Conference: Overview | Detail

Get copies of 2003 Session Presentations
 
Sunday - September 28, 2003

 
12:00 pm - 6:30 pm Registration and Exhibits Set-up
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Rural Broadband Coalition Government Relations Committee Meeting
  Location: Concord Room
 
 
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm What is RTC?
  This session will explain the purpose of the Rural Telecommunications Congress and provide information on its various aspects.

  Location: Capitol Room
  Speaker(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm What is RBC? Understanding Capitol Hill - Legislative Advocacy Training Session
  This pre-conference tutorial will give attendees a broader understanding of the mission and objectives of the Rural Broadband Coalition (RBC) while highlighting the key tools needed to effectively communicate with and influence members of Congress. Some of the advocacy topics that will be covered include:

*Power in Numbers - The Importance of Grass-Roots Advocacy
*Community Coordination and Collaboration - Stay on Message
*How a Bill Becomes a Law - Useful Resources
*Establishing Congressional Relationships

  Location: Capitol Room
  Speaker(s): Scott M. Lindsay
 
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Welcome and Opening Reception
  Welcome remarks by the leadership of organizations sponsoring Rural TeleCon '03.

  Location: Congressional Room AB
  Speaker(s): Anne B. Pope - Federal Co-Chair, Appalachian Regional Commission; Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
7:30 pm Dinner on your own
 
 
Monday - September 29, 2003

 
7:30 am - 6:00 pm Registration
  Location: Regency Foyer
 
 
8:00 am - 8:30 am Continental Breakfast - Breakfast Roundtables for RTC committees
  Location: Regency A
 
 
8:30 am - 9:00 am Welcome
  Conference opening and welcome.

  Location: Regency A
  Speaker(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
9:00 am - 9:45 am Opening Keynote - Michael Copps, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
Speaker(s): Michael Copps
 
9:45 am - 10:30 am General Session - Robert Atkinson speaking on Rural Development and the New Economy
  Fundamental structural changes in technology, markets, and organizations are redrawing our nation's economic map and leaving many rural areas behind. In this new environment access to broadband telecommunications has become critical if a region wants to grow or attract a wide variety of businesses. Yet, while advanced telecom services are necessary for growth, they are not sufficient. This session will examine what's happened to rural America over the last decade and why. It will then explore the prospects for rural recovery and growth, with a particular focus on what states and localities can do to foster new economy growth.

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
Speaker(s): Robert D. Atkinson
 
10:30 am - 11:00 am Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
11:00 am - 12:00 pm Concurrent Session I -1 - Can We Have Homeland Security Without Broadband Telecommunications?
  All emergencies happen locally! This session will provide current information to help your community be better prepared and secure.

  Location: Conference Theater
  Moderator(s): Claudia Bitner
Speaker(s): Jeng Mao; Kris Anne Monteith; Don Miller
 
  Concurrent Session I - 2 - Building Demand for Broadband: Content and Services
  Community networks learned long ago that community information systems that promoted local content and services were (and still are)
an inexpensive and effective way to get more people online and to build demand for broadband. Many community network practitioners thought the collapse of commercial broadband initiatives during the end of the dot-com era was entirely predicatable, since virtually all of the large companies touting broadband services had failed to make even modest
investments in ensuring that there was interesting content and services
available to their customers.

This session will feature a case study of how a community network has successfully used local
content and services to increase Internet use in a community, presentation on Open Source software packages that can provide the
basis for a community information system, and a presentation that discusses how communities can start a community information system, with practical, step-by-step information.


  Location: Congressional A
  Moderator(s): Andrew Cohill, Ph.D.
Speaker(s): Dr. Dave Lamie - Clemson University Institute for Economci and Community Development
 
  Concurrent Session I - 3 - How to Conduct a Market Survey: Know What to Expect Before You Deploy Broadband to a Rural Community
  This session will explore how to conduct a market analysis for broadband. It includes discussion of initial requirements for broadband services in rural areas, business and residential market analysis, local infrastructure, community information and services, topography, licensed versus license exempt technologies, business planning, competitor analysis and financing.

