ACA Connects is Building America’s Broadband Future
Join Us in Washington, D.C.
Our mission at ACA Connects
At America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects), “We’re Building!” Every day, our 500 members, rooted in hometowns and rural communities across all 50 states, are planning new builds, digging trenches, climbing poles, and investing in networks that deliver best-in-class services.
Over the past seven years, ACA Connects members have expanded coverage by nearly 50%, reaching approximately 10 million new locations. Many of these locations are small towns and rural areas that were previously underserved. Each new connection is essential for daily life: accessing bank accounts, scheduling telemedicine appointments, connecting with loved ones, clipping digital grocery coupons, launching small businesses, and everything in between.
Yet, despite this progress to bridge the digital divide, there is more work to do and exciting opportunities on the horizon.
First, more unserved areas still need access to reliable, high-speed Internet. Closing this gap requires strong public-private partnerships, which is why our members are actively helping drive the success of the government’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
Beyond BEAD, we are also in a critical time in history for America’s technological leadership, especially as the demand for fiber optic Internet infrastructure in rural areas is rising sharply because of the artificial intelligence and data center boom.
To be ready for this historic moment, ACA Connects is doubling down on our mission to build a faster, more connected, and innovative America, with small-town and rural communities leading the way.
Speeding up deployment
One of our top advocacy priorities this year is permitting reform. Increasing access to high-speed Internet requires high-speed buildouts. However, too often, that’s not reality.
For example, ACA Connects members report waiting months for permit approvals, often with no explanation or timeline. One provider faced an 18-month delay while a city pursued its own network project. Some localities are also adding excessive requirements and unaffordable fees to access public rights-of-way. In some cases, this happens after permits are already granted. These unexpected costs disproportionately affect smaller providers, complicate deployment, and discourage investment.
ACA Connects is putting these problems front-and-center to advocate for change and recommend solutions to ensure our members’ investments go further into their networks. Some of these solutions include shot clocks to keep the permitting process moving, cutting excessive costs, and prohibiting state rate regulations.
The good news? Our advocacy is working. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress are actively exploring ways to streamline the permitting process. ACA Connects has been engaged with them since day one, and we will continue to do so to help push solutions to the finish line.
Join us for more game changing advocacy
Whether it is permitting reform or another priority, we want you to be at the table where critical broadband decisions are made. That is why, if you are an independent provider who is not yet part of ACA Connects, I invite you to please join us.
This spring, we’re bringing the conversation and more action to the nation’s capital, at our annual ACA Connects Summit, where we will be building connections, relationships, and communities.
Become a member and be part of the Summit, March 3-5, to:
- Engage directly with federal leaders shaping broadband policy.
- Collaborate with industry peers and our vendor partners on strategies to overcome deployment challenges.
- Gain insights into emerging technologies and funding opportunities.
- Help drive solutions that will connect every community in America.
Together, we can build a faster, more connected, and more innovative nation. Don’t miss this opportunity to make an impact and be ready for the future. ACA Connects will be there for you every step of the way.
Grant Spellmeyer
President and CEO of America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects)
Grant Spellmeyer serves as the President and CEO of America’s Communications Association (ACA Connects), the premier trade association representing 500 small and medium-sized, independent companies that provide high-speed Internet, video, phone, and mobile services. In 2025, Grant was recognized as a ‘Top Lobbyist’ by the National Institute of Lobbying Ethics for ACA Connects’ effective advocacy in Washington, D.C.
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