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TSTCInformation
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| Monthly Newsletter
for TSTCI Member Companies |
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| www.tstci.org |
TEXANS HELPING TEXAS |
Volume IV, No. 3 |
Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative,
Inc. (TSTCI) is a statewide telecommunications non-profit organization
that represents the interest of Texas’ rural independent telephone systems.
All member companies are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of
Texas. |
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MARCH
| 2000 CPE Natural Gas, Telecommunications
and Electric Industries Conference to be Held in Austin |
The 2000 CPE Natural Gas, Telecommunications and
Electric Industries Conference, sponsored by the Texas Society of Certified
Public Accountants CPE Foundation, Inc., will be held April 27-28 in Austin
at the Austin Marriott at the Capitol.
Topics include deregulation, the Internet
and telecommunications industry, federal telecom-munications issues, state
legislative and regulatory issues, e-commerce and more.
Speakers include PUC Chairman Pat Wood, Conley Cathey, Sabra
Srader, Judy Poole, and Dirk Coleman.
For more information on the conference, you may call (972) 687-8500.
| Deadline Draws Near for RUS FY 2000 Loans/Grants |
For Fiscal Year 2000, $20 million in grants and
$200 million in loans will be made available for Distance Learning and
Telemedicine projects serving rural America. Applications for FY
2000 grants must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 17, 2000.
Applications for FY 2000 loans or combination loans/grants may be submitted
up to September 30, 2000 and will be processed on a first-come, first-served
basis.
The Rural Utilities Services (RUS) has revised
the application guide for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.
One application guide details all three types of financial assistance (grant,
loan, or loan/grant combination) and is available in MS-Word 97 (.doc)
and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. The application guide is available
at the RUS website, www.usda.gov/rus. The document includes the Distance
Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program, Final Rule (7 CFR Part
1703). If you require a hard copy of the application guide, or need
further information, you may contact:
Ken Chandler
Director, Southwest Area
Telecommunications Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Room 2808, South Building, Stop 1597
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: (202) 720-0800
News from...
Five Area Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Mr. Hubert Kidd, Executive Vice President
and General Manager of Five Area Telephone Cooperative, Inc., has announced
his retirement effective April 1, 2000.
Mr. Adrian (Sandy) Vandevender, currently
Assistant General Manager, will assume the position of General Manager
on April 1.
TSTCI wishes Hubert many years of happiness
and relaxation, and extends congratulations to Sandy on his appointment
as General Manager.
| Associate Member Spotlight |
Texas Telephone Association
Founded in 1905, the Texas Telephone Association,
Inc. is a trade association representing 61 incumbent local exchange carriers
in Texas. TTA's membership represents large and small companies providing
local exchange service to more than 12.6 million access lines in 1,249
exchanges across the state. In 1934, an Austin office was established
and staffed to conduct the daily activities on behalf of the members.
The mission of TTA is to promote and enhance
each member company's performance and ability to provide telecommunications
services and products to their customers, and to protect the integrity
of the local exchange telephone industry. TTA is dedicated to creating
a greater under-standing by the general public of the importance and economic
benefits of having an efficient, reliable and competitive telecommunications
envi-ronment. The Association strives to educate and inform public
policy makers on decisions that impact TTA member companies and provides
representation for all member companies before regulatory bodies, legislative
and executive branches of Texas government, and state and federal agencies.
TTA is governed by a Board of directors comprised
of 21 representatives elected by the member companies. From its earliest
days, TTA has relied heavily upon the volunteer efforts of members who
serve as officers, directors, and members of the various committees.
Committees lay the groundwork for the Association's activities and long-range
goals.
TTA has been an Associate Member of TSTCI
for several years and has supported several TSTCI meetings and functions
through both attendance and donations.
You may learn more about the Texas Telephone
Association by visiting their website at www.tta.org.
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| CenturyTel Names Outstanding
Vendors |
CenturyTel has recognized five companies
with its fifth annual "Diamond of Distinction" awards honoring outstanding
vendors.
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Outstanding Manufacturer - Advanced Fiber Communications
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Outstanding Contractor - Gulfgate Marine
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Outstanding Distributor - Power & Telephone Supply
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Outstanding Engineering Consultant - S&H Associates
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Outstanding Directory Publisher - Alltel Publishing
"These vendors have been the most successful in
assisting CenturyTel to be recognized as a leading provider of integrated
communications services to rural areas and smaller cities in the United
States," said Wayne Davis, Vice President of Engineering. "CenturyTel
depends on our vendors, who consistently work to improve their processes,
which ultimately enables us to deliver personalized, value-based products
and services to our customers."