  Location: Columbia A
  Speaker(s): Robert Veltman; Stephen Araps
 
  Concurrent Session I -4 - Stepping Stones
  Stepping Stones offer technical assistance to local governments and others with planning, purchasing, implementing and supporting projects which have technology at their core. Emphasize building the confidence of local officials in implementing technology projects with short timelines, and sometimes high stakes, in ways that make the best use of already available resources.

Often these projects serve to demonstrate the vital role of technology at the local government level; once in place, skeptical officials have “hands-on” usage and develop the experience and motivation to maintain these systems. The ability to call for immediate assistance as such projects ‘pop onto the radar screen’ is vital since few local governments have the technical capacity to adequately foresee technology needs 18 to 24 months in the future as is normally required to go through the grant process.


  Location: Columbia B
  Speaker(s): James Baker - Chief of Information Technologies Group, SEDA-Council of Governments
 
  Concurrent Session I -5 - Telecommunications Issues in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties
  Humboldt and Del Norte Counties (in rural northern California) are increasingly turning to technology-based and technology-enabled industries as tools to rebuild the economy. Facing severe decline of the fishing and timber industries, the region recently united in efforts to solve several northwest California issues: lack of internet access to some communities, lack of dial tone in others, and a legal impasse over right-of-way between Caltrans and SBC. Advocacy to date has been fruitful, and the region has learned a great deal in its efforts to raise awareness of the tie between economic development and access to technology.

  Location: Columbia C
  Speaker(s): Tina Nerat; Kristin Roach
 
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch and Keynote Speaker - The Honorable Conrad Burns, U.S. Senator from Montana
  Lunch and keynote address by U.S. Senator Conrad Burns from Montana.

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
Speaker(s): Hon. Conrad Burns
 
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm Response Panel - Rural Broadband Policy
  John Rose, with the Organization for the Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) and Larry Sargeant, with the United States Telephone Association, will broach the subject of rural broadband policy from the perspective of the private sector.

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
Speaker(s): John Rose; Larry Sargeant
 
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
2:45 pm - 3:45 pm Concurrent Session II - 1 - Broadband in the Midwest
  This session will include two presentations. First, a representative from the Blandin Foundation in Minnesota will speak on their Broadband Initiative, which works to improve the economic competitiveness of Minnesota’s communities through support for rural telecommunications market and infrastructure development. Presenter: Gary Fields

The session will also include a presentation on the Tri-State Market Development Study, an effort in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska to demonstrate which market development efforts really do boost the use of broadband in rural communities of under 2,500 population. Presenter: Bill Coleman, Community Technology Advisors Corp.


  Location: Columbia C
  Moderator(s): Anne Byers - Community Information Technology Manager, Nebraska Information Technology Commission
Speaker(s): Bill Coleman - President, Community Technology Advisors Corp.
 
  Concurrent Session II - 2 - Deploying a Fixed Wireless Solution in a Rural Market: Best Practices
  The session will cover basics of how to deliver broadband to rural areas including broadband wireless and satellite options. Practical business case strategic planning and operational considerations will be covered. Speakers include a panel of three experts from the wireless and satellite arenas. The session is intended to be a practical, no-holds barred discussion of the realities of reaching rural areas.

  Location: Congressional A
  Moderator(s): Tim Sanders
Speaker(s): Marty Hale; Edward Buckstel
 
  Concurrent Session II - 3 - Demand Aggregation Strategies
  This mini-workshop will outline how six different successful communities helped themselves attract telecommunication service providers and provide enhanced telecommunication connectivity.


  Location: Columbia A
  Speaker(s): Harry L. Roesch - ARC Senior Telecommunications Advisor, RTC Board of Directors
 
  Concurrent Session II - 4 - E-Government as a Tool for Economic Development
  This panel will discuss how e-government tools can promote economic development in rural communities. Real-life examples highlight common applications and technologies and show how the investment in e-government can be recaptured through increased efficiencies and attracting business to the community.

  Location: Conference Theater
  Moderator(s): Sharon Strover, Ph.D.
Speaker(s): Costis Toregas; Jeff Arnold
 
  Concurrent Session II - 5 - Classrooms Without Walls: Best Practices of Telecom in Education
  This session will feature a panel discussion highighting best practices in distance education at the secondary, community college and higher ed levels.

  Location: Columbia B
  Moderator(s): Cindy Weeldreyer
Speaker(s): R. Terry McGhee; Susan Sauer Sloