps. In our view, the FCC’s map should be the authoritative source in every state and territory for identifying the locations that are eligible for BEAD funding. Deviating from that sensible approach will risk that appropriated funds will not be devoted toward their intended purpose of maximizing broadband coverage and closing the digital divide.

Here is a link to the FCC’s National Broadband Map.

I know that Members are also gearing up for another tough retransmission consent (“retrans”) cycle this fall. I think we can expect TV station owners to stick to their familiar script: Press for big price hikes and, if necessary, pull their signals just prior to marquee events to win the negotiation. Since 2010, broadcasters have blacked out consumers’ access to free TV stations more than 1,800 times, according to the American Television Alliance (ATVA).

The harms associated with retrans abuses are many and well-known to ACA Connects Members. According to S&P

Global Market Intelligence, broadcasters’ retrans revenue is expected to reach $15.4 billion in 2023, up from $3.6 billion a decade ago. In addition, the FCC recently found that smaller multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) pay significantly higher retrans fees than do larger MVPDs. The FCC said small cable operators (defined as having 500,000 subscribers or fewer) paid on average $231.56 per subscriber, per year in retrans fees, while large cable operators paid on average $200.00 per subscriber, per year. That means ACA Connects Members paid on average 16% more than larger operators.

There have been a few bright spots. Thanks to ACAC’s work on the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019 (TVPA), NCTC was able in 2020 to negotiate retransmission consent deals with most of the large station groups on behalf of its members. Yet the TVPA alone did not - and never could have - meaningfully narrowed the gap between what large and small MVPDs pay for retransmission consent.

In my short time leading ACA Connects, I have been honored to represent 500 broadband, voice, and video providers covering about 23 million households. ACA Connects Members are taking on some of the most difficult deployment challenges imaginable as participants in the national effort to spread broadband technology from sea to shining sea.

I take great pride in your work and even greater pride in telling your story, sharing your perspective, and advocating on your behalf in the halls of power in Washington, D.C. And because your vision is clear and your voice strong, I know that the hard work that you do back home will yield the results you deserve from our nation’s leaders. ■

Grant Spellmeyer serves as President and CEO of ACA Connects. Grant oversees the daily operations and affairs of ACA Connects-America’s Communications Association.

AMP23 ASSOCIATE MEMBER PROGRAM

AMP23 Vendors: Are You Taking Advantage of Your Member Benefits?

By Stacey Leech

ACA Connects Sr. Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs

As we approach the mid-point of 2023, it’s the perfect time to review the benefits of AMP23! Are you taking advantage of all that is included with your membership? There’s still plenty of time to act on the benefits below:

ICN: Ever wonder how you can submit an Op-Ed or full-page ad to be included in this publication?

Silver, Gold, and Platinum vendors have placements of each included as part of their membership!

E-blasts: Interested in taking advantage of our extensive email list? Gold and Platinum vendors can submit content for a dedicated e-blast sent to our members by ACAC on your behalf.

Banner ads: You see them in the Daily Media Sweep but did you know that mid-level banner ads are included in both Gold and Platinum levels of membership?

Want even more visibility for your company? Maybe

a sponsorship is the answer! Opportunities include spending time with our Board of Directors at our yearly retreat, having ACAC host a webinar for your company to promote your latest offering or solution, boost a social post with an ACAC retweet, or sponsor a semi-monthly Action Brief and have your logo, contact info and company description included in a special section! All of these options are available for purchase to Silver, Gold, and Platinum AMP members.

To schedule a review of your membership, take advantage of benefits, or secure a supplemental sponsorship, email me at stacey.leech@acaconnects. org! Or do you have an idea for something that isn’t offered? Let’s talk about how we can work together to promote your company to our membership! ■

Stacey Leech is ACA Connects Senior Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs. She serves as the liaison between the association and ACA Connects AMP vendor partners. Stacey works to develop marketing plans that maximize membership benefits and leverage sponsorship opportunities.

Sav e th e Date!

SUMMIT 2024 MAKE PLANS TO JOIN US FOR #SUMMIT2024!

March 5-7, 2024

By Stacey Leech

Sr. Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs

With the dog days of summer fast approaching, it’s not too early to be thinking about #Summit2024! We’re busy brainstorming themes, keynote speakers, and all the logistics necessary for our annual fly-in event!

And while we aren’t wishing away summer, before you know it, we’ll all be working on next year’s finances and travel calendars. So, this is just a friendly reminder to make sure ACA’s 2024 Summit is included in your budget!

We will be sending out information in September on registration fees, exhibit information and sponsorship opportunities. Keep an eye out for ACA Connects communications for more details and plan to join us in Washington, D.C.!

Future Dates of the ACA Connects Summit: March 4-6, 2025 and March 3-5, 2026

Location for all dates will be the Grand Hyatt Washington

ACA Connects

Y'all are Going to TIS 2023, Right?

By Patricia Jo Boyers

ACA Connects Chairman

Hey, y’all! Greetings from the Foothills of the Great Ozark Mountains!

I hope your 2023 is going according to plan and that everyone is enjoying good health and ready for the second half of the year … highlighted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) multibillion dollar BEAD Program and lowlighted by the new Retrans cycle certain to kick up a lot of dust in the fall!

Let me get straight to the point: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? If you haven’t registered

yet, REGISTER TODAY for The Independent Show and then SHOW UP! Bring the whole company! Bring the kids! Hell, bring that local Little League team you’ve sponsored for years!

I strongly believe that YOUR presence and participation will not only contribute to the overall success of TIS 2023 but just as importantly, your presence will contribute to the spirit of UNITY and GROWTH among our broad and varied membership of operators, programmers, tech vendors, and consultants.

The Independent Show is taking

place in Minneapolis, Minn., from July 30 to August 2. I consider this event to be the premier opportunity for us to come together for a few days, exchange ideas and best practices, and strengthen the bonds of our two great organizations: ACA Connects and the National Content & Technology Cooperative-NCTC There will be a whole lot to learn! Don’t know about y’all, but I’m ready to inhale as many details as I can about NCTC’s new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement. What a wonderful opportunity for us to Enhance the Value we offer to our customers by linking broadband in the home to mobile service on the road. Nice job, NCTC CEO Lou Borrelli!

As we have come to expect, TIS 2023 shall include informative keynote speakers, engaging panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. We have invited highly esteemed industry experts and thought leaders to present on topics of relevance to ACA Connects and NCTC. This will allow us to gather insights, expand our horizons, and strengthen our professional networks … and have a good time!

As a Ranger Mom, I can’t wait to hear from Retired Rear Admiral and Top Gun Pilot Michael Manazir. Other speakers include: Author of Zconomy Jason Dorsey, Video and Streaming trendsetter Evan Shapiro, AI Chat GPT Expert & Best-Selling Author JJ Delgado and CMO & Best-Selling Author from FranklinCovey, Scott Miller. (And me! Speaking on my Favorite Topic: Retransmission Consent!)

