Complete Story
02/15/2018
Washington Matters
ACA’s Matt Polka says net neutrality isn’t the only regulatory hurdle for rural operators
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – While Net Neutrality seems to take up most of the headlines when it comes to cable regulatory issues, American Cable Association president Matt Polka says there are other, less provocative matters in Washington that are putting pressure on broadband investment.
Polka, taking a minute between sessions at NCTC's Winter Educational Conference here Tuesday, said while supporting Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai’s order to rescind Title II regulation of broadband is a No. 1 priority for his group, a close second is streamlining and simplifying the regulatory process as well as updating antiquated laws that hold back investment, innovation and competition.
Though decidedly less sexy than net neutrality, these issues are just as important to small operators, he added.
“It’s pole attachments, access to conduits so that we can provide the broadband wire to deliver the broadband promise, the permitting process, the application process, the costs and the fees imposed, the government entities that have to be involved, particularly if you cross federal land,” Polka said.
Next on the priority list are more familiar issues regarding programming costs and access that are all the more pressing as the content distribution industry evolves.
“The major content owners are all looking to give consumers their content over the top, often at cheaper consumer rates that we have to pay at the wholesale rate,” Polka said. “At the same time they are still holding us hostage to the ever increasing sizes of their bundles, carriage of affiliate programming, price increases and making less of their content available in specialty tiers [and] ala carte. From the linear cable perspective it hasn’t changed, in fact it’s probably just gotten worse.
