Underground Construction - May 2018 - 18

PCCA Convention Review
* Jonathan Adelstein, president
& CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association
* Gregg Fujimoto, president
of Charter Communications
(the cable company for all of
Hawaii)
* Jim Alberts, senior vice president of Hawaiian Electric (investor-owned utility)
* David Bissell, CEO of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
(electrical co-op on Kauai)
* Dan Shumate, a director with
FMI Capital Advisors
* Mark Bridgers, Continuum
Capital.
"The industry has exploded,
and academia hasn't kept up,"
said Adelstein about the tremendous skills gap. and WIA's eagerness to work with PCCA toward
a solution. Both economists
provided upbeat reports, with
Shumate "extremely bullish"
about the industry and Bridgers
claiming "it's a fantastic time to
be a utility contractor."
The Government & Industry
Affairs Roundtable was led by
Eben Wyman, Wyman Associates, and the PCCA Government
& Industry Affairs Committee,
which provided details on some
of its key issues. Efforts to get
utility contractors an exemption from the DOT's electronic
logging device mandate have so
far been unsuccessful, but work
continues on Capitol Hill to find
a legislative solution.
Also discussed was the FCC
removing barriers to broadband
deployment, efforts to raise the
limit on RUS 773 contracts, new
RUS Administrator appointee
Ken Johnson (general manager
of the Co-Mo Electric Cooperative in Missouri), the White
House's infrastructure blueprint, and damage prevention.
The PCCA crowd also heard
from NTCA VP Legal & Industry
and Assistant General Counsel
Jill Canfield and Verizon Vice
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MAY 2018 | UConOnline.com

President Government Affairs
Public Policy and Law Jesús
Román, who explained his company's efforts in support of onetouch, make-ready efforts across
the country.
Ranked as attendees' favorite
educational session, the annual
"Utility Construction Overview"
from FMI President & CEO
Chris Daum, delivered good
news regarding the markets. For
the third year running, Daum
said "this is the golden age of
utility construction." He reported that the last five years of telecom have been "world class" and
that natural gas is the most reliable market, "incredibly strong
and resilient." He lauded the
Trump administration for peeling back regulations. He closed
his presentation with a bit of
caution: "Life is good, could be
better, let's be careful."

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Good times, important
times
PCCA convention attendees
are well-known for enjoying
themselves, and this year was no
exception Highlights included
tours both scenic and adventurous, the PCCA Golf Tournament, and fantastic parties,
such as a memorable luau on
the convention's final night. But
PCCA members also rolled up
their sleeves and attended to important association business and
charitable efforts.
This year's PCCA Auction
raised nearly $450,000 for association programs and services,
and its Education & Research
Foundation. During the convention, the PCCA Foundation
announced its 2018 PCCA Scholarship winners: Oscar Zapien
Maynez, Norman, Okla., (Henkels & McCoy); Garrett Vincent,
Paoli, Ind., (ElectriCom), and
Emma Syverson, Menomonee
Falls, Wisc., (Vermeer).
As always, PCCA associate

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Underground Construction - May 2018

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