On June 26, NTIA announced its allocations under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. As you know, the BEAD Program provides $42.45 billion to be distributed among states, territories, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, for projects that support broadband infrastructure deployment

and adoption. That’s a boatload of cash y’all! We will fight to ensure that BEAD money is spent wisely and not used to overbuild broadband infrastructure funded with private investment. There will be a lot of BEAD Program discussion this year. I PROMISE! IF we get this right, we may actually close that great Digital Divide!

With retrans coming at us in the fall, ACA Connects is ready to help our Members as best we can. We know broadcasters will demands huge rate hikes and resort to signal blackouts just before the big game or some other special event like the Oscars. You can count on ACA Connects for assistance as you engage with your local officials, your customers, and your anchor institutions to counter the self-serving commentary expected from the “free TV” stations in your local communities. And let’s not forget the Television Viewer Protection Act of 2019, which requires large broadcast station groups to negotiate Retrans in good faith with NCTC working on behalf of many small cable operators. This law – which I supported in testimony before a House subcommittee in June 2019 – has been a plus, though I do wish it could do more.

Hey, one more thing! I just want to give a SE Missouri Shout Out to Grant Spellmeyer for wrapping up his first

year as our new President and CEO. I realize that ‘there were a hell of a lot of things we didn’t tell him when he hired on with this outfit,’ but thanks to Grant’s able leadership, we are in a great place with this Golden Brand called ACA Connects! I know we are ready to meet any challenge that comes our way. So, thank you, Grant! SALUTE! Know, my friend, that we are just getting started!!

I simply cannot wait to see old pals at TIS 2023, but I always look forward to making new pals who will support our cause by broadening the base of our advocacy. In a few short weeks, let us all come together, learn from each other, and create a memorable conference that will spur us on to bigger and better things. Onward & Upward!

See y’all in Minneapolis! ■

Patricia Jo Boyers is President and CEO of BOYCOM Vision located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

WE WILL FIGHT TO ENSURE THAT BEAD MONEY IS SPENT WISELY AND NOT USED TO OVERBUILD BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDED WITH PRIVATE INVESTMENT. THERE WILL BE A LOT OF BEAD PROGRAM DISCUSSION THIS YEAR. I PROMISE! IF WE GET THIS RIGHT, WE MAY ACTUALLY CLOSE THAT GREAT DIGITAL DIVIDE!

Left: A view of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of TIS 2023.

Keep it Simple, Keep it Honest

By David Hoyt

VP, Client & Student Support, NCTI

Last month, NCTI got a shoutout on LinkedIn from a recent graduate of Arapahoe Community College (ACC). The image in the post was a congratulations card the new graduate received from NCTI and signed by every NCTI employee. We mail these cards to celebrate the success of each person who completes a degree or certificate through our college program, in partnership with ACC. For more than 25 years, with nearly 2,000 college certificate and/or degree earning students and counting, NCTI’s college program has empowered students to capitalize on their existing training, double-down on lifelong learning, and elevate their careers.

me with payments, which made it a very seamless process.”

NCTI not only serves as a firsthand witness to educational milestones earned by its students, but we create a path to career advancement. For technicians looking to keep their job skills current, being able to apply their job-related training courses towards a college degree is a game-changer. For companies looking to invest in workforce development, NCTI’s college program stands out in the quality of courses offered, available degrees and certifications, and the personal attention NCTI gives each customer.

Students in NCTI’s college program quickly discover they have a trusted partner on their educational journey. Whether by live chat, phone or email, our customer care team makes sure all students in our college program get the support they need to thrive. As one student said, “Working with NCTI was easy. I had a personal representative who helped me schedule my classes, and helped

With a 25-year track record of success and an overall student satisfaction rating of 95%, NCTI’s college program is a smart choice for individuals seeking to advance their careers, and a great option for companies looking to invest in their staff. We believe every student has the right to prosper, and the part we play on each student’s journey fuels our commitment to serve the next. We would love to help you reach your educational goals. Visit ncti.com/ college to learn more. ■

David Hoyt

Walk The Walk With Subscriber Experience

By Erik Hawkins

Senior Field Marketing Manager, Calix

At nearly every major industry event this year, including the ACA Connects Summit, Cable Next-Gen, and The Mid America Cable Show, a common theme emerged: Successful broadband service providers (BSPs) need to focus on subscriber experience.

While it’s easy to talk the talk, it’s harder to walk the walk. What are tangible, actionable ways operators can differentiate in increasingly competitive markets by pivoting to a strategy focused on subscriber experience? There are already multiple BSPs in many markets. Focusing on speed and price is not an effective go-to-market strategy.

community that provides operators with various use case opportunities, including for subscribers, organizations, community events, Eduroam and municipal IoT.

The small business segment provides operators an opportunity to positively impact economic vitality and growth. SmartBiz managed service opportunities include enhanced networking and security, network resilience for critical applications like Point of Sale, a branded customer Wi-Fi portal, and a self-service mobile app to set up specific networks.

First things first - subscriber needs are constantly evolving. Your subscribers all need increased bandwidth, whether they’re gaming, working from home, learning via Schoology or Google Classroom, connecting smart home devices, streaming 4K video, or setting up home security.

Staying “always on” is a given. Subscribers expect connections that work, no matter what. But they want more. According to an Accenture survey, 90 percent of subscribers want bundled managed services or value add-ons.

There’s no better way to do this than with the Calix platform. Operators can easily and seamlessly launch an ecosystem of value-add managed services in three segments: residential, community Wi-Fi, and small business. Beginning with the SmartHome, managed services include managed Wi-Fi, parental controls, network security, device protection, and Bark - an innovative software tool that helps keep children safe from online predators and cyberbullying.

Expanding to a SmartTown allows operators to offer a ubiquitous and secure managed Wi-Fi experience across a

Set yourself apart. Walk the walk. Focus on the subscriber experience and differentiate on the value-add managed services that put subscribers first. Want to learn more? Schedule a free consultation ■

Erik Hawkins

ACA Connects All-Star Lineup

An All-Star Lineup of ACA Connects Sessions at TIS 2023

By John Higginbotham ACA Connects EVP & COO

We are just a few short weeks from The Independent Show (TIS) in Minneapolis, Minn., and ACA Connects Staff members are ready to talk to ACAC Members on several topics at TIS 2023. You’ve probably read in an article by Pam Gillies in this issue of Independent Communications News (ICN), what the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) is planning for TIS, so here’s what you can expect to take away from ACA Connects’ sessions this year.

We lead off Monday with the

ACA Connects Members Meeting just before lunch. There, we will hear from ACAC President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer and ACAC Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers concerning the state of our advocacy while looking ahead to the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. Staff will cover election results for the Board of Directors, and recognize Members for their contributions to the overall Membership during the past 12 months.

