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BOARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
COMPTEL will hold its annual Board elections during the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015, immediately following the COMPTEL Annual Meeting of the Membership, which is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2015, at 4:15 p.m. in room Osceola 1 of the Gaylord Palms. Elections will be held for
- FIVE Directors in the Small Member category (annual revenues under $25 million),
- FIVE Directors in the Medium Member category ($25-$300 million in revenue), and
- THREE Directors in the Large Member category (revenue above $300 million).
All voting member companies whose dues are current are entitled to vote for candidates in their Membership category.
Candidates in each category are:
Eric Bender
Co-Founder/Senior Vice President
WILCON
Scott Bergs
Strategic and Operational Leader
Neutral Path
Jerry Cady
Director of Sales and Marketing
LS Networks
Steven Dorf
President & General Manager
Kansas Fiber Network
Eric Levitt
CEO
1st Point Communications
Greg Palser
President and
Co-Founder
CoastCom, Inc.
Dale Schmick
COO
YourTel America, Inc.
Peter Stazzone
Chief Financial Officer
Voce Telecom
Gary Watts
CEO
Broadband Voice
Deb Ward
CEO
TSI
MEDIUM MEMBER CATEGORY
Robert Beaty
President
Impact Telecom
Ron Beaumont
President
Hypercube
Jim Butman
Group President
TDS
Grey Humphrey
Executive Vice President of Sales
Spirit Communications
Dane Jasper
CEO and Co-Founder
Sonic Telecom
LARGE MEMBER CATEGORY
Russell Shipley
Senior Vice President, Wholesale and Network Services
TelePacific Communications
Lisa Youngers
Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Federal Affairs
XO Communications, Inc.
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MEMBER NEWS
For more information about submitting member company news, please contact Gail Norris.
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FCC DEADLINES
April 6
April 13
April 28
May 18
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Leading Industry Innovators and Top Lawmaker to Take Center Stage at COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015
Sen. Bill Nelson, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure and Google Executive Milo Medin to be Featured in Keynote Sessions April 12-15
The COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015 is bringing together a top telecommunications lawmaker and high-profile industry innovators to share their insights about the state of the industry, changes to expect in the coming years and the cutting-edge products and services that are expected to result from the next generation of communications technologies. The event will feature keynote sessions with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Sprint President and CEO Marcelo Claure and Google Inc. Vice President of Access Services Milo Medin.
"The market is rapidly changing, and with that comes shifting business strategies as companies redefine themselves to address new opportunities in wired and wireless communications, as well as fundamental changes to the laws and policies. We are honored to bring together three distinguished speakers who can share their insights on how the industry is evolving and the challenges on the horizon," said COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering. "Our speakers are staunch advocates for the technology and telecommunications industry, and are embracing disruptive approaches to ensure that consumers and businesses of all sizes can continue to benefit from a competitive marketplace. With the strong caliber of speakers we are hosting this Spring, COMPTEL PLUS is a must-attend event."
The schedule for featured speakers includes:
 Monday, April 13 - 9:15 a.m.
Sen. Bill Nelson, Ranking Democrat on Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
During the Congressional keynote address, Sen. Nelson will discuss the outlook for the 114th Congress and communications-related issues before the Senate Commerce Committee.
 Monday, April 13 - 10:30 a.m.
Milo Medin, Vice President, Access Services, Google, Inc.
In the opening session and industry keynote address, Medin will discuss the "Agenda for Broadband Abundance."
Tuesday, April 14 - 2:30 p.m.
 Marcelo Claure, President & CEO, Sprint
During his keynote address, Claure, who was recently named CEO of Sprint, will discuss his vision for the global wireless market, Sprint's goals and deployment agenda, the importance of special access services and what new, exciting products are expected to transform wireless communications.
The COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015 takes place April 12-15 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla. In addition to keynote presenters, the event features concurrent sessions on business and technology opportunities, comprehensive sales training, a workshop on realizing benefits from mergers and acquisitions, and a trade show showcasing the top vendors of products and services for the communications industry.
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Technologies Management Inc. to HostFree Workshop on How to Realize Ancillary Benefits from M&As
"The telecommunications industry has been through several cycles of mergers and acquisitions. In the 80's the long distance competitors raced for subscriber line growth. In the 90's competitive local companies merged to expand their facilities footprint. During the economic downturn of the early 21st century, there seemed to be fewer telecom mergers and many of those were opportunistic. In recent years we have seen an upturn in activity, resulting in a number of interesting mergers that cross industry subsectors. The current environment, like all the preceding decades, presents challenges for all categories of merger transactions, from the acquisition of customer base to a complete merger of two strong companies. In our experience with a variety of provider types, we have found there are critical potential advantages that are often delayed or never realized after the transaction has taken place," said Connie Wightman, president of TMI. "Our half-day workshop brings key industry experts together to help attendees identify potential strategies for companies considering a merger or that have completed the transaction. From vertical integration, to regulatory obligations in a merger, to costs associated with not integrating resources, I am confident that attendees of this workshop will have practical examples and thought provoking strategic insight into often overlooked details that make a truly successful merger."
