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Convention Vendor Preview

May 23, 2017 by Andy Johns

One of the highlights of the TTA Annual Meeting and Convention is the vendor showcase, which allows attendees to see the latest technology solutions that leading suppliers have to offer. Here is a list of vendors who have registered for the showcase:

Adtran

Ben Lomand Communications

Border States

Charles Industries

Cisco

Clearfield

Core Telecom Systems

Corning

Direct Power

DPS Media

Dynetics

Electricom

enfoPoint Solutions

GENBAND

Genuine Cable Group

Goldfield Telecom

Graybar

Hubbell Power Systems

Innovative Systems

Interstate Powercare

Jackson Thornton

KGP Logistics

Ladd Engineering Associates, Inc.

Lloyd’s Electric Service

Mapcom

Mega Hertz

National Directory Assistance

New Venture Telecom Services

Power & Communications Sales, Inc.

Power & Telephone Supply

PowerTec Solutions International

RepCom International

Servato

Suttle Solutions

Swift Industrial Power

Telco Systems

TouchTone Communications

Vantage Point

Walker and Associates

ZyXel Communications

 

Filed Under: May 2017, News, Newsletter, Slider, Telco Tech

From The Executive Director – April 2017

April 18, 2017 by Levoy Knowles

Broadband Accessibility Act is meaningful legislation

Levoy Knowles, TTA Executive Director

The recently passed Broadband Accessibility Act is meaningful in every sense of the word.

First of all, it’s meaningful to rural Tennesseeans who now have a much better opportunity to be served with a broadband connection that is so critical to their quality of life.

It’s meaningful to TTA members who now have opportunities and incentives to expand their networks through grants and partnerships.

It’s certainly meaningful to Gov. Bill Haslam and the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Mark Norris and Rep. David Hawk. The administration took a calculated political risk by making this bill one of its key pieces of legislation this session, and that has proven to be a wise decision.

But for just a moment, I’d like to talk about how meaningful the passage of this bill is for TTA. The final version of this bill reflects years of effort on multiple fronts from TTA and its members. I am so pleased that all of our hard work had an impact.

TTA members have made a special effort to meet with legislators in the districts over the past two or three years, adding to the awareness at our Day on the Hill visits each February.

Our lobbying team at The Capitol Strategy Group, including Kim Adkins, Steve Buttry and Randy Button were essential to TTA members having the attention of our legislators with all of the other issues demanding their focus during the sessions. We also worked with communications partners Cooley Strategies and WordSouth to garner media coverage and engage our members through efforts such as this newsletter and our website.

I’ll be the first to say the bill is not perfect, but considering where the discussion was two or three years ago, this bill is certainly a positive outcome for TTA members. TTA and our allies were able to shift legislators’ focus away from the municipal providers that would have unfairly pitted government agencies against private companies and instead direct them toward shaping policy to center on electric cooperatives — providing a chance for some valuable partnership opportunities.

It’s been a privilege to represent our industry on this important legislation, and I believe TTA members and their rural customers will be able to look back at the passage of this act and say it’s an example of what Tennessee’s rural telcos can do when they work together. With that in mind, TTA is now focused on other issues at hand, including the long-standing ad valorem tax disparity many of our members face.

One thing we know going forward, Tennessee’s rural telcos have made our voices heard in the halls of state government, and we will continue to fight for our members and their customers.

Filed Under: April 2017, From The Executive Director, News, Newsletter, Newsletter Topics

U.S. Rep. Blackburn And NTCA’s Bloomfield To Speak At TTA’s Upcoming Convention

April 18, 2017 by Andy Johns

TTA is gearing up for its annual meeting and convention June 5-7 at the Marriott Cool Springs Hotel in Franklin. This year’s event will welcome keynote speakers Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Shirley Bloomfield, chief executive officer of NCTA–The Rural Broadband Association.

The convention will feature six breakout sessions and a peer group discussion, which was a major hit at last year’s convention. We will kick off with our Annual Convention Golf Tournament on Monday, June 5 at the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Course. The day will end with a welcome reception at the Marriott.

Tuesday and Wednesday will also include a vendor showcase.

Over the next few weeks, the planning committee will be mapping out the agenda. For ideas on speakers, please contact TTA Executive Director Levoy Knowles at lknowles@tmsvcs.com or John Dorris at jdorris@kgptel.com. We are also offering several opportunities for sponsorship.

Book your hotel room now for our special group rate of $149 per night. Deadlines for early registration and hotel reservations is May 16. Registration fees will increase after May 16. Deadline for golf tournament registration is May 19. For more information about registering for the meeting and golf tournament, as well as to find out more about sponsorship opportunities and hotel booking, go to www.tenntel.org and click on Events.

We look forward to seeing you there!

WHAT: TTA Annual Meeting and Convention

WHEN: June 5-7, 2017

WHERE: Marriott Cool Springs Hotel, Franklin, Tennessee

RESERVATIONS: Special group rate is $149 per night. Book now for special rate.

INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION: Registration forms for the annual convention and meeting and all other convention information can be found by going to www.tenntel.org and clicking on Events.

