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TOP OF THE NEWS
Competitors Call on FCC Chairman to Promote
Consumer Choice and Preserve Competition
On November 7, COMPTEL, along with CALTEL, Michigan Internet & Telecommunications Alliance, Midwest Association of Competitive Communications Inc., Northwest Telecommunications Association, Texaltel, and several member companies of these organizations, sent a letter to new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.
The letter stressed the critical importance of FCC action on last mile access, including special access reform, and urged the Commission to reaffirm that IP interconnection under Sections 251/252 remain, as these issues are vital for preserving and promoting robust competition and consumer choice.
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COMPTEL PLUS
Last Call for COMPTEL PLUS Sessions Proposals
Deadline to Submit is Today
If you have unique insights into business strategies, innovative technologies or regulatory trends that are shaping the future of the competitive communications industry that you want to present at the COMPTEL PLUS Spring 2014 Convention & EXPO, don't delay. Today is the last day to submit sessions proposals.
Themes under consideration include the cable market, cloud solutions, cybersecurity, Ethernet, mergers and acquisitions, new services and revenue opportunities, network technologies and deployment strategies, regulatory issues and wireless. To see more details about each of these categories, visit our session proposal page. We also welcome your input on other relevant, thought-provoking and timely topics, panel discussions and case studies that would be of interest to the communications industry.
For your session idea to be considered, you must include: the proposed session title, an abstract, a brief description of the timeliness and relevancy of the topic, and bio of the proposed speaker.
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SPONSORSHIPS
COMPTEL Thanks Spring 2014 Sponsors
Opportunities Remain to Raise Profile in Vegas with Sponsorship
The excitement and anticipation is already building for the COMPTEL PLUS Spring 2014 Convention & EXPO, March 16-19 in Las Vegas. COMPTEL would like to thank the companies who are sponsoring the Spring convention, including:
Gold Sponsor
MegaPath
Silver Sponsors
INDATEL
Level 3 Communications
Additional sponsors include Alpheus Communications LLC, ANPI, Atlantic-ACM, Charter Business, Cisco Systems, CSF Corporation, EarthLink, Edison Carrier Solutions, Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., GeoResults, HyperCube, Impact Telecom, Lumos Networks, Mediacom, Peerless Network, RAD Data Communications, Sales Tax Associates Inc., Sonus Networks and Verizon.
Don't let a great opportunity to increase your company's visibility among the top decision makers in the communications industry pass you by. In addition to raising your company's profile, a COMPTEL PLUS sponsorship will enable you to:
- Improve your chances of securing a meeting room
- Realize significant savings on booth fees
- Gain extra FREE registrations for your employees
Visit the COMPTEL PLUS website to see a list of available sponsorships or e-mail Amy Smith to learn how you can design a sponsorship to meet your company's unique marketing goals.
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NARUC RECEPTION
COMPTEL to Host Reception at NARUC Meeting
COMPTEL invites you to attend the Competitive Telecommunications Providers Reception, taking place Saturday, November 16, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., during the NARUC 125th Annual Meeting.
This popular reception, which will be held in the Orange Room at the Orlando Hilton Bonnet Creek, is sponsored by COMPTEL, CALTEL, CompSouth, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Granite, Midwest Association of Competitive Carriers and tw telecom inc.
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AT THE FCC
FCC Approves Changes to SMS/800 Inc.
On November 1, the FCC approved the plan for membership and governance of SMS/800, Inc., the entity that oversees the Toll-Free Management Service, to be expanded to include RespOrgs, SCP owners and operators and outside directors. Up until now, the only members and directors of SMS/800 were the three RBOCs. The newly structured entity also will take over the tariffing functions for 800 services that had previously been performed by the RBOCs. This is a positive development for competitors that use or whose customers use 800 numbers. COMPTEL filed in support of these changes.
FCC Grants Time Warner Cable Petition For Preemption
Also on November 1, the FCC granted Time Warner Cable's (TWC) Petition to Preempt the North Carolina Rural Electrification Authority (NCREA) and arbitrate TWC's interconnection agreement with a small rural telephone company in North Carolina. TWC has been trying for eight years to get an interconnection agreement with the rural carrier, but the NCREA had refused to schedule an arbitration pending resolution of the rural carrier's claims for rural exemptions under 251(f)(1) and (2). This will be the first interconnection arbitration the FCC has done in many years.
FCC Open Meeting Scheduled for November 14
The FCC will host its open meeting this Thursday, November 14 at 10:30 a.m. at Commission headquarters. On the tentative agenda for the meeting are:
- Status of Universal Service Reform Implementation
- Expanding and Measuring Broadband America to Mobile
- Commission Policies and Procedures related to Foreign Investment of Broadcast Licenses.
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ON THE HILL
House Reschedules 5 GHz Spectrum Hearing
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on "Challenges and Opportunities in the 5 GHz Spectrum Band," which was originally scheduled for October 1, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November 13 at 2 p.m.
The hearing will take place in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live on the Committee website.
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COMMITTEE MEETINGS
All COMPTEL Committee meetings are held at the Association's headquarters, 1200 G St NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005, unless otherwise noted. All times listed are Eastern. For more information, call 202-296-6650.
November 19 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
November 26 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
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