Exhibits open Monday, July 31, as lunch concludes and ACAC will

operate a booth again this year. We look forward to seeing you there and answering your questions, or just stop by and say hello. The ACAC booth will be open Monday from from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. CT, Tuesday, August 1 from 9:30 a.m. – Noon and again from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Also on Monday, ACAC and NCTC legal teams are once again offering their popular Legal & Regulatory Roundtable. The room is always packed, so get there early for the 2 p.m. start.

Moving on to Tuesday, August 1, following the keynote from Zconomy author Jason Dorsey, the ACAC team will provide the latest public policy news in an “Update from Washington.” Topics will include the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program; the ACACrelated issues at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); the status of the three nominations to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pending before the U.S. Senate; and the future of Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Please note: There will be loads of important info flowing from this discussion.

After lunch Tuesday, ACAC will conduct its breakout sessions. Retrans, retrans, broadband labels! We’ll focus first on what Washington, D.C., thinks about the video market and if there are opportunities to improve the retrans regime with Chairman Boyers and Alpine Group Principal & Chairman Rhod Shaw. Next, we’ll have a panel discussion with retrans experts digging deeper into the latest regulatory and judicial developments in the video space, plus insights on what you might expect when you get to the retrans negotiation table this year.

And last, ACAC Chief Regulatory Counsel Brian Hurley will lead a panel discussing Broadband “nutrition labels” with an emphasis on the

looming requirements and the implementation challenges that providers are likely to face.

Rounding out ACAC’s TIS sessions on Wednesday morning August 2, is “BEAD is Here: Will You Gopher the Funding?” It is well known to TIS attendees that BEAD Program’s massive funding is an historic investment to close the digital divide. The clock is now ticking for States/ Territories to prepare their BEAD implementation Initial Proposals; hearing directly from State Broadband Leaders could not be timelier.

There’s something for everyone in this all-star lineup of sessions, and we trust you’ll come away prepared for 2023 and beyond. If you haven’t registered yet, visit http://www.theindependentshow. org to register and review the full agenda and exhibitors. The whole ACAC team is looking forward to seeing you in Minneapolis! ■

John Higginbotham is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ACA Connects.

MIKE JACOBS

VP REGULATORY AFFAIRS

A JO YERS

BRIAN HURLEY

CHIEF REGULATORY COUNSEL

GRANT SPELLMEYER PRESIDENT & CEO

Retransmission ConsentA Primer for 2023

By Bruce Beard

Managing Partner, Cinnamon Mueller

Benjamin Franklin wrote “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. If alive today, he might have added “rising retransmission consent fees”. This year is a “cycle year,” meaning many retransmission agreements will be up for renewal. Operators will be

carry - and no carriage fee. The rule was changed a few years ago and notification is no longer required unless the broadcaster changes its election decision. In addition, the contact can be made electronically. Thus, the days of hoping that a broadcaster misses a deadline resulting in must carry are over. Remember, a cable operator may not carry a channel unless it has the written consent of the broadcaster. Thus, if the expiration date on the current retransmission consent agreement is drawing near and you have not heard from the broadcaster, you need to contact the station owner using the contact information in its FCC Online Public File.

Bruce Beard

means of written notice. The FCC also backed off previous implications that a newspaper notice would be sufficient notice.

forced to respond to unchecked retransmission fee increases and detailed agreements. As you enter into negotiations, you need to know and remember that there have been recent changes and interpretations of the rules.

First, you will not be receiving multiple certified mailings. Traditionally, the broadcaster had to send its retransmission election notice, noting whether it was electing must carry or to negotiate through retransmission carriage, by certified mail postmarked by October 1. If the broadcaster failed to do so, it defaulted to must

Second, the FCC has removed confusion over the notice requirements if a station is being dropped or is going dark. Normally, if a channel is being dropped the operator must give at least 30 days’ prior written notice to its customers. The FCC clarified that when service changes occur due to retransmission consent or program carriage negotiations that fail in the last 30 days of a contract, notice to subscribers is required “as soon as possible” after negotiations have failed rather than 30 days in advance. Operators have flexibility as notice may be given by “any reasonable written means at its sole discretion.” The FCC concluded that placing a channel slate on the vacant channel is a reasonable means followed by some other

Third, a reshuffling among some broadcaster ownership groups regarding what channels are being carried by what stations may create situations where a Big 4 (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) primary channel has been moved to another station and thus the value of the station has dropped significantly. While you must negotiate in good faith, the FCC has stated that good faith negotiation does not require that monetary consideration be given and that a party may refuse to offer monetary compensation for carriage. Thus, $0.00 does not violate the good faith negotiation requirement.

Finally, every cycle always includes subtle changes to the broadcaster forms - as always, read the fine print, and request an explanation of anything you don’t understand. ■

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WROTE “IN THIS WORLD NOTHING CAN BE SAID TO BE CERTAIN, EXCEPT DEATH AND TAXES”.

IF ALIVE TODAY, HE MIGHT HAVE ADDED “RISING RETRANSMISSION CONSENT FEES”.

High Scalability Collection and Analytics Tools: Wielding Big Data to Sharpen Network Performance

By Tony Costa

CTO, OpenVault

In today’s broadband environment, operators’ ability to use network performance data to maximum effect faces two key obstacles: incredibly diverse and siloed ecosystems of platforms, devices, data types, data structures and networks; and the sheer growth in data volume, velocity, variety and veracity that can overwhelm existing systems.

Subscriber demand for faster speeds and more bandwidth is taxing broadband infrastructure as never before. Recent OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) reports show how: average per-household

broadband, long considered a tool to reduce strain on networks, has become less effective in that role as higher speeds drive greater consumption.

As usage increases and established norms shift, broadband providers of all sizes are investing in more powerful analytics tools. The goal: to eliminate silos and provide real-time access and data sharing so that every discipline – including engineering, operations, customer care, sales and marketing, and finance – has a 360-degree view of trends impacting performance and results.

as CMTSs, OLTs, and routers; transform and enrich the data; and deliver it into a variety of destinations, including data lakes and various analytics platforms.

