Cablefax The Magazine August 2022 - 27

Broadband
Communications
Association of Pennsylvania
As the cable industry's oldest state association,
it would have been easy for BCAP
to wither over the years like so many other
groups did as consolidation took hold. Instead,
it has remained vibrant. In February,
it replaced the word Cable in its name with
Communications to better reflect the importance
of high-speed internet to the industry.
It's the fourth name change since it was
founded in 1957 as the Pennsylvania Cable
Television Association.
BCAP has developed excellent relationships
with the Commonwealth's lawmakers
and agencies, and for 32 years, it has hosted
its " Cable Academy, " offering two days of
information-packed sessions for operators,
programmers and suppliers. It's drawn big
names over the years, including former Comcast
Senior EVP David Cohen, Matthew Berry,
then-FCC chair Ajit Pai's Chief of Staff, NCTA
President & CEO Michael Powell and Brian
Lockman of Pennsylvania Cable Network and
one of the first four members of C-SPAN.
Long-time BCAP President Dan Tunnell retired
last year, but the organization brought
BCAP offices in Harrisburg, one block from
the Pennsylvania state capitol, hosts several
legislative fundraisers and receptions during
the year.
on industry vet Todd Eachus-only the fourth
president in the association's 65-year-history-and
it never missed a beat. Wins have
included reducing the Pennsylvania corporate
net income tax and defeating a plan to
create a statewide utility pole database that
BCAP said would significantly burden its
members. " On the legislative and regulatory
front, we were successful molding the PennSTATE
ASSOCIATION
OF THE YEAR
sylvania Broadband Development Authority
as the Commonwealth prepares to accept
[Infrastructure Bill] funds and begins the task
of ensuring every Pennsylvanian has access
to fast, reliable and secure broadband service.
We have also been at the table as the
General Assembly works on issues such as
988 implementation, privacy legislation and
more, " says Eachus.
BCAP is already thinking about next year's
Cable Academy, pledging to keep the tradition
alive and grow it. " We are at an inflection
point for our industry. There are so many opportunities
and challenges as we look at the
generational opportunity of getting broadband
to every rural address across the nation
and across Pennsylvania. We have a chance
to be part of something truly transformative,
but this opportunity is not without risk, " says
Eachus. " We must remain vigilant to ensure
we help develop rules within Pennsylvania
that will allow for success, and keep our eyes
wide open to the countless other issues that
will impact our members in the months and
years ahead. " 
REGIONAL ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Susan Bitter Smith
When Bitter Smith joined the Arizona Cable
Television Association in 1980, she didn't
even have cable because the City of Scottsdale
hadn't yet awarded a franchise. It was
her first job out of grad school. Fast forward
42 years, and she's the industry's longest
serving regional association leader. Today,
she heads the Southwest Cable Communications
Association, which began as the Arizona
association.
" I am still with the association quite honestly
because the job, the industry, and the
day-to-day issues have been constantly
changing, so my job has continued to change
over the last 42 years, " she says. " What has
not changed is the support of our members,
the fast-paced evolution of the issues and
the clear need for the mission and the role
of the association. The association members
are like family and the board has been supCablefaxTopOps.com
portive
of my personal career development
and involvement in community and industry
activities, which has provided value not only
to me, but to my role as the association executive
director. "
Bitter Smith established the association as
a trailblazer early on, using her long-standing
relationships with Arizona Senators Barry
Goldwater and John McCain to lead the efforts
supporting Goldwater's 1984 Telecommunications
Act, which set the template for
the cable industry's growth and success and
the subsequent rewrite of that acting during
McCain's chairmanship of the Senate Commerce
Committee. Under her leadership, the
association's victories have included legislation
limiting municipal regulation of cable and
a measure that creates parity for pole attachment
rates with competitive co-op providers.
During the pandemic, Bitter Smith worked to
August 2022
ensure state broadband funding contained
appropriate guardrails to ensure money goes
to the truly unserved and underserved.
" Over the last year, we have had to reconfigure
how we engage with members and
elected officials, and I am proud of our small
association's ability to quickly retool and
continue active engagement in our legislative
and regulatory advocacy on behalf of the industry,
particularly in the arena of broadband
expansion and deployment, " she says. 
REGIONAL RAINMAKERS 27
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