ACA Connects Opts To Cancel Annual D.C. Summit

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The annual public policy summit held in the Nation’s Capital by ACA Connects, formerly the American Cable Association, has been scrubbed for 2020 as a result of the continued COVID-19 pandemic.


In making the move, Pittsburgh-based ACA Connects says it is “appropriately deciding to focus its attention on serving its members as they continue their work keeping their communities connected to broadband and other vital communications services during the Coronavirus pandemic.”

ACA Connects President/CEO Matthew M. Polka commented, “Although we seriously considered and worked toward the fall for new dates for the Summit, ACA Connects in the end concluded that now was simply not the time to reschedule the summit for later this year because of all of the unprecedented challenges facing our country and our members.”

The original dates for the summit were March 17-19 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. ACA Connects opted to postpone the event, normally attended by 300 ACA Connects members and vendors, government speakers and members of the media, on March 5.

It has been held for 27 years.

ACA Connects remains hopeful that there will be opportunities to bring members to Washington, D.C., to lobby on important issues in 2020 once the crisis subsides. “In the meantime, ACA Connects will be working in Washington, D.C., on its members’ behalf, and the members themselves will certainly maintain solid grassroots relationships with their local Members of Congress,” it says.

Depending on how things develop regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, ACA Connects will decide later if a streamlined Capitol Hill visit and a mini-summit makes sense if it is appropriate to hold group functions once again.

“We made the right decision early on to postpone the Summit for the health and safety of our members and attendees, and this is another decision that we believe is the best thing for our members and attendees at this time,” Polka said.

According to Summit event planners, ACA Connects is working through refunds for registered Summit attendees, sponsors and exhibitors and is hoping to process those as promptly as possible once ACA Connects’ administrative team can return to their offices.