Power and Communication Contractors Association

10/14/2026

National Grid recently completed a $32 million upgrade project of its Perry Street substation in Buffalo, N.Y., to help meet projected electricity demand in the city. The substation was built in 1916 and traditionally delivered electricity at 4,160 volts. The completed project adds 13,200-volt distribution delivery capability. Transmission & Distribution World has the story.

"The Perry Street substation is the first of approximately 12 substations National Grid plans to modernize or rebuild in the coming years as part of its efforts to address anticipated demand increases and maintain reliable electricity service. The upgraded facility went online this past summer.

"'Growth across the City of Buffalo is driving change in electricity delivery,' said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. 'The renovations at our Perry Street station were both necessary and a direct response to load growth in Larkinville and the First Ward that include projects exceeding 1 megawatt. As we look ahead, this substation project and others like it are part of our current planning process to meet increased electricity demand and anticipate capacity needs across the city.'"

$32 million project modernizes 110-year-old facility as part of a multi-year reliability and resiliency plan.

10/08/2026

PCCA is a proud Supporting Organization of the Underground Infrastructure Conference (UIC) 2027, January 26-27 at the Ga***rd Texan in Grapevine, Texas.

PCCA members save 15% on registration with code PCCA15. Register before early bird pricing ends on December 18 and save even more.

Built for power and communications crews:

• Two HDD tracks, plus small rig and big rig contractor panels on the show floor
• Microtunneling with E-Power Pipe for underground cables (Herrenknecht)
• HDD for trenchless grounding in high-resistivity geologies (CLAD Trenchless Grounding)
• Corrosion damage caused by AC voltages (UTGIS)
• PDHs for every education session you attend

Register with code PCCA15: https://ui-conference.com/registration/

To maximize municipal public works attendance at this critical education event, we created a Municipal Partnership Program. The cost for municipal public works attendees will be complimentary for the Primary Program. Specialty training programs (CUIRE) and fee-based special events (Underground Infra...

10/07/2026

Power & Communication Contractors Association is proud to support 2026 HDD Rodeo, December 2-4 in Perry, Georgia. 🤠

As a PCCA member, you get 15% off your registration. Just enter code PCCA26 on the registration page to redeem the discount.

The full-day workshop schedule is now live! Explore the sessions on December 2, then grab the Workshop + Competition & Expo Pass to learn from industry experts before the live drilling competition and exhibits on December 3-4.

📅 View the workshop schedule: https://rodeo.trenchlesstechnology.com/schedule/

🎟️ Register with code PCCA26: https://rodeo.trenchlesstechnology.com/attendee-registration/

10/07/2026

PCCA Chairman Craig Amerine, Amerine Utilities Construction, Inc., will continue advocating for small business and improved damage prevention processes in the remaining months of his term. Amerine recently oversaw the association's successful Mid-Year Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Amerine discussed his goals as PCCA Chairman, noting that small contractors have been the focus from the start. He said that most PCCA members are nowhere near the size of the national firms that dominate underground construction, and his belief is that the difference shouldn't cost them influence.

"It's an honor to represent small business on a large scale like PCCA," Craig Amerine said. "I want to continue promoting the benefits PCCA provides for small businesses and leave the association stronger than when I started."

GREAT BEND, KS, October 2, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Great Bend contractor pushing for small-business influence and better damage prevention as the association

10/02/2026

PCCA applauds the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan permitting reform bill, the American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, and urges Congress to move forward on this important legislation.

“Ensuring contractors can schedule and begin projects in a timely manner through an efficient and predictable permitting process will be essential to strengthening America’s infrastructure,” PCCA Chairman Craig Amerine, Amerine Utilities Construction, Inc., said. “We can advance critical infrastructure projects while continuing to protect our nation’s valuable natural resources and environment.”

See PCCA's full statement:https://www.pccaweb.org/images/stories/pdf/PCCA%20Letter%20on%20Bipartisan%20Permitting%20Bill%20100126.pdf

09/24/2026

The National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week reiterating its concern with the direction of the BEAD Program and noting that many electric cooperatives that won BEAD awards are declining them. Nicole Ferraro reports for Light Reading.

"'63 electric cooperatives across 27 states received provisional BEAD awards to offer reliable high-speed broadband to some of the most challenging eligible locations in the country. But delayed implementation and shifting guidance have created a program defined by uncertainty and confusion. Instead of accelerating deployment, continual revisions to the program have discouraged participation,' said [NRECA CEO Jim] Matheson.

"'To date, 20 of the 63 electric cooperatives originally slated to participate in BEAD have withdrawn from the program. Many others are considering withdrawal, citing concerns over the application of extra-statutory pole attachment requirements as a condition of participation,' he added."

Of 63 electric co-ops that won BEAD awards, 20 have dropped from the program so far, said NRECA in a letter asking NTIA to 'correct course' on the program.

09/23/2026

PCCA members received a high-level briefing on the upcoming midterm elections at the Government & Industry Issues Panel during their Mid-Year Meeting last week in Washington, D.C. The discussion featured Mitch Brown, Partner & Pollster at Cygnal;
Brendan Jaspers, Political Director, National Republican Senatorial Committee; and
Jack Pandol, Deputy Executive Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, and the session was moderated by Ben Brubeck, Government Affairs Solutions.

The panelists acknowledged the challenges faced by Republicans in November, but they said that the seats in play are mostly red in districts and that the GOP has a money advantage, which has allowed them to get their ads on the air sooner than the Democrats. This biggest takeaway: get out and vote, people!

09/22/2026

At the PCCA Mid-Year Meeting last week in Washington, D.C., Mark Bridgers from Continuum Capital and Daniel Shumate from FMI updated association members on the economic factors that impact their power and broadband construction businesses.

Bridgers talked about risks that contractors and suppliers are subject to as well as the actions that can be taken to mitigate those risks. And he said that "PCCA members are the perfect candidates" to perform increasing data center work and concluded, "At this point, this market space is going to continue to do well."

Shumate said that for all the challenges we face as a country, "the U.S. economy is incredibly resilient," and "For this market, long-term trends have been strong."

09/22/2026

The informative and entertaining Rural Utilities Discussion last week at the PCCA Mid-Year Meeting in Washington, D.C., featured Chandler Vaughan, Director of the Virginia Office of Broadband; Glen Howie, State Broadband Director in Arkansas; Vince Masson of PRC Risk Consulting, who works with several state broadband offices; and Ben Brubeck, Government Affairs Solutions. PCCA Government Affairs Committee Chair John Fluharty, Troy Construction, moderated the panel.

When asked what he say to contractors in the room who may be frustrated by the BEAD program process, Masson said, "Keep the faith. Remain committed. I know that the compliance requirements are different. We really, truly are here to make this as easy as possible. Please do not fear calling the broadband office or fear us. When we work with you, and we come out for our site visits, things like that, do not think we are there for a typical audit. We're not from the IRS. We're not here to crawl through your tax returns. We're actually just doing everything we can to help get to yes. Yes, the broadband office is compliant. Yes, the grantee is compliant. Yes, the subcontractor did the work in a compliant manner."

09/21/2026

Alex Fitzsimmons, Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy and Senior Advisor to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, stopped by the PCCA Mid-Year Meeting last week to discuss energy policy, permitting reform, affordability, and the impact of data centers.

"The only path to lower energy prices is growth. Building more infrastructure to meet demand, building more supply, producing more, making more, manufacturing more--that's what lowers energy costs. And I think Congress basically agrees on that point."