Filed Under: April 2017, News, Newsletter, Newsletter Topics, TTA News

Broadband Accessibility Act Moves To Governor’s Desk

April 18, 2017 by Andy Johns

Even as the Broadband Accessibility Act awaits a signature from Gov. Bill Haslam, industry leaders are already looking at opportunities the bill presents.

“There is a lot in this act for rural Tennesseans and Tennessee’s rural telcos to like,” said Levoy Knowles, executive director of TTA. “Our members, both the independent companies and the cooperatives, are optimistic about working with the electric co-ops to make broadband available to many more people in our state.”

The bill passed in the Senate on April 10 with 93 votes in favor and only four against.

“The governor’s legislation will now allow electric cooperatives to play a vital role in bringing broadband to these underserved areas,” said David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA). “With our joint dedication and presence in these rural areas, electric and telephone cooperatives have a great opportunity to work together to meet this challenge.”

The act, which has been called a signature piece of Gov. Haslam’s 2017 legislative initiatives, allows electric cooperatives to provide broadband service separately from their electric power service. The legislation also creates a $30 million incentive grant program for any company that commits to build a broadband network to residents of the state who cannot currently receive download speeds of 10 Mbps. To apply for the grants, which award $10 million for three years, providers must commit to serving these new customers with speeds of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.

Additionally, the act provides tax incentives of up to $5 million per year for three years for companies expanding broadband networks. Providers will be able to apply 6 percent of the cost of equipment purchased for certain economically depressed counties to their franchise and excise tax.

Upon the governor’s signature, electric cooperatives would also be permitted to provide video/cable TV service.

A TTA-supported amendment to the initial legislation put important rules on the electric cooperatives. For instance, under the amendment, electric cooperatives may not provide broadband outside of their service footprint and would be required to give telcos unrestricted access to poles if the electrics get into the broadband business. The amendment also requires electric cooperatives to create a subsidiary to handle the broadband in order to better track funds.

“TTA, TECA, the governor and many others have expressed their desire to see all Tennesseans have the opportunities a reliable high-speed broadband network can provide,” Knowles said. “Our lawmakers have done a good job finding a workable solution to help connect many of the rural residents who have the hardest time getting connected.”

Despite the support and the landslide Senate vote, critics have voiced concerns that large providers like AT&T or Comcast could seize the grant money and incentives while still not providing the service rural Tennesseans need. Christopher Mitchell, who is the the director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative and operator of muninetworks.org, told vice.com that the state should have allowed municipal networks like EPB in Chattanooga to bring service to rural customers. “Tennessee taxpayers may subsidize AT&T to build DSL service to Chattanooga’s neighbors rather than letting [EPB] expand its fiber to neighbors at no cost to taxpayers,” Mitchell said in the article. “Tennessee will literally be paying AT&T to provide a service 1000 times slower than what Chattanooga could provide without subsidies.”

Knowles said the case against municipal broadband is well-established. “A city-owned utility providing broadband pits government and all of its competitive advantages against private business,” he says. “I believe our legislators were wise to keep the rules on municipal expansion in place. At the end of the day, no one knows how to keep rural Tennesseans connected better than TTA members and rural electric cooperatives.”

Filed Under: April 2017, Around Tennessee, News, Newsletter, Newsletter Topics

Congressional Repeal Of FCC ISP Privacy Rules Removes Burden But Stirs Controversy

April 18, 2017 by Andy Johns

Congress recently rolled back FCC privacy rules enacted to prevent internet service providers from sharing user data, a move highlighting privacy and the potential for internet service providers to monetize that data.

The reversed ruling was relatively new, pushed through by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in 2016 and supported by the President Obama administration. Under that rule, ISPs would have needed user permission to sell a customer’s data.

ISPs, however, contended that the ruling provided an unfair advantage to companies such as Google and Facebook, which leverage user data to generate profits. The argument proved successful with the 2017 Congress, which voted along party lines for a repeal signed by President Trump.

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Franklin, Tennessee, who authored the bill to repeal, told the Washington Post that “(Consumer privacy) will be enhanced by removing the uncertainty and confusion these rules will create.”

Following the repeal, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association Chief Executive Officer  Shirley Bloomfield said, “NTCA has consistently championed consumer-centric principles of notice, choice and security in the debates over how best to protect consumer data online. At the same time, NTCA expressed concern about rules that would impose substantial new burdens and treat Internet Service Providers differently than other firms with access to that data.”

She also emphasized the organization’s willingness to work with stakeholders to ensure consistent, well-designed measures that protect, rather than confuse or mislead, consumers about their privacy expectations. NTCA also drafted an informational piece to explain the changes to customers. That document is available for download here.

After the policy change, several ISPs vowed they would not take advantage of user data, but consumer advocates continue calls of caution. The debate will likely continue:

The Washington Post: What to expect now that Internet providers can collect and sell your Web browser history

The The Wall Street Journal: Settling a Bureaucratic Turf War in Online Privacy Rules

AZ Central: ‘A good thing’: Sen. Jeff Flake defends blocking internet privacy rule

The Verge: Losing the ISP privacy fight is only the beginning

Filed Under: April 2017, Industry Outlook, News, Newsletter, Newsletter Topics

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