Broadband providers are moving quickly to adopt the new technology – OpenVault’s cloudnative High Scalability Collection tool alone has been deployed at operators servicing more than 30 million subscribers – but should weigh multiple considerations as they evaluate options. These include:

• Interoperability with protocols native to broadband network elements;

• Ability to quickly and easily onboard new protocols and templates; and

• Ability to work effectively and efficiently across Tier 1 operators as well as smaller deployment situations.

consumption is poised to eclipse 600 GB; the percentage of subscribers provisioned for speeds of 500 Mbps or higher more than doubled from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, to 40%; and usage-based

Solutions such as OpenVault’s High-Scalability Collection tool are leading the way by consolidating and enriching high volumes of data. These tools collect telemetry data from network elements such

As operators have access to more data, rapid collection and analysis are taking on increased importance. High scalability collection tools are emerging as new frontline resources that can help networks operate at peak performance and drive subscriber satisfaction and revenue. ■

Tony Costa

Down With Robocalls! Up With Regulatory

Staying on Top of Your Obligations to

The communications industry has a strong incentive to preserve trust in voice communications, and it has committed substantial time, energy and resources to combatting the problem. Yet bad actors are constantly devising new tactics to evade the industry’s defenses. While substantial progress has been made, illegal robocalls continue to be a

blocking. Finally, the FCC is taking a close look at the use of third parties, such as wholesale providers, to deliver STIR/SHAKEN, and is considering whether any regulations are necessary in this area.

That is a lot to keep track of, and there are many additional details I couldn’t fit in this brief article. But if you take away only two points, make them these. First, robocalls are a serious matter. There can be harsh penalties for providers that originate large volumes of illegal calls, whether they act with malice, recklessness,

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO

MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

event hosted by National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) and ACA Connects (ACAC).

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

NCTC and ACAC’s focus is on innovation, policy, and value! The associations plan to significantly expand The Independent Show this year, providing many new opportunities for service providers and technology suppliers alike to network and engage with NCTC members, learn from industryleading experts, and explore the most expansive exhibit floor to date. Hosted at the Minneapolis Convention Center, TIS 2023 will feature more customized content, educational sessions, sponsorship offerings, and many other new opportunities to help members grow their businesses.

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

TIS 2023 will showcase numerous initiatives, including NCTC’s new Connectivity Exchange! Our custom, unified, memberonly buying and selling platform simplifies the complex process of winning bids to provide broadband network services to national brands and large-scale RFPs. Because of the size and reach of NCTC’s member base, the Connectivity Exchange provides the largest, most accurate network in the world.

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

Look Forward to MORE THAN EVER at The 2023 Independent Show

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

By Pam Gillies VP of Marketing and Communications, NCTC

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

Other major initiatives shared at TIS 2023 span from launching a new Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service to getting guidance on qualifying for some of the $42.45 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program flowing to the 50 states and territories. Multiple sessions will explore how to address funding gaps and educate members on how to keep pace with upcoming Federal Communications Commission guidelines for broadband labeling.

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

Our annual Independent Show is right around the corner, July 30 – Aug. 2, in Minneapolis, Minn., and you are in for a big treat! The show will have more options than ever for members, including more sessions, more exhibit hall hours, more networking time, more policy

talks – you get the idea … just plain MORE! You don’t want to miss our new pre-conference sessions and the Marketing Innovators Group pre-party on Saturday, July 29. Registration and hotel rooms are going fast, so don’t wait and register today to take part in this great

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

TIS will also bring expanded new sessions focusing on Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Procurement, Video, Broadband, and Programming. TIS 2023 will offer

EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE

MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE

LEARN MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE

MORE EXPERIENCE MORE DO MORE SEE MORE LEARN MORE

subject matter experts, solutions, and opportunities for members to walk away with knowledge they can apply right away to their business.

In addition to all of the “MORE,” The Independent Show includes five keynote speakers who will complement the robust agenda of the entire show, including Retired Rear Admiral and Top Gun Pilot Michael Manazir, Author of Zconomy Jason Dorsey, Video and Streaming trendsetter Evan Shapiro, AI Chat GPT Expert & Best-Selling Author JJ Delgado and CMO & Best-Selling Author from FranklinCovey, Scott Miller

As always, The Independent Show will have oncein-a-lifetime experiences for our attendees including an exclusive member event on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium (home of the Vikings). We own the stadium for the night and have amazing things planned for our guests. We also have celebrity speakers lined up for the show to keep us entertained and AMPED UP MORE

THAN EVER: American Chef Andrew Zimmern, HGTV star Jasmine Roth and Comedian/TV Personality

Orlando Lebya

TIS 2023 will bring together NCTC and ACAC members, consisting of broadband, telco, cable, municipal and electric cooperative members from across the U.S. and Canada, to hear expert speakers and panels, network with the best and brightest industry leaders, and explore the expansive vendor exhibit floor featuring the latest products and technologies that are transforming the industry. Attendees will gain invaluable insights about the latest trends in the industry, as well as relevant opportunities and emerging challenges facing service providers today.

TIS 2023 is expected to bring together more than 200

NCTC and ACAC member companies as attendees, as well as more than 120 exhibiting companies. Exhibitors and technologies at this year’s show include:

• Major Networks and Independent Programmers

• Hardware and Software Distributors

• Cloud Solutions

• Managed Solutions (Hosted, Saas, Paas)

• OEM Manufacturers

• Service Providers (IP Transit, Transport, Call Centers, Billing)

• Video Solution Providers

• And MUCH MORE

Thought leadership discussions will be centered on industry trends, best practices, and future forecasts. Panels will examine how the industry is evolving and how business plans must pivot to remain ahead, as well as provide practical advice from ACAC leaders on navigating federal and state regulatory guidelines, gaining insight into accessing governmental funds, breaking news developments, and more.

The event also features multiple family-focused events, including a trip to the home of Prince himself, Paisley Park, and the Mall of America.

If you haven’t registered yet, you do not want to wait. Please visit http://www.theindependentshow. org to register and review the full agenda and exhibitors. ■

Pam Gillies

U.S. Bank Stadium (home of the NFL Vikings)

VP of Marketing and Communications, NCTC

Pressures Mounting on Streaming Services:

Are Distribution Deals with Cable Operators Soon to Come?

By Joseph D. Nucara, P.Eng., MBA

CEO & Co-founder, Adara Technologies, Inc.

Numerous recent news headlines from the past quarter –“Americans Spend $48 per Month on Video Streaming Services – and Half Say That’s Too Much”; “Cord Cutters Are Spending Less on Streaming in 2023”; “Wall Street Wants Streamers to Make More Money – but Consumers Want to Pay Less”; “Video Subscription Stacking Declines for the First Time in 5 Years”; and “The Great Netflix Correction One Year Later” – confirm that streaming players may soon be shoved into the arms of cable/Internet service providers who are in the best position to bundle video services in a single bill while providing superior service.

In mid-May, leading broadband service provider WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone announced that it had signed an agreement with Google to offer YouTube TV as its dedicated live television offering. In the announcement, the company said that the “agreement transforms how WOW! offers pay-TV service and reinforces its broadband-first strategy by bundling YouTube TV with WOW! Internet.”

