Patty Boyers’ Show Me State wisdom was front and center at ACA Connects’ Summit #26 in Washington last week on a panel, Succeeding in Challenging Times. One of her memorable nuggets, “You can raise your children and spoil your grandchildren, but if you spoil your children you will be raising your grandchildren,” describes the type of fallout we are seeing with the current college admissions scandal. Patty and her rural ACA Connects’ brothers and sisters would have lots of great lessons to teach those parents who crossed the line from raising to spoiling.
ACA Connects – A New & More Accurate Name
Connecting people in various ways is what ACA Connects and its members have been doing for more than two decades. At its 26th Summit, Matt Polka announced the name change from the American Cable Association to America’s Communications Association (aka ACA Connects). In the above interview, Polka points out that they purposely kept technology out of the name. He also points out that community involvement is weaved into the fabric of ACA Connects’ members,
“Must-Pass” Legislation Provides Opportunity on Retrans Consent by Steve Pastorkovich
While broadband, over-the-top video, mergers and the competitive landscape were all topics at the conference, the first sessions were dominated by retransmission consent. Attendees viewed a video interview Polka conducted earlier with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA). They discussed how the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization (STELAR) is up for renewal this year, and how it can affect retransmission consent.
Unique Opportunity for Retrans Reform & More #WEC2019
Speaking at NCTC’s 2019 Winter Educational Conference, American Cable Association Sr. Vice President, Ross Lieberman, suggests an idea for retransmission consent reform that may get some traction in the halls of Congress. The essence of the idea is that broadcasters would charge consumers for programming, instead of using the MVPD (Multichannel Video Program Distributors, e.g., cable company) as their proxies. In this scenario, the MVPD would still bill the customer but would transfer 100% of the money directly to the broadcasters.
Robocalls to the Human Highlight Film
No one can seemingly escape those annoying robocalls, not even the Chair of the FCC, Ajit Pai. Pai indicates that robocalls are his agency’s top consumer protection priority as indicated by the record fines levied against violators. He also provides a brief overview of the technical effort to eradicate these unwanted calls. He praises the efforts of ACA members in their assistance with the industry-led Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- RT @AlpineComNet “We partnered with the City of Elkader to provide housing incentives for folks purchasing, building, or renovating a home within the Elkader city limits to help the community thrive. Read how fiber-optics is a competitive advantage for #rural Iowa.”
- @NineStarConnect “A Second-to-None Facility ‘In the Middle of a Cornfield”; a rural co-working space and more.
- The upcoming SmartDrivingCar Summit (May 14th-16th) has a special focus on bringing mobility to the mobility disadvantaged. You can hear what the conference organizer, Dr. Alain Kornhausers, said to a New Jersey State Assembly Sub-Committee on the importance of making this a priority as autonomy is rolled out on the SmartDrivingCar podcast.
The Invisible Chauffeur #CES2019
A four-wheel autonomous vehicle that travels up to 5 MPH, with a range of 10 miles and is a great option for moving people in closed environments, such as airports, is what WHILL debuted at CES2019. It will map the route, has collision avoidance, and swappable batteries to minimize downtime. The consumer version is sub-$4,000 and pricing for their Mobility as a Service model is to be determined. Could this or a variation of this personal mobility machine be the next big thing in last-mile vehicle sharing?
Unlike electric-scooters, the four-wheels on the WHILL vehicle provide a stable platform that anyone can use. The rack on the back provides a place for personal belongings. In short, these could be great mobility aids for people of all abilities. Still, despite the positives, it isn’t too difficult to imagine a path whereby technology leads us to a WALL-E-like future.
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