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Vol. 11, No. 13March 30, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
COMPTEL PLUS
RURAL CALL COMPLETION
AT THE FCC
BROADBAND
MEMBER PROFILE
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
EMAIL BOARD BALLOTS DUE BY APRIL 6

If you're unable to attend the Board Elections at the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015 in Orlando on April 13, 
you can submit your completed ballots via email by 
10 a.m. ET on 
Monday, April 6. 

Information on nominees and voting details are on the COMPTEL website.

Please email Mary Albert or call 202-296-6650 if you have any questions on the upcoming elections.
MEMBER NEWS



For more information about submitting member company news, please contact Gail Norris.
FCC DEADLINES

April 6

April 13

April 28

July 1
July 22
SOCIALIZE WITH COMPTEL

 

@COMPTEL 

@COMPTELPLUS 

                          

Diamond Rio publicity shot

 
COMPTEL PLUS
Learn More About Key Strategies for Growing Your Company during COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015 
The COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015, taking place April 12-15 in Orlando, will feature a track focused on Business Strategies for Future Growth. The track, which will take place during concurrent sessions on Tuesday, April 14, will feature topics such as:
  • OSS Implementing Best Practices for Compliance - During this session, speakers From EZtax, GSAssociates, Profitec Billing Services and Technologies Management Inc. will examine the value of synchronizing your OSS/BSS, as well as the latest procedures related to tax compliance, OSS configuration and its impact on compliance.
  • Open Internet Order - The Impact on Your Business: This panel of experts from COMPTEL, Level 3 Communications, Morgan Lewis and Sonic will discuss the requirements of the order, its implications on competitive businesses and the judicial challenges ahead.
  • Defending Against Cyber Threats - This session will have experts from Canvs, the FBI, Team Cymru and Verizon examining the varied cyber threats facing businesses and consumers, and explore approaches to prevent them.
Keep Your COMPTEL PLUS Schedule Organized
Visit our schedule-at-a-glance and download the calendar icons so you don't miss our three great keynote speakers, three tracks of concurrent sessions, sales training and networking events. 

Also, don't forget to use our interactive, online Business PLANner to seek out potential and current customers among our pre-registered attendees and set up meetings in the Deal Center, at booths in the exhibit hall and meetings rooms.

Golf Registration Deadline Quickly Approaching
If you are interested in playing in the COMPTEL PLUS Spring Golf Tournament on Sunday, April 12, you still have a week to get your registration in.   We'll be closing registration for golf on Monday, April 6 to give us sufficient time to make pairings.

For more information about the tournament or to register, please visit the COMPTEL PLUS website. 

Get Valuable Sales Training at COMPTEL PLUS
Are you looking to gain valuable knowledge into sales training and techniques?  Then don't forget to mark your calendars for "Everyone Sells: Sales Training with Stephan Schiffman" during the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015.  Internationally renown sales trainer Schiffman will lead an interactive session starting at 2:45 on Monday, April 13, in Osceola Ballroom A at the Gaylor Palms in Orlando.  You won't want to miss this session as you learn bold and innovative tools to help you succeed in the sales landscape.

For more information about the COMPTEL PLUS Business Expo 2015 or to register, visit www.comptelplus.org.
RURAL CALL COMPLETION
April 1 Marks Start Date for Carriers to
Record Rural Call Completion Data
Beginning this Wednesday, April 1, long-distance voice service providers that qualify as "covered providers" must begin recording and retaining data required for Rural Call Completion reporting. FCC Form 480 Rural Call Completion Reports for the quarter consisting of April, May and June 2015 must be filed by August 1, 2015. 

Long-distance voice service providers that have more than 100,000 domestic retail subscriber lines, but that do not qualify as "covered providers," are required to file a one-time letter in WC Docket No. 13-39 by Wednesday, April 1, as well.

Registration Deadline This Tuesday, March 31 for 
April 22 Rural Call Completion Workshop
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 this Tuesday, March 31.
AT THE FCC
FCC Conditionally Recommends Telcordia to Serve as Administrator of Local Number Portability
Last week, the FCC conditionally approved a recommendation that Telcordia Technologies Inc. serve as the next administrator of the service that allows consumers and businesses to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers, called "local number portability."

 

The recommendation of Telcordia as Local Number Portability Administrator (LNPA) was made following a competitive bidding process implemented by the FCC's federal advisory committee on numbering, the North American Numbering Council, with oversight from the FCC. The FCC authorized contract negotiations between the North American Portability Management, LLC and Telcordia.  The negotiated contract will be subject to FCC review.



FCC Announces Tentative April Meeting Agenda
The FCC announced its tentative agenda for the next Open Commission Meeting, scheduled for Friday, April 17:
  • Citizens Broadband Radio Service: The Commission will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would leverage innovative spectrum sharing technologies to make 150 megahertz of contiguous spectrum available in the 3550-3700 MHz band for wireless broadband and other uses. 

The is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Commission headquarters Washington, D.C.

BROADBAND
White House Announces Broadband Opportunity Council
Last week, the White House announced the launch of the Broadband Opportunity Council that will focus on increasing broadband investment and adoption. The Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture, includes more than 25 government agencies and components, all united around clear policy objectives to:
  • Engage with industry and other stakeholders to understand ways the government can better support the needs of communities seeking broadband investment;
  •  Identify regulatory barriers unduly impeding broadband deployment or competition;
  • Survey and report back on existing programs that currently support or could be modified to support broadband competition, deployment or adoption; and
  • Take all necessary actions to remove these barriers and re-align existing programs to increase broadband competition, deployment, and adoption.
The Council will report back to the President, within 150 days, with the steps each agency will take to advance these goals, including specific regulatory actions or budget proposals. These steps will build on and expand several actions agencies have already taken during this Administration, such as developing a common application form for wireless broadband providers to lease space for their rooftop antennas, sharing of best practices for "dig once" policies by state and municipal governments nationwide, and offering new online tools for finding and leasing federal assets available for broadband networks.

The White House also announced that it will host a Community Broadband Summit in June to help communities leaders learn from one another, and report out the progress of its broadband initiatives. We'll share more details about the Summit when they're announced.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also announced USDA plans to retool and reopen its existing broadband loan program, and said the agency has awarded $35 million in new loans to three projects in New Mexico, Arkansas and Iowa.
MEMBER PROFILE
Broadband Voice Delivers High Quality VoIP Offerings 
Broadband Voice has been in business since 2006 and is one of the fastest growing Voice over IP (VoIP) technology companies in the Southeast. The company offers high-quality VoIP products and services to help streamline business operations for small to medium-sized businesses at an affordable cost.

Visit the COMPTEL website to learn more about Broadband Voice.

For more information on submitting a member profile, or updating an existing one, email Gail Norris or call 202-296-6650.
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 31          Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy

April 7             Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting 
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy
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