Robert Gessner elected ACA Chairman; Patricia Jo Boyers elected Vice Chair

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ACA / American Cable AssociationRobert Gessner, President of MCTV (formerly Massillon Cable TV), was elected Chairman of the American Cable Association, and Patricia Jo Boyers, President of BOYCOM, was elected ACA Vice Chairwoman, each to two-year terms, by a vote of the ACA Membership announced 7/28 at the 9th annual Independent Show.


“This is a critical time because the issues have never been tougher or the stakes higher for the independent cable community,” Gessner said.  “I’m proud to lead ACA as the organization moves forward with its efforts to inform and educate policymakers on the vital role we play in the communications market and the need for public policies that foster investment in our networks and communities.”

Some of the key issues important to the independent cable community include:  Extension of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA); net neutrality, retransmission consent reform, implementation of the FCC’s Connect America Fund; and access to programming on fair and reasonable terms for cable operators and buying groups. ACA is also an active player in the government’s review of the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable and the AT&T-DirecTV mergers.

“Over the next two years, ACA will have my time and effort in pressing Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to do whatever they can to fix the broken retransmission consent system and protect consumers from market power abuses certain to result from the media consolidation wave that shows no sign of abating,” Boyers said.

Gessner, ACA’s Vice Chairman since 2012, succeeds Colleen Abdoulah, who is Chairwoman of WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone and who became ACA’s Chairwoman in 2011.  Boyers has served as a Board Member of ACA prior to her election as Vice Chairwoman.  MCTV is based in Massillon, Oh., and BOYCOM is headquartered in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

ACA’s Board elections were announced at the annual ACA Membership meeting during the Independent Show, a leading communications industry forum co-hosted and jointly organized by ACA and the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).

Newly elected to the ACA Board, as either additions or filling company vacancies, were:

Bill Beaty, Executive Vice President of Cable TV Operations, Comporium;

Leslie Brown, ‎Senior Vice President and General Counsel,  Atlantic Broadband;

Cathy Kuo, Chief Operating Officer, WOW! Internet Cable Phone; and

Drew Petersen, Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communications, TDS

Re-elected to the ACA Board for new three-year terms were:

Bryan Cipoletti, Chief Financial Officer, Armstrong

Tom Larsen, Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs, Mediacom

Tom Might, President and CEO, Cable ONE

LeaAnn Quist, Director of Cable TV, Great Plains Communications