The scenario is clear: The current streaming players have a problem. Their business model is unsustainable with churn among the 400+ players averaging 20% per month and customeracquisition costs averaging

hundreds to thousands of dollars each, meaning streaming customers are not sticking around long enough to even break even. As a result, we see many streaming players desperately experimenting with higher prices, password-sharing crackdowns, ad-supported tiers and major content cuts. Yet, with nearly half of total subscribers believing they currently pay too much for services and a third saying they plan to reduce their number of streaming subscriptions, it is only a matter of time before streaming services seek distribution agreements with cable operators, similar to WOW! and YouTube TV, as a sustainable way to solve their current conundrum and meet the profit expectations of their shareholders.

Concurrently, industry analysts report that cable operators who bundle some form of video with their broadband service experience 2X-5X the broadband subscriber growth (and lower churn) than those who offer no video. Such operators also enjoy the significant benefit of constant, branded engagements with their customers, including ongoing selfpromotion and brand-building.

Further, as operators continue to migrate to multi-screen IPTV services, many of them are recognizing that the primary strategic role of this service must be to build and differentiate

their brand and to promote and accelerate their broadband service market share and growth. To do so successfully, the operator’s IPTV solution partner must also be strategically aligned to this new reality - from the partner’s ownership structure and financial stability to its business models and IPTV solution features. Such features should enable onscreen advertising of operator broadband services while also immediately enabling operator subscribers to easily and universally search for content from the linear guide, DVR and VOD as well as streaming sources including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, and hundreds of others, simultaneously. This immediately positions the operator as a one-stop-shop for content, initially leveraging consumers’ own streaming subscriptions, and eventually, pulling specific streaming services into the operator price bundle as the streaming players inevitably seek distribution deals with operators. ■

Joseph D. Nucara

Technetix DOCSIS 4.0 Ready Multitaps

By Maarten Markhorst

Director of Connected Home Products, Technetix

As cable operators look to the market’s future needs for delivering high-speed and low-latency services to their end customers over the HFC network, Extended Spectrum DOCSIS (ESD) now allows use of the spectrum up to 1.8 GHz, enabling operators to drive downstream speeds of over 10 Gbps, while upstream frequencies can support up to 684 MHz, enabling upstream speeds of over 6 Gbps. This all works while utilizing the existing fiber and cable (HFC) infrastructure.

DOCSIS 4.0 roadmaps come in many variations, but when it comes to the deployment of passive components like multitaps, there is no question about it, a move to DOCSIS 4.0 should involve every passive you place into your network to be a 1.8 GHz passive, as the

largest overhead for a passive deployment are truck roll and labor costs. The 1.8 GHz full taps are much easier and faster to install compared to 1.2 GHz taps, as they contain new no-screw in/out connectors.

Technetix was one of the first broadband equipment designers on the market with a high-quality 1.8 GHz multitap. The XGT-series of multitaps is a modular system reducing the number of SKUs an operator needs to maintain from 25 to only 13. The product has the best RF performance in the market and will last you a lifetime. Although those SKU-related savings in operations can be very significant, some operators are wary of making the initial investment in a more expensive product to only see the savings later on. That is why we

developed a second range of 1.8 GHz multitaps; the OTTZ-series is a traditional range of multitaps, with a more traditional price tag. Like the XGT, it also contains the innovative no-screw in/out connectors and therefore is still much faster to install than 1.2 GHz multitaps.

In addition to the XGT and OTTZ multitaps, Technetix has introduced the XFO-series, a 1.8 GHz faceplate upgrade for legacystyle multitaps including Motorola, Regal or SA. This is a very exciting technology breakthrough that Technetix will bring into the market for deployments next year. It goes without saying that the need to cut the hardline cables and the placing of new housings has a significant impact, as you will temporarily shut off RF and power on the coaxial line and will thereby need skilled workers to execute this properly. The XFO series is here to deal with this issue. In a mass deployment, most taps could be upgraded with a faceplate-only swap, keeping all your services online, while it can be executed by lower-skilled workers. As this solution utilizes the legacy housings with screw contacts, you will keep the maintenance issue and associated cost of cold flow (screws in outdoor taps going loose over time, causing truck rolls). ■

Maarten Markhorst

Technetix traditional outdoor taps 1.8 GHz

The ATSC 3.0 Transition: ACA Connects is Looking Out on Your Behalf

By Mike Jacobs

ACA Connects Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

On April 17, 2023, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the launch of the “Future of TV” initiative focused on completing “an orderly” transition from the current ATSC 1.0 broadcasting standard to ATSC 3.0. The FCC release on the announcement described the ATSC 3.0 standard, referred to by some as “NextGen TV,” as able to bring “Ultra-High Definition (4K)-quality images, two-way interactivity, greater accessibility options, and multi-screen applications to televisions via over-the-air broadcast signals working in tandem with broadband.”

ATSC 3.0 is now available to households in about 60% of U.S. markets. However, to some observers, the pace of the transition, begun in 2020, has been too slow. The primary obstacle has been the lack of “backwards compatibility” between ATSC 3.0 and 1.0, meaning that consumers would need to acquire new ATSC 3.0-compatible televisions or reception devices. Of course, this presents a considerable cost challenge.

The “Future of TV” initiative is being led by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and includes industry and public interest stakeholders, as well as FCC staff. There are three working groups, and ACA Connects has been appointed to two of them:

• Working Group 2: Completing the Transition, described as working on “establishing conditions for completing the transition, including how to minimize consumer impact, under what conditions simulcasting might end, consumer education, availability and pricing of consumer equipment, tuner and labeling standards, and how to manage [ATSC 1.0 and 3.0] capacity as more stations transition.”

• Working Group 3: Post-Transition Regulation, described as “consider[ing] the rules that should govern television stations transmitting in ATSC 3.0 after the transition.”

The kickoff meeting for the initiative occurred June 12. Its stated mission is first to identify all transition-related issues, and then develop consensus recommendations, reduced to writing, targeting June 2024 to present to the FCC. The working groups will meet every four weeks. High-level, non-attributed minutes will be produced after each working group meeting, and periodic full-initiative meetings held, in order to promote information sharing and situational awareness between the three working groups.

ACA Connects – as well as some of our American Television Alliance (ATVA) partners – will be participating actively in the initiative. Fundamentally, ACA Connects will work to ensure that the interests and welfare of smaller and midsized multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), and their subscribers, are protected, and that the transition does not impose financial or other resource burdens upon ACA Connects Members.

We request your help. In order to represent your interests most effectively in the initiative, we need to know what you’re seeing in the market and on the ground.

We plan to convene two ACA Connects Member ad hoc working groups to inform our participation. Given the mission of initiative Working Group 2, figure the appropriate personnel would be those focusing on operations, customer relations, and/or technical matters. Legal and regulatory personnel would be appropriate for the ACA Connects working group tracking initiative Working Group 3, as NAB has described it as particularly focused

on lawyers. The ad hoc working groups likely would convene by conference call every four weeks, with the possibility of some occasional, brief, informal written responses requested to follow-up inquiries.

