Connection MasterHead 600x113
Vol. 11, No. 39
Oct. 12 , 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
COMPTEL PLUS
AT THE FCC
ON THE HILL
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
COMPETITION

COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering featured in Morning Consult op-ed "Here and There, We Need Competition Everywhere"

FCC DEADLINES

October 13

October 26

November 2

November 12

November 20

November 24

December 11
SOCIALIZE WITH COMPTEL

 

@COMPTEL 

@COMPTELPLUS 

                          

 
COMPTEL PLUS
Google Fiber to Host Tuesday Party at Mezzanine
We will be closing out the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2015 Business Expo in style at Mezzanine, a historic warehouse that is one of San Francisco's hottest venues. Join host Google Fiber for food, drinks and amazing music on Tuesday, October 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and continue the networking.

Entertainment will feature Pop Rocks, one of the Bay Area's most sought after bands, which combines the music of a DJ, the theatrics of a Broadway musical and the live energy of an Arena Rock extravaganza.

Are You IN?
Make sure you are in your seat in the Golden Gate Ballroom at the San Francisco Marriott  Marquis on Monday, October 19 at 8:30 a.m. to hear an exciting announcement about the future of the organization - and of the industry - from COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering. And that's just the beginning - immediately following that announcement, stay for Chip's conversation with FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and our CEO Roundtable with XO Communications, EdgeConneX and TNCI. Then continuing our robust education agenda on Tuesday will be the Keynote Panel on The Disruptive Impact of Technology on Traditional Video Delivery. See our schedule-at-a-glance for the complete speaker and education line up.

Google, Netflix, Verizon, Windstream, Data Foundry, AngelList and more than 300 other companies are in. Don't get left out. Join in on the action. Register today for COMPTEL PLUS - online registration ends this Friday!

Experts Share Funding Strategies at COMPTEL PLUS
The size and age of your company directly impacts the approach to raising money. During COMPTEL PLUS, attend the panel discussion on "Funding Strategies for All Stages of Your Business" (Tuesday, October 20, 1 p.m. in the Hub in the Expo Hall) and learn more about the financing alternatives for companies from infancy to maturity. 

Expert panelists from AngelList, Brevet Capital, W.G. Nielsen and Co. and CIT Communications & Technology Finance will address what investors look for as they evaluate investment opportunities, and discuss the various ways in which companies from incubator to more mature stages can seek and secure funding.

Visit the COMPTEL PLUS Expo Hall and Enter to Win
Want to win a $500, $1,000 or $1,500 American Express gift card?
Enter the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2015 Business Expo drawing by visiting each participating exhibitor and scanning their QR code in the Mobile AppOnce you have collected all of the scans, you will receive a confirmation screen. Bring it to The Hub located in the center of the Expo Hall, drop your business card, and COMPTEL staff will get you registered.

All entries must be received by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20.
Join us at The Hub on Tuesday at 3 p.m. to see if you are a lucky
winner. You must be present to win. Sponsored by GeoResults Inc., Opt Teleservices, Sales Tax Associates Inc. and Sandy Beaches Software.
AT THE FCC
COMPTEL Urges Rulemaking to Promote Competition 
in Video Navigation Device Marketplace
On October 8, COMPTEL filed comments in the FCC Media Bureau's Public Notice seeking comment on the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC) Report, calling for the Commission to end decades old set top box rules that have overcharged consumers and stifled innovation. 

COMPTEL supported comments submitted by the Consumer Video Choice Coalition (of which it's a member) urging the agency to initiate a rulemaking proceeding and adopt the "Competitive Navigation" downloadable security solution from the DSTAC Report.

COMPTEL's filing also points out that new and small broadband network providers will benefit from additional set-top box options, a move they believe has the potential to lower costs and increase the amount of broadband competition in the marketplace.

"Out with the old and in with the new. The FCC must break from the set top box policies of the past and move to a future of competition and choice," said COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering. "Today's cable set top box rule has consumers stuck in the modern day equivalent of the black rotary dial phone era. Ending forced leasing of set top boxes, which cost consumers $231 on average per year, will right a free market wrong. Just as we have seen in the current smart phone marketplace, when customers have the freedom to choose, innovation and affordability flourish."
ON THE HILL
COMPTEL Supports Small Business Bill
On October 6, COMPTEL sent a letter to Sen. David Vitter, chairman, and Rep. Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member, on the Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, supporting the Small Business Broadband and Emerging Information Technology Act 2015. COMPTEL CEO Chip Pickering noted that the bill is "an excellent step forward in increasing broadband adoption by providing additional support
and education for small businesses as they seek to grow and compete in today's global economy."

House Holds Hearing on Spectrum Availability
On October 7, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a hearing on Improving Federal Spectrum Systems. Witnesses included Phillip Berenbroick, counsel, Government Affairs at Public Knowledge; Jeffrey H. Reed, Willis G. Worcester, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; and Dennis A. Roberson, vice provost and research professor in Computer Science at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Witness testimony, video of the hearing and a discussion draft of the Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2015 can be found on the committee website.
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.

October 13       Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting
2 p.m.              Contact Karen Reidy

October 27       Regulatory/Legislative Committee Meeting 
2 p.m.               Contact Karen Reidy
© 2015. All Rights Reserved.