Why It Matters

ACA, America's Communications Association, represents small and medium-sized independent cable, broadband, and video service providers. For the past year, the association's outside lobbying team explicitly cited program implementation for BEAD (the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program) and broadband infrastructure funding as their core focus.

In the Q1 2026 filing, however, Alpine Group Partners LLC listed no specific issues, a notable shift that suggests either a change in strategy or a reporting choice. The blank disclosure makes it unclear which, if any, of the active telecommunications policy debates on Capitol Hill ACA engaged on during the quarter.

By the Numbers

ACA maintains a two-track lobbying operation. In first quarter 2026, the association filed two separate disclosures:

Combined, ACA spent $420,000 on lobbying in the first quarter, the highest in-house expenditure reported in the past year.

The outside firm spend has remained flat at $120,000 per quarter throughout the lookback period. The in-house figure ticked up to $300,000 in the first quarter 2026, compared to $260,000 in the last of 2025.

The Alpine Group Partners lobbying team has remained unchanged with Curtis Philp, Jenny Forrest, Alison Graab, Patrick Satalin, and Rhod Shaw. ACA's in-house team consists of Grant Spellmeyer and Zamir Ahmed. No new lobbyists were added or dropped in the latest filing.

The Agenda

The Q1 2026 disclosure from Alpine Group Partners lists no specific issues and no legislation. This represents a departure from prior quarters. In Q1 2025, Q2 2025, Q3 2025, and Q4 2025, Alpine Group consistently reported lobbying on "Implementation of BEAD program. Funding and oversight related to broadband infrastructure deployment and affordability programs."

ACA's in-house filings have consistently listed only "TEC Policy", a broad telecommunications designation, across all four quarters in the lookback period, including the most recent Q1 2026 filing. No specific legislation has been cited in any filing over the past year.

Broader Context

Congressional engagement on telecom and broadband policy has been active. A Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing held April 18, 2026 and titled "Signal Under Siege: Defending America's Communications Networks", examined government and industry collaboration on network security. In his opening statement, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) framed the challenge as balancing security with avoiding "excessive and useless regulation that stifles the very innovation that gives us our competitive edge."

Lawmakers have also been active on the Universal Service Fund. A South Dakota senator's communication from April 18, 2026 noted a meeting with the state's telecommunications association on USF reform. A Nebraska senator noted in November 2025 that following a Supreme Court ruling on the USF, Congress should focus on "long-term solutions" and evaluate broadband programs.

Spectrum policy has also drawn congressional attention. The Senate sought spectrum auction authority in budget reconciliation, with projections of generating an estimated $85 billion, according to a Senate communication from November 2025.

The Bottom Line

ACA Connects is maintaining a steady $120,000 quarterly outside lobbying presence through Alpine Group Partners, while in-house spending reached $300,000 in first quarter 2026. The absence of specific issues in the latest outside filing represents a shift from prior quarters, when BEAD implementation was consistently cited. The lobbying team and firm have remained unchanged. Without disclosed specific issues, it is not possible to confirm which telecommunications policy areas, such as network security, USF reform, spectrum, or broadband deployment, that ACA's team engaged on during the quarter.