**Bridge to 2005 Consultation: Rural Broadband\\Telecom Briefing**

**NRDP Meeting -- Oklahoma City, August, 2004**

ATTENDEES

-   Sue McNeil  FCC Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

> <sue.mcneil@fcc.gov> (202) 418-7619

-   Jane Phillips FCC Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

> <jane.phillips@fcc.gov> (202) 418-1761

-   Geoffrey Blackwell FCC Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
    <geoffrey.blackwell@fcc.gov> (202) 418-8192

-   William Sturges Pennsylvania RDC <bsturges@state.pa.us> (717)
    772-9028

-   Merle Swineford OK RDC (580) 921-3941

-   Michael Wisdom CO RDC <wisdom@slvdrg.org>

-   Barbara Nelson USDA RD <bnelson@ocdx.usda.gov> (202) 619-0358

-   Don Koverman Indiana RDC <dkoverman@commerce.state.in.us> (317)
    232-8776

-   Carter Merkle OK Dept of Career Tech <cmerkle@okec.org> (405)
    743-5592

-   Jim Lowery WASH RDC <washrdc@reachone.com>

-   Jane Leonard MN Rural Partners <jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org>

-   Kent Morrison CO RDC <kmorrison@ruralcolorado.org> (970) 870-5939

-   Chris Marko OR RDC <cmarko@rcac.org> (503) 228-1780

-   Jo-Anna Nakata NV RDC <nrdc@gbis.com> (775) 887-2553

INTROS -- Concerns & Issues

-   Chris -- Oregon

-   Joanne -- Nevada -- access

-   Don Koverman -- Indiana -- holding a statewide conference -- no
    state policy, lack of coordination between state and feds,
    USDA-RUS-IRDC-FCC

-   Kent M -- Colorado -- Bean Pole

    -   Basing decision on urban framework

    -   Different benefits in rural -- loyalty of customers

    -   GIS mapping of nation -- right of way possibilities

-   Barbara Nelson -- USDA OCD -- 2007 national goal

-   Michael W -- Colorado -- connecting courthouses w/state to make sure
    info is always available & updatable -- local ownership issues

-   Merle -- Oklahoma -- critical mass of users/market strength,
    services to help diversify econ opportunity

-   Bill S. -- Pennsylvania -- state legislature provided incentives to
    providers to serve rural but they didn't

-   Jane -- MN -- have lost some ground in policy and regional
    coalitions to aggregate

FCC staff discussion:

-   Created Intergovernmental Affairs Office for outreach

-   Creativity and commitment to reach "next mile"

-   Aggregation of demand -- rural business plan

-   What kinds of info into FCC

    -   Good time to work together for rural

    -   Specific recommendations are well received

    -   Rulemakings open -- comments welcome

        -   Wireless

            -   Auction of spectrum

            -   Unlicensed spectrum

            -   Eliminating red tape to allow for customization

            -   Disaggregating spectrum

            -   Forfeit of spectrum for build-out

            -   Vacating spectrum as we move to HDTV

-   Emergency services innovations -- where do they go?

    -   Petition for experimental license

-   Use the "first, do no harm" policy

GENERAL ISSUES

-   Boosting demand thru access, demonstrations, education

-   The "myths" of cost of service difference between rural and urban

-   Competition and local control of options

-   Applications of telecom once installed

-   Regulations based on "old" technology

    -   What if we started over, knowing what technology is available
        now

PARTNERS

-   RUS Community Programs

-   FCC

-   DOC-NTIA-SBA

-   DOL

-   USDA RD

-   AARP

-   DOE

-   BIA (loan guarantee, rights of way)

-   EIA-TIA Electrical Telecom

-   NACO

-   NADO

-   NGA

-   NCSL

-   NCTA

-   NECA

-   NARUC

-   National Internet providers

-   CTIA -- wireless

-   PCIA

-   Cellular

-   RTC & RBC

-   National Congress of American Indians

-   NTIA

-   RUPRI

-   HUD

-   DOT -- rights of way

NEXT STEPS

-   Go to NGO (non-governmental organizations) national telecom
    organizations and offer to coordinate state outreach and they would
    in turn help us have national presence

    -   Get single points of contact -- empowered contacts in each
        partner agency

-   National conversation about appropriate policy for this
    time/technology/conditions. We keep building on old rules, based on
    legacy technology and should start from scratch with new tech and
    new conditions

    -   Possible rewrite in the works for the 1996 Telecom Act

    -   Basic level of service/access upon which innovation can ride

-   Connection to National Rural Development Coordinating Committee
    (NRDCC)

-   RUS news feed on our websites

OUTCOMES

-   NRDP provides unique perspective to rural telecom policy debate

-   Compilation of rural telecom success stories -- also links to other
    sites of best practices (like
    [www.ruraltelecon.org](http://www.ruraltelecon.org/))

-   Partner with FCC to do outreach workshops

    -   Policy input -- rural impact of decisions

    -   Joint Task Force

NOTES taken by Jane Leonard and meeting was facilitated by Jim Lowery.
Everyone agreed to stay on board with this. Kent Morrison set up the
email list.