Communications Crossroads - Fall 2007 - (Page 4)

up front with USTelecom Leadership Telecom Leaders in Silicon Valley Where better for leading small, mid-size and rural telecom company executives to gather together to learn about all things broadband than in that hotbed of innovation and technology—California’s fabled Silicon Valley? On September 1012, the first USTelecom Executive Business Forum will be held in San Jose, CA. As emerging broadband platforms continue to transform the worlds of communications, technology and entertainment, industry leaders will meet to talk about the challenges and opportunities that lie before us. The USTelecom Executive Business Forum is an all-new event focusing on emerging opportunities in broadband and wireless, from new revenue opportunities, to market research, to mergers and acquisitions, and new business partnerships. The forum also will provide substantial networking opportunities that will allow members to hear first-hand from their industry peers and other innovators. The complete agenda is available at www.ustelecom.org. The Executive Business Forum is being hosted by the USTelecom Leadership Committee—which is chaired by Bert Kramer, of D&E Communications, and is focused on the unique business challenges facing executives of small, mid-size and rural telecom companies. Recognizing the importance of education, training and networking opportunities for smaller company executives, the Leadership Committee is working to identify best practices in the industry, and to provide insights to managers interested in delivering broadband video, deploying IP networks, integrating wireless and wireline offerings, and improving billing, collections, and provisioning. This forum is a first step. The committee is exploring the hosting of a week-long immersion program next year to help give up-and-coming executives the tools they need to profit in the future. And, the Leadership Committee recently launched through USTelecom a new “ombudsman” service, exclusively for USTelecom USTelecom CEO’s message continued on page 6 NextGenWeb.org Broadband Advocacy by Broadband Blog In Washington, as throughout the rest of the country, there is increasing interest in broadband. And, as advocates, we make clear that broadband deployment is best advanced by policies that provide consumer benefits and financial stability—such as intercarrier compensation reform, securing Universal Service, and avoiding Internet regulation and taxation. We are making a difference. And, one place where we are using broadband to promote broadband is with our new blog: NextGenWeb.org. Over the last few months, NextGenWeb.org has carved out a unique spot in the online community of journalists, bloggers, and academics writing on broadband issues. It is quietly becoming a one-stop resource for news, commentary, and academic resources on the importance of broadband to our industry and its future. At NextGenWeb, we are working to recast the net regulation debate, focusing on the telecommunications industry’s commitment to a free and competitive Internet as outlined by the FCC’s 2005 principles of Internet freedom. That’s an Internet where market forces like consumer demand and entrepreneurial investment—not government decree and price controls—drive innovation. NextGenWeb.org is a valuable advocacy tool on behalf of the communications industry’s pursuit of that vision. The site features a weblog that has become an important outlet for up-to-the-minute updates and commentary from industry experts on consumer, political, industry, and technological developments. Already, the blog gives a clear picture of broadband’s potential to materially improve the lives of all Americans by providing options like telecommuting, telemedicine, and distance learning, along with the more widely known benefits for entertainment, communications, commerce, and productivity. NextGenWeb also serves another purpose: it’s a clearinghouse for countless academic studies. From economists to engineers, doctors to lawyers, and university professors to executives, NextGenWeb.org’s online catalog of studies, by experts in a range of fields, documents the paradigm-shifting potential of broadband USTelecom Board Chair’s message continued on page 6 4 COMMUNICATIONS CROSSROADS www.ustelecom.org http://www.ustelecom.org http://NextGenWeb.org http://NextGenWeb.org http://NextGenWeb.org http://NextGenWeb.org http://NextGenWeb.org http://www.ustelecom.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Communications Crossroads - Fall 2007

Up Front Contents TeleBites Cover Story: The World at Your Doorstep Business Advantages: Reaching Out to the Fast-Growing Hispanic Market Technology Today: Ideas from Foreign Telecoms You Should Consider Industry Calendar Index to Advertisers People Straight Talk

Communications Crossroads - Fall 2007

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