During the annual membership meeting at the COMPTEL PLUS Convention last week, members of COMPTEL elected 14 companies to serve on its Board of Directors for the 2014-2016 term. These newly elected board members join the others who are currently serving their 2013-2015 terms.

At its first meeting following the election, the Board elected Deb Ward, CEO of TSI, as chairwoman; Chris Murray, senior vice president of Public Policy at EarthLink, as vice chairman; and Jim Butman, group president at TDS, as treasurer. Rounding out the Executive Committee are Robert Beaty, president of Impact Telecom; Dale Schmick, COO of YourTel America Inc.; Julia Strow, co-founder of Cbeyond Inc.; and Ben Vos, vice president, Emerging Solutions, Sprint.

"I am honored to be selected by my peers on the board to serve as the first chairwoman of COMPTEL," said Ward. "Looking ahead, I see great opportunities for the association to create even more value for our members. I am excited to work closely with COMPTEL members, the board and staff to strengthen and grow our membership, increase the networking opportunities at our shows and successfully address the challenges our industry is facing on the policy front."

Elected to the board for the 2014-2016 term were:

Small Member Category, from left: TeleQuality Communications, Inc. - Tim Koxlein, Founder and CEO; ComSpan; Mark Scully, President, Global Convergence Solutions; Chris Birdsall, Executive Vice President, Global Sales; and Fatbeam - Greg Green, President.

Medium Member Category, from left: TNCI & Blue Casa Telephone - Jeff Compton, CEO/President; FirstLight Fiber - Kurt Van Wagenen, President and CEO; Alpheus Communications, LLC - Scott Widham, CEO; and ANPI - Gene Chohon, Vice President, Sales - Carrier Solutions.

Large Member Category, from left: Cbeyond, Inc. - Julia Strow, Co-Founder; Sprint - Ben Vos, Vice President, Emerging Solutions; Granite - Sam Kline, Senior Vice President - Corporate Strategy; and tw telecom, inc. - Rochelle Jones, Vice President - Regulatory. Not pictured: EarthLink - Chris Murray, Senior Vice President of Public Policy; and Windstream - Eric Einhorn, Senior Vice President - Government Affairs.

IN THE STATES

Michigan IP Interconnection Defining Precedent

Benefits Competition and Consumers

PSC Decision Requires AT&T to File IP Interconnection Agreement

Last week, the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) released an order requiring AT&T to file an interconnection agreement with Sprint. Following an earlier arbitration agreement, the PSC required that AT&T offer IP interconnection to Sprint in an interconnection agreement to be filed with the state. In last week's order, the PSC further upheld its decision in response to AT&T not filing an agreement that covered the provision of IP interconnection.

COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering said in a statement from the COMPTEL PLUS convention in Las Vegas last week, "The Michigan PSC took an important step with its requirement of AT&T to file its IP interconnection agreement with Sprint. The PSC's strong action is a defining moment as the communications industry transitions to IP technology, and sets a precedent for other states to follow. This week, while we have been here at COMPTEL PLUS, we have heard a variety of carriers underscore that their primary goal is to best serve their customers. By requiring IP interconnection agreements to be publicly filed and enabling others to simply opt into them, the Michigan PSC is fulfilling its role under the Telecom Act, making it easier for carriers to focus on their core business of serving consumers and ensuring that AT&T cannot discriminate in the marketplace. Simplifying and speeding the process of interconnection will save carriers time and money, and ultimately benefit consumers. We commend the Michigan commission for bravely standing up for consumers and the principles underlying competition that were set forth in the Act."

COMPTEL PLUS

Convention Brings Together Dealmakers in Vegas

Deals are made in the EXPO hall.

The COMPTEL PLUS Spring 2014 Convention & EXPO last week in Las Vegas once again proved that it is the event for competitive service providers and their supplier partners to meet and do business. The event, which is hosted by COMPTEL, the leading trade association for the competitive communications industry, drew nearly 1,700 attendees - of which more than

COMPTEL's Pickering and Windstream's Gardner during
the keynote session.

70 percent were senior-level decisionmakers.

"COMPTEL PLUS provides a valuable venue where the communications industry can gather to learn about new products and services, as well as business and regulatory trends impacting their business," said COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering. "We thank our exhibitors, sponsors and attendees for their support and look forward to continuing to provide the opportunities for them to expand and enhance their business."

Throughout the Spring convention, more than 760 attendees used the Business PLANner and participated in 430 meetings with prospective and current customers. Other highlights included:

Keynote Jeff Gardner, president and CEO of Windstream, who spoke with Pickering during a Q&A about trends impacting the industry, the state of competition, legislative and regulatory reform efforts now underway and the technology transition of the public switched telephone network.
General session on The Future of the Copper Network, featuring speakers from AT&T Services Inc., CenturyLink, Frontier Communications and Granite Telecommunications.
CEO Breakfast attended by 56 C-level executives during which Pickering spoke about the impact of policy reform on competitive sector.
Opening night reception and Casino Night, both hosted by TollFreeForwarding.com, in the EXPO hall, which featured a wide array of communications industry suppliers, including 27 companies that were exhibiting at COMPTEL PLUS for the first time.
Half-day regulatory workshop hosted by Kelly Drye, which explored "The Next Big Thing: Capitalizing on Emerging Trends at the Intersection of Public Policy and Business."

Grand prize winner David Bailey
EXPO Grand Prize Drawing Winner

Grand prize drawing in the EXPO hall sponsored by CSF Corporation, GeoResults, GSAssociates, Overture Networks, RAD Data Communications, Sales Tax Associates Inc., Sonus Networks and Telco Systems. Winners of the grand prize drawing were:

$1,200 - David Bailey of BullsEye Telecom
$800 - Dan DeMille of Windstream
$400 - Bradley O'Donnell of Ryan

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.

March 25 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting

2 p.m. Contact Karen Reidy

April 1 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting

2 p.m. Contact Karen Reidy