NTCA Head Shirley Bloomfield to Retire March 2026

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2025 – Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of rural broadband trade group NTCA, announced Tuesday she would be stepping down at the end of March, 2026.

“We just came through a crisis over the past four years where we didn’t know if the essential Universal Service Fund would survive,” she said in a statement. “But through our hard work together, it did. And now that the debate is shifting to a new phase of challenges, it’s the perfect time for the NTCA Board of Directors to start looking for that next leader to take you all over the next mountain!”

Bloomfield has led NTCA since 2010, and been with the organization for 36 years in all. NTCA counts about 850 rural ISPs among its members, many of whom participate in the roughly $9 billion-per-year USF.

The group intervened to defend the program from a lawsuit alleging it was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court upheld the program in June.

NTCA submitted comments Monday to lawmakers considering reforms to the program and said it should be focused on providing operation support for broadband providers in the most rural areas. USF has been funded since the 1990s by fees on interstate voice revenue, now a fast-shrinking pool of cash.

“Thank you for membership, your support, your active engagement, and your friendship,” Bloomfield said in a video posted to the group’s website.

ACA Connects names new COO

ACA Connects, which represents smaller cable operators, said Tuesday that Jack Latzer would be its new executive vice president and COO.

Latzer spent the last 22 years with NCTI, much of it in leadership roles. The company provides training programs for fiber and wireless technicians.

Latzer will take over for John Higgenbotham. He held the position for five years, and the groups said he will stay on for the next six months.

“From guiding the association as our Members' focus evolved from cable to broadband, to supporting me as I stepped into the role of CEO, John’s leadership has been instrumental,” ACA CEO Grant Spellmeyer said in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful for his continued support in ensuring a smooth transition that positions ACA Connects for success in 2026 and beyond.”