The Diamond of Distinction award recognizes
vendors for their commitment to providing CenturyTel with quality products,
pricing, delivery and service in a timely, cost-effective manner.
This commitment to excellence in turn strengthens the relationships between
CenturyTel and its more than two million customers nationwide.
| Tel-Quip, Inc. and Mohawk, Ltd. Form Marketing
Alliance |
Tel-Quip, Inc., a TSTCI Associate Member, is a manufacturer's
representative and consulting firm specializing in providing professional
sales and marketing services of telecommunications, data, and utility products
and services for the communications industry. Tel-Quip serves the
areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Louisiana.
Effective January 1, Tel-Quip expanded its
products and services to include the repair services of Mohawk, Ltd. and
sales of Mohawk's fiber-optic trailers.
Mohawk, also a TSTCI Associate Member, is
a highly diversified company specializing in providing fully integrated
repair, including the light manufacturing, sales and service, repair, refurbishment,
and calibration of electronic, hydraulic, pneumatic, heavy mechanical and
fleet equipment serving customers in the telecommunications, cable, utility,
municipal and private industry markets nationwide.
Mohawk and Tel-Quip together embody an entrepreneurial
spirit with a vision to provide innovative solutions to meet the ever-changing
needs of the industries and customers they serve.
Tel-Quip that, together with Mohawk's expertise
and experience, the added aspect of providing repair services for customers
will be a welcomed benefit in meeting their customers' needs and solving
their problems. Together, both companies are looking forward to a
great year!
| Formation of Alliance Announced |
Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, L.L.P. have
recently announced the formation of an alliance with four other regional
accounting firms - Moss Adams, L.L.P. of California; Jackson Thornton and
Company, P.C. of Alabama; Dun, McNeil and Parker of Maine; and Kiesling
Associates, L.L.P. located in Wisconsin. The name of the alliance
is Telergee.
Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, L.L.P.
maintains their independence, as Telergee is an alliance, and not a merger
or any type of business combination. The resources of Telergee will
be available to help the individual firms meet the accounting and business
management needs of their clients.
| Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services
Initial Field Hearing in Washington, DC |
The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced
Telecommunications Services was scheduled to hold its initial meeting and
field hearing March 8. Texas PUC Commissioner Brett Perlman was one
of the conference's participants.
Part of the Joint Conference's mission is
to gather information on the deployment of advanced telecommunications
services. This initial meeting was held to focus on deployment of
broadband in inner cities, including examining successful and creative
means of bringing high-speed services to previously underserved communities.
The information gathered at this meeting will be included in a compilation
of best practices, which will provide guidance to communities across the
nation to accelerate deployment of advanced services.
| PUC Continues Local Phone Service Survey |
On February 29, surveys were mailed to a random
sample of business and residential customers in the Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit,
Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, LaSalle, Maverick,
McMullen, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata and Zavala Counties.
The results of this survey could become part
of a report the PUC is preparing for the Texas Legislature on the availability
of advanced telecommunications technology in rural areas.
Quote of the Month...
Far better is it to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank
with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because
they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. - Theodore
Roosevelt
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March 2000
1 PUC Open Meeting
1-3 TSTCI Plantmen's Conference - San Antonio, Texas
23 PUC Open Meeting
April 2000
4-6 Expo 2000 - Belton, Texas
5-7 NTCA Legislative Conference (Reg. 4, 5, 7, 8, 10) - Washington,
DC
9-12 USTA Technical Disciplines Conference - Tempe, Arizona
10-12 Texaltel's 17th Annual Conference - Austin, Texas
12 PUC Open Meeting
25-28 RCA Annual Convention - Las Vegas, Nevada
27 PUC Open Meeting
May 2000
8 PUC Open Meeting
22 PUC Open Meeting
26 TTA Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser - Euless, Texas
June 2000
7-9 TSTCI Spring Managers' Conference - South Padre Island,
Texas
8 PUC Open Meeting
22 PUC Open Meeting
26 TTA Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser - Euless, Texas |
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