If you have personnel who would like to contribute, please reach out to me ASAP at mjacobs@acaconnects.org, as the initiative’s work already has begun. Together, we can strive to ensure that the ATSC 3.0 transition is a financial and operational “non-event” for you and your customers. ■

Mike Jacobs is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for ACA Connects. He represents smalland medium-sized broadband, video, and voice providers before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal agencies.

"IN ORDER TO REPRESENT YOUR INTERESTS MOST EFFECTIVELY IN THE INITIATIVE, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IN THE MARKET AND ON THE GROUND."

Halfway Through 2023: What Congress Can Achieve Before the Next Election Cycle Takes Off

By Curtis Philp Vice President, Alpine Group

Halfway through the first year of the 118th Congress it feels as if divided government in our nation’s capital has fostered a full-blown era of showdowns and brinkmanship. The reality is that the single digit margin for the Republican-led House, and one seat majority for the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate, has made internal partydifferences just as challenging as partisan opposition to governing. This narrow margin of error on the most consequential legislative items has been a catalyst for some limited bipartisan cooperation. But with party primary elections starting early next year such cooperation will

become more difficult to achieve the closer 2024 gets.

Nowhere is this trend more evident than with the compromise debt ceiling package that was recently negotiated by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden and his administration. The two-year “deal” capped non-defense discretionary spending to prior fiscal year levels and limited discretionary defense spending to a three percent increase next year and one percent the following year, while extending the nation’s borrowing authority to the end of 2024 and past the fall election. The result of this package

led to spending hawks and populist members of the House Republican Conference to use procedural votes to stop floor proceedings to demonstrate their displeasure that the package did not go far enough to cut spending and failed to attempt to reform mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare.

This frustration over the need to reduce the size and scope of government for these House members will not go away any time soon. In fact, it will likely impact the annual appropriations process that kicked off after the debt deal was signed into law. This means that finding a solution to the Affordable Connectivity Program’s (ACP) money shortfall next year is not looking likely this fall. And further scrutiny by conservatives of government support programs is expected to delay and endanger the Farm Bill, which also includes RUS rural broadband loan and grant programs.

While meaningful developments on must-pass annual bills are starting to languish due to politics, Congressional oversight of new broadband infrastructure programs tops the list of policy items on the Commerce Committees. Congressional Democrats and the White House want to ensure that Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program money gets allocated with project announcements and ribbon cutting ceremonies ahead of the next election. Republicans are eager to highlight potential misuse of ACP funds, armed with Federal Communications Commission Inspector General data about benefits going to the same households. Republicans are also worried that the $42.45 billion investment might not actually go to unserved areas due to mapping and other implementation requirements. Both parties will

continue to highlight their priorities with BEAD and expect elected officials, including Republicans who have raised concerns, to show support at groundbreaking photo opportunities in their districts for new broadband projects funded by the program.

In addition to BEAD, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is using its oversight functions to also consider possible reauthorization of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the FCC. Such a legislative endeavor is not a foregone conclusion, given that the Senate Commerce Committee is busy with other initiatives, but the House Committee Republican majority wants to put its imprint on some operational matters alongside their oversight. The House Communications Subcommittee recently held a hearing with NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson to address infrastructure and some of these narrow bills related to agency functions, as well as synchronizing

May, the Committee will wade back into Commission policies and priorities once again. The White House recently submitted three FCC nominations to the Senate.

Anna Gomez was nominated to the fill open Democrat and fifth seat on the Commission that has been vacant for almost two years. Ms. Gomez is currently a State Department official and will lead for the U.S. on policy at the upcoming International Telecommunication Union conference. She is a veteran telecom lawyer previously serving as the Deputy Administrator at the NTIA and in various positions at the FCC and within the telecommunications industry. In addition, Democrat Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr were nominated to their second terms at the FCC.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) held a hearing this month on the nominations to get the confirmation process moving. Given Committee Republicans scrutiny of failed FCC nominee Gigi Sohn and nominees to other agencies resulting in a slew of nominations being withdrawn in recent months, potential delays and requests for additional vetting of the Gomez nomination could occur. The one-seat Democrat majority in the Senate requires that almost every Democrat support the nominee. This pairing of Commissioners of both parties might help to progress these nominees to confirmation faster than prior nominees in the last two years because of GOP support of Carr. The overall process could go well into the autumn, though.

As is often the case, Congress could end up with a logjam of policy, funding matters, and nominees that could impact your business at the end of the year. We will continue to use your voice in Washington to seek sound policies on your behalf and to develop new relationships with policymakers who can aid us during these challenging political times. ■

broadband program administration across multiple agencies and retroactively extending the lapsed spectrum auction authority. The Energy and Commerce Committee held a similar oversight hearing of the FCC this month to focus on similiar operational matters, as well as broadband maps determining eligibility for the BEAD program, ACP, and universal service contributions.

The Senate Commerce Committee’s agenda is currently being dominated by other matters, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and railroad safety. But with the President’s action on FCC nominations in

"BOTH PARTIES WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR PRIORITIES WITH BEAD AND EXPECT ELECTED OFFICIALS, INCLUDING REPUBLICANS WHO HAVE RAISED CONCERNS, TO SHOW SUPPORT AT GROUNDBREAKING PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR DISTRICTS FOR NEW BROADBAND PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE PROGRAM."

Curtis Philp was deputy chief of staff to former Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) and a staff member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Photo credits: shutterstock

EXPERIENCE STREAMING AT ITS PEAK

Our

Services

ENGINEERING

Our engineering experts provide an extensive offering of OSP engineering, design, GIS, and environmental services that allow us to meet your specific needs on every project.

CONSTRUCTION

We strive to build exceptional infrastructure for every client with the safety of our employees, customers, and the surrounding communities as our number one priority As a turnkey construction firm, we offer aerial, buried, and underground solutions that are tailored to your specifications and requirements

FIELD SERVICES

A team of highly qualified and experienced engineers and technicians provide Technical Field Services, including HFC and Fiber/FTTH networks Our HFC team provides coax splicing, sweeps, node optimization, upgrade splicing, and module swap upgrades, along with a multitude of other services. Fiber Splicing, advanced testing, maintenance, and emergency restoration are among the services we provide as part of our fiber team

CONSULTING SERVICES

Through hundreds of years combined experience, CCI consultants have helped network operators with M&A activities, shortterm and long-term technical planning, and CAPEX budgeting

NETWORK OPERATIONS

In our NOC, we monitor ISP networks for failures or performance issues that can disrupt your subscribers' service Our 24/7 monitoring team detects and responds to issues using industryleading tools to optimize your technical staff's efficiency By using modem provisioning services, subscribers are ensured a seamless access experience that aligns with your service plan

Who We Are

CCI Systems, Inc is a full service, turnkey company that has been providing customized communication network solutions on a national level for more than 60 years. Our innovative and experienced team of more than 1,000 professionals are dedicated to make life better for our clients in the telecommunications, power, CATV, municipal, educational institution, tribal community, and private sectors

ACA Connects Members: Supporting the Communities They Serve!

