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| Monthly Newsletter for TSTCI Member Companies |
June 2000
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| www.tstci.org |
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Volume IV, No.
6
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| Texas Statewide Telephone Cooperative, Inc. is a statewide telecommunications non-profit organization representing the interests of Texas rural independent telephone systems. All member companies are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. |
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Thank you for inviting me along with my
family to this meeting. Thank you for the very nice plaque and recognition.
Retirement is meant to be good for you, and it is, but I will miss you
all. Thanks for your friendship. Come see us,” --Hubert
Kidd
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Judging by the number of sunburns at checkout
last Friday, the TSTCI 2000 Spring Managers’ Conference was a success!
Early risers Friday morning also witnessed a most unusual event in recent
years in South Texas--rain!
The golfers had a great tournament Wednesday, and Wednesday evening, Hubert Kidd was launched to happy retirement land with an affectionate roast by Toney Prather, Robbie Allen, Sandy Vandevender, Richard Adams and Jim Whitefield. Hubert has been a stalwart of the industry, and we will all miss his shining (and we’re not talking about the top of his head) presence. Thursday's program began with some excellent e-commerce tips from Scott Bourne of the Scott Bourne Companies. Then Representative David Counts shared the latest goings-on in the legislature. David Horton of Neel and Horton gave an update on employment issues, followed by a serious attempt by everyone present to clean up two huge buckets of ice cream with all the trimmings before hitting the beach. This heroic effort raised $546 for the PAC fund. In addition, mulligans purchased at the golf tournament and the raffle for the Sony Handycam, generously donated by Pliant Systems, raised $1,417 for the PAC fund. Robbie Allen of Peoples Telephone Cooperative is under a dark cloud of suspicion because he is just a little too "lucky", what with winning the Sony Handycam at this meeting after also winning the grand prize at the Plantmen’s Conference in March. In spite of this, the meeting ended on a high note Friday morning with regulatory and legislative updates, followed by the grand prize drawing, a $500 gift certificate from Bass Pro, generously donated by Texas Communications Expo (surprise, surprise, Robbie didn't win this one). |
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| Retirement will be great when we get adjusted to it, but there is a void for Hubert. I realize you can’t live 44 years in an industry and the constant contact with all you people every day, to have it stop all of a sudden. Friends will be forever. Keep in touch (I may need to lend him to you).” --Nancy Kidd | ||
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Big Bend Telephone Company CHR Solutions Eastex Telephone Cooperative McWhorter, Cobb and Johnson TXU Communications Texas Communications Expo UDP SILVER
BRONZE
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& Cash Donations Advanced Fibre Communications Berry Company Curtis Blakely & Company Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss CHR Solutions Chickasaw Telephone Company Communications Data Group ECI Telecom Eastex Telephone Cooperative Etex Telephone Cooperative Fitel Lucent Technologies Graybar National Telephone Cooperative Assn. Pliant Systems Power & Telephone Supply Company Powerscan Regional Telephone Services Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative Santa Rosa Telephone Cooperative Sprint North Supply John Staurulakis TEEX - Telecom Program TXU Communications Telecom America Services Texas Telephone Association UDP |
CHR Solutions Powerscan John Staurulakis Telecom America Services Grand Prize
Raffle Prize
We would like to thank the following speakers and
their companies for supporting TSTCI and helping to make this program outstanding:
Additionally, we extend our gratitude to the following
companies for supporting TSTCI and donating to the Discretionary Fund:
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| Member Company Spotlight | ||
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Livingston Telephone Company Announces Launch of Broadband Interactive Services |
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| In July 2000, Livingston Telephone Company, continuing
its pioneering tradition, will be the first independent telephone company
to offer Myrio Corporation’s interactive digital home entertainment and
communication services to its customers.
Curt Walzel, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Livingston, said "The Myrio solution promises telephone companies an excellent, additional revenue stream." He also commented that, "Livingston Telephone chose Myrio because it is user-friendly, physically attractive, less expensive to the end-user and allows the telephone company to offer significant, DVD-quality enhanced bundled services to the customer--and with only one bill." Using Myrio’s platform, Livingston will be able to deliver enhanced broadband interactive services including digital broadcast and cable television, true video-on-demand with VCR-type controls, and a complete selection of newly released Hollywood content delivered directly to the customer’s home television. Service will also include "always-on" ultra high-speed DSL Internet access. To commemorate this exciting event, Livingston Telephone Company will host an Open House Celebration July 11 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Livingston, Texas. For more information, call Livingston Telephone Company at (936) 327-4309, or visit their website at www.livingston.net. |
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| FCC/States Develop
Nationwide Broadband Deployment Database
The FCC, in partnership with state regulators, announced an interactive website that will serve as a national clearinghouse for local communities to share news and information about their broadband deployment projects. The survey, which is located at www.nrri.ohiostate.edu/ broadbandsurvey.php, will gather information for a searchable database of broadband deployment projects and efforts that communities across the nation are undertaking. The searchable database will soon be available on the web at www.nrri.ohiostate.edu/ broadbandquery.php. The website, one of the projects of the Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services to ensure deployment of advanced services to all Americans, will facilitate the exchange of information and development of local "best practices" so that communities can build upon the experiences of others. FCC and state regulators are expecting many local communities, private industry representatives, educational institutions and others to have their success stories on the website, which went "live" on June 6. "The Joint Conference is impressed by the inspiration, creativity and determination of communities in making high-speed Internet access a reality," said Nan Thompson, Chairperson of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. "Sharing a vision of advanced telecommunications services for all Americans, we are garnering these success stories on our interactive web site. In doing so, we hope to ‘pass the torch’ to other communities, service providers and government officials concerned about getting adequate services in rural, inner-city and other underserved areas." |
A Note of Thanks
The TSTCI PAC plays a very active, important role in the legislative efforts of the rural telecommunications industry by supporting candidates who will represent our interests. Candidates receiving contributions from the TSTCI PAC are aware that this money is contributed by an organization formed for the sole purpose of promoting rural telecommunications in Texas. Some of the most recent contributions, in addition to the supporters at the Ice Cream Social and mulligans purchased at the Golf Tournament, were received from: Weldon R. Gray Eastex Tel. Coop. Alvin Fuhrman Nortex Communications, Inc. Toney Prather Comanche County Telephone Co. North Texas Telephone Co. Joyce Wied Colorado Valley Telephone Coop. If you are interested in making a personal contribution to the TSTCI PAC, please contact TSTCI Member Services in Austin at (512) 343-2587, or in Dallas at (972) 243-8705. |
| Leadership Awards
Deadline Near The Rural Telecommunications Leadership Awards, provided by a digital divide partnership of the National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) and the AOL Foundation, recognize outstanding achievement in rural community development resulting from the deployment and use of advanced telecommunications. To be eligible, community leaders must demonstrate that they have enhanced rural telecommunications through a public-private partnership in a community or communities with a population of 10,000 or less. Projects must already be underway and significantly achieved. The deadline for registration is Friday, July 14. Winners and Finalists will be announced September 1. Five $10,000 awards and ten $2,000 awards will be given in five categories: 1) Infrastructure Technology; 2) Public Access/Skills and Training; 3) Community/Economic Development/Job Creation; 4) Health Information and Services/Enhanced Disability Access; and 5) Youth Development/Leadership. For more information, you can visit the website at www.natat.org/ncsc. Click on the flashing AOL Awards logo. |
| Upcoming Events | ||
| June 2000
26 - TTA Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser - Euless, Texas 29 - PUC Open Meeting July 2000
August 2000
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