The office was created that spring, and the senior Polish government official put in charge of it, Stanislaw Popiolek, visited NTCA and two member North Carolina co-ops within weeks of being named to his position. Minister Popiolek later proved to be a crucial ally in the battle for fair interconnection agreements. Members went out of their way to host visitors, taking the time to not only educate them but make them feel welcome by organizing barbecues, receptions, and social outings that gave them a taste of American culture and daily life. Together, the two cooperatives and four investor-owned companies today serve more than 30,000 access lines. The local economies are thriving.
Jobs are plentiful.
Agriculture is booming. When you compare the level of economic activity in our villages to the ones with no phones, you will see how much more advanced we are. Here, almost every second household runs some kind of cottage industry, either in carpentry or upholstery making, and sells its products to Ukraine. Because these mushrooming enterprises employ local people, our unemployment rate here is lower than the Polish average. And right now all those businesses have phones.