By Stacey Leech

ACA Connects Sr. Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs

The 2023 Community Champions Contest is off to a great start! We knew our ACAC operator members were doing far more than providing outstanding video and broadband services to their communities, and these community service projects prove we were correct! In this issue, we showcase the eleven submissions we received through June 1. These unique projects include:

• Buckeye Broadband’s projects of building and decorating playhouses to be given away to Lucas County Children’s Services foster families as well as their ad-supported Internet product, FreeNet.

• Home Telecom’s generous donation to build a Miracle League Sports Field.

• Ritter Communications’ donation of time and money to the All Kids Bike initiative to teach kindergarten students to ride toward an active and healthy lifestyle.

• Sparklight employees volunteering to build bunkbeds for the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project.

• Conway Corp’s Student Market Food Drive helps provide students with food during summer months and school breaks.

• For more than 28 years, MCTV has been instrumental in organizing Massillon FunFest, an opportunity for local businesses and organizations to give back to community with fun and educational events

• TDS Telecom’s Internet safety program, Be Safe Online, reached over 10,000 students and provided educational materials for students and families

• For the past 18 years, Madison Communications has hosted a Teacher of the Year Contest in its service areas, with the three winners receiving a cash donation for their classroom, a trophy, and a pizza party for their students.

• Hawaiian Telcom employees have logged nearly 13,000 volunteer hours at various schools and non-profits like Hawaii Food Bank, HUGS, Special Olympics Hawaii, and American Heart Association

• Shentel has just launched a volunteer program earlier this year and has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and the Blue Ridge Foodbank for opportunities to give back to the communities it serves.

Does YOUR company have a project that should be nominated? It’s not too late! We are accepting submissions from ACA Connects operator members until August 31 and those projects will be included in the September issue of ICN. Voting will begin in late September and run through the end of October and the winner will be announced in November and presented with a $2,500 check to continue its project. Nominating is quick and easy! Simply complete the online form and attach a picture or two! Your project could be the winning entry for our 2023 award! ■

Buckeye Broadband

FreeNet & School FreeNet

Buckeye Broadband created a FREE Ad-Supported Internet! FreeNet is the first-to-market, ad-supported Internet product available to residential customers in the Buckeye Broadband service area. FreeNet is intended to create a fully connected community, helping to provide access to the Internet.

As an ad-supported Internet product, FreeNet provides basic speeds and unlimited data at no cost, as long as the subscriber views a 30-second ad every 30 minutes of use. FreeNet provides access to subscribers' favorite online activities like email, social media, web surfing, and can even support one video stream for access to entertainment or news.

To keep the service active, subscribers simply sign in to FreeNet service every 30 days. FreeNet also features no risk assessment, no modem fee, and no deposit.

When Covid hit in 2020, we shifted the service to “School FreeNet,” and removed all ads from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., so that children could log in to virtual classes with no interruption. ■

Stacey Leech is ACA Connects Senior Director of Meetings & Industry Affairs. She serves as the liaison between the association and ACA Connects AMP vendor partners. Stacey works to develop marketing plans that maximize membership benefits and leverage sponsorship opportunities.

Buckeye Broadband

Playhouse Project for Lucas County Children's Services

Buckeye Broadband hosted a Playhouse Project with Habitat for Humanity in September, 2022 (and will again in September, 2023). Our service project was building and decorating five playhouses to be given away that evening to foster families for Lucas County Children’s Services (LCCS). Planning for each house began two months prior, designing themes, purchasing materials and toys/ furniture to fill the houses with.

On build day, we had over 65 volunteers begin building at 9 a.m., and by 4 p.m., we presented five beautiful playhouses for the families. Each house was built by a different department, with different themes for each. LCCS was onsite to help build as well. Our tech ops department went as far as to build a swing set onto their house, and then showed up at one of the other recipient’s houses that weekend to repair/rebuild their broken swing set. When the foster children and families arrived, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. When loading the new houses onto the trucks the children did not want to stop playing. We are currently planning our next oncampus build again for September of 2023! ■

Conway Corp.

Student Market Food Drive

Conway Corp. employees are helping to stock the shelves for the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas Student Market. During the summer months and other school breaks, many students face higher food insecurity and we want to help with that. CAPCA hosts a student market with food items that will be easier for students to prepare. Students may visit the market every two weeks and may receive 14 Breakfast, 14 Lunch, 28 Snack, and 5 Drink items. Food availability is dependent upon donations and that is where our employees are making a difference. In addition to food drives, employees will spend time in the market with students. Last year, CAPCA provided more than 70,000 meals and snacks to hungry children during the summer months. We are proud to be part of this project to keep children in our community from going to bed hungry! ■

Hawaiian Telcom

Mālama Hours

The Mālama Hours program encourages volunteerism for employees at Hawaiian Telcom. Employees are encouraged to participate in community service work during work hours. It builds camaraderie during the workspace and a sense of community responsibility and belonging. Launched in 2019, Mālama Hours helps various schools and non-profits such as Hawaii Food Bank, HUGS, Special Olympics Hawaii, American Heart Association to name a few.

2019: 7,700 Mālama Hours logged

2020: 1,160 Mālama Hours logged

2021: 929 Mālama Hours logged

2022: 3,204 Mālama Hours logged ■

Home Telecom

Home Telecom Miracle League Field

In Berkeley County, South Carolina, some 4,400 kids have had to sit on the sidelines watching their siblings and friends play. That is, until the arrival of the Moncks Corner Home Telecom Miracle Field. For the kids who otherwise would have been shut out of baseball, Moncks Corner Home Telecom Miracle Field lives up to its name.

As its name suggests, Home Telecom is the hometown telecom provider for Moncks Corner. With an investment of $250,000, Home Telecom was instrumental in the creation of the million-dollar facility. Read more at

https://www.viodi.tv/2023/04/16/a-miracle-league-on-the-home-field/ https://www.monckscornersc.gov/miracle-league ■

Madison Communications Teacher of the Year

Madison Communications holds a yearly Teacher of the Year Awards Contest where we aim to honor the teachers in our service area. This is our 18th year that we have held the contest and we always receive very positive feedback.

Throughout the month of March each year, the contest begins with what we call the “Nomination Period.” During this period, we have an online form that an individual would fill out to tell us whom they are nominating and why they think that teacher deserves to be the next Teacher of the Year! During the “Nomination Period” this year, we received 215 teacher nominations in our service areas! The nominated teachers then will each get a custom nomination certificate with a summary of their nomination comments along with a Teacher of the Year Cookie!