The workshop will be comprised of three panels:
- Defining the Transaction
- The Regulatory Transaction
- Post-Transaction Synergy
The "Practical Magic - Realizing Ancillary Benefits from Mergers and Acquisitions" workshop will take place from 8:30 a.m. to Noon, April 15 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando. The full agenda and confirmed speakers can be found in the COMPTEL PLUS agenda. The workshop is free and open to the public. COMPTEL PLUS attendees are encouraged to pre-register, but it is not required.
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COMPTEL Members Invited to Attend
April 22 Rural Call Completion Workshop
Attendees Must Register by March 31
COMPTEL members are encouraged to attend a Rural Call Completion Industry Workshop, hosted by Verizon, on Wednesday, April 22, from Noon to 5 p.m., at 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor in Washington, D.C. During the workshop, there will be panels on the technical causes of rural call completion issues, and strategies and best practices to prevent, identify and resolve rural call completion problems. To attend the workshop, you must register by Tuesday, March 31.
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COMPTEL Urges Expeditious Reform of Special Access Services to Address Default Granting of CenturyLink Forbearance Petition
On December 13, 2013, CenturyLink filed a petition for forbearance from dominant carrier regulation and the Computer Inquiry tariffing requirements with respect to certain packet-switched and optical transmission services (together referred to as "enterprise broadband services") offered by legacy CenturyTel and Embarq.
Because the FCC did not take action on the petition, in accordance with Section 10 of the statute, the petition was " deemed granted" on March 13, 2015.
"Sound Commission policies for wholesale last-mile access services are essential to competitive markets for retail broadband services provided to small businesses, mobile customers and enterprise customers. It is economically impossible for alternative providers to deploy connections to many customer locations. For that reason, the grant of CenturyLink's petition (in this case by operation of law) that allows it to price critical wholesale inputs at exorbitant levels - as with similar grants to the other largest incumbents - impedes the Commission's goals of promoting retail competition. In addition, harming retail competition will slow the deployment of broadband networks where feasible and the introduction of innovative and affordable broadband services upon which businesses and non-profits rely to operate and grow," said Karen Reidy, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at COMPTEL.
Reidy added that COMPTEL looks forward to "working with the Commission, in its pending special access proceeding, to correct this market failure for wholesale last-mile access services. There is an urgent need for expeditious and comprehensive reform of the Commission's policies for special access services, including packet-based special access services at issue in this 'deemed grant.'"
FCC to Hold Open Meeting on March 26
The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting this Thursday, March 26. Topics on the agenda include:
- Telcordia Technologies, Inc. Petition to Reform Amendment 57 and to Order a Competitive Bidding Process for Number Portability Administration Amendment to the Commission's Rules Concerning Market Modification
- Implementation of Section 102 of the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C. The meeting also can be viewed over the Internet from the FCC Live web page at www.fcc.gov/live.
Wheeler Announces Plans for FCC Task Force
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced plans to create a task force to examine long-standing FCC procedures, such as the much-criticized practice of withholding an agency proposal or document to be voted on at the commission's monthly open meetings, according to published reports from BNA. The Chairman discussed his plans at a March 19 House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on FCC reauthorization and oversight.
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Eshoo, Shimkus, Doyle Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Promote More Collaboration Among FCC Commissioners
On March 18, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, along with Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) reintroduced a bipartisan bill to allow for more collaborative and effective meetings at the FCC. The FCC Collaboration Act of 2015 (H.R. 1396) allows for a bipartisan majority of commissioners to meet for collaborative discussions so long as they disclose such meetings within two business days and comply with the Office of General Counsel. The House Members were joined by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Dean Heller (R-NV), who introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Two House Hearings on FCC Scheduled This Week
Following appearances at three Congressional hearings last week, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will testify at two additional hearings this week.
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UNITEL Webinar Tells How to Benefit from HR Service
 On March 17, UNITEL account executive Carl Zeutzius hosted a webinar entitled, "Getting Expert HR Advice When You Need it Most," during which he explained UNITEL's HR Solutions can help COMPTEL members save money and reduce the overall risk related to managing people and safety within their company.
If you weren't able to attend the live, free webinar, you can listen to the webinar, view the video and download the slides from the COMPTEL Webinar Program archives. To learn more about UNITEL HR Solutions, you also can meet Zeutzius at the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo in Booth 122.
The COMPTEL Webinar Program is powered by PGi.
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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.
March 24 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
March 31 Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
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© 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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Technologies Management Inc.