Once the nomination certificates and cookies have been distributed to each school, the “Voting Period” begins April 1 and will continue throughout the remainder of the month. During this period, we have another online form where an individual can go to vote once per day. We sort out the duplicate votes to make sure that every teacher gets a fair chance in the contest. Finally, after the voting ends and the 3 winners have been calculated, we announce the news on May 1 to the public!

The 3 winners will each receive $500 for classroom use, a custom Teacher of the Year glass book trophy, and a classroom pizza party! ■

MCTV Massillon FunFest

Thousands of local families fill Downtown Massillon each year for FunFest, a lively, safe, educational, and enriching experience. The event has been organized for more than 28 years by MCTV, The Massillon Museum and the Downtown Massillon Association. Each year more than 100 local businesses and organizations offer free or nearly free activities to children and families that include games, art, dance, health screenings, music, science, school supplies, puppet shows, drum lines, inflatables, touch a truck, train rides, and petting zoos. The booth sponsors are able to tell the families about the services and opportunities that are available to them. Monetary donations from local organizations have helped provide exciting performances each year. Past highlights include clowns, drum lines, stilt walkers, magicians, clowns, jugglers, princesses. The city government, parks department, fire and safety, local churches, scouts, food banks, social services, school groups, dance troops and athletic teams participate as well as many businesses. FunFest is possible because the generous collaboration of the entire community. ■

Ritter Communications

Bicycle Donation to Kindergarten Classes

Ritter Communications made a $6,000 donation to All Kids Bike, bringing bicycles and the Learn-to-Ride curriculum to kindergarten students in Newport and Brinkley, Ark.

All Kids Bike is an initiative to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in their kindergarten physical education class. The program encourages students to spend time outside and explore their neighborhoods while promoting an active, healthy lifestyle.

During an all-employee meeting, Ritter employees assembled the 48 bikes donated to students at Newport Elementary School and C.B. Partee Elementary School. Students received their bikes during individual school assemblies on Wednesday, March 29, and Thursday, March 30.

Ritter CEO Alan Morse said, “We are proud to make this contribution and bring students in Newport and Brinkley the opportunity to be physically active and engage with other kids in their local communities.” ■

Shentel Shentel Volunteer Program

The Shentel Volunteer Program gives our employees the opportunity to give back to the community where they live. Every Shentel employee has 8 hours of paid time to go out, connect, build relationships and give back to their respective communities. Shentel has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to help provide volunteer opportunities in the areas we serve. This program was launched in February 2023 and has received very positive feedback and participation since its inception. ■

Sparklight

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. Their motto is NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN! On April 15, 2023, Sparklight sponsored a builda-bed project for the children of the Poplar Bluff, Mo, area. We had more than 30 employees and family members that gathered to use their Angel Day to build twenty-four beds for children in our area. ■

TDS Telecom

Be Safe Online

During the 2022-23 school year, TDS rolled out Be Safe Online, an Internet safety program in Washington County, Utah. The program was held at 21 elementary schools and reached more than 10,000 students. TDS Associate Manager of Field Marketing Wendi Bulkley coordinated Be Safe Online at each school and assisted in developing educational materials for both students and their families.

Schools hosted a weekful of activities and concluded with a highenergy, music-filled all-school assembly. Student handouts included Internet safety tips and ideas to encourage family conversations about online safety. TDS provided students a free T-shirt with Internet safety tips on it. During the all-school assembly, Wendi and Utah Tech University students taught the school children a safety rap song to help them remember safety principles. TDS also partnered with Empowering Young Minds.

“The Utah Tech students brought so much enthusiasm to Be Safe Online,” said Wendi. “These school children look up to these college students. Because they are so tech savvy, they do a great job teaching how important it is to be safe online.”

Because of several requests from the schools, TDS plans to bring the program back to third grade classrooms in the fall. The program was featured in the St. George News. ■

July 23-25, 2023

July 30-August 2, 2023

July 30-August 1, 2023

August 7-9, 2023

August 20-22, 2023

August 20-23, 2023

August 21-23, 2023

September 10-13, 2023

September 11-13, 2023

September 13-15, 2023

September 18-19, 2023

September 20, 2023

September 24-27, 2023

September 26-28, 2023

October 14-17, 2023

October 16-19, 2023

October 17-19, 2023

October 24, 2023

October 29-31, 2023

November 12-15, 2023

NTCA Summer Symposium

The Independent Show

NTCA Summer Symposium

Mountain Connect

SDTA Annual Conference

Fiber Connect 2023

CITY, STATE

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Minneapolis, MN

Bloomington, MN

Denver, CO

Deadwood, SD

Kissimmee, FL

BroadbandMT Annual Meeting Whitefish, MT

WTA 2023 Fall Educational Forum Coeur d'Alene, ID

CCSA Connect 2023

St. John's, NL Canada

ComPulse 2023 - Telecommunications Association of Michigan Bay Harbor, MI

WICT 2023 Leadership Conference New York, NY

Walter Kaitz Foundation's Annual Fundraising Dinner New York, NY

NTCA Fall Conference

Mobile World Congress Las Vegas & CTIA’s Everything Policy Program

Calix ConneXions

SCTE Cable-Tec Expo

CCA Annual Convention

Fiber Broadband AssociationRegional Fiber Connect

NTCA CyberShare Summit

National Exchange Carriers Association Expo (NECA)

Boston, MA

Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas, NV

Denver, CO

Atlanta, GA

Minneapolis, MN

Pittsburgh, PA

Austin, TX

Events subject to change. Please refer to the corresponding website for the most updated information.

iStock.com/Jarmo Piironen, 12 iStock.com/Business, 24 iStock. com/pixhook, 24 iStock.com/Nastco, 24 iStock.com/lolostock, 25 iStock.com/JoeChristensen, 18 iStock.com/DNY59, 18 iStock.com/BanksPhotos, 19 iStock.com/ vectorloop, 19 iStock.com/EHStock, 31 iStock.com/zhuweiyi49, 31 iStock.com/VikaSuh, 31 iStock.com/kupritz, 31 iStock.com/haizon, 34 iStock.com/piranka, 31 iStock.com/studiostockart, 31 iStock.com/Lyudinka, 34 iStock.com/powerofforever, 38 iStock.com/Altinosmanaj, 38 iStock.com/Elena Brovko, 47 iStock. com/3283197d_273, 48 iStock.com/fad1986

PHOTO CREDITS: 1 iStock.com/RudyBalasko, 2 iStock.com/Business, 2 iStock.com/lolostock, 2 iStock.com/Altinosmanaj, 2 iStock.com/Elena Brovko, 2 iStock.com/ Tetiana Lazunova, 2 iStock.com/Jarmo Piironen, 2 iStock.com/BanksPhotos, 2 iStock.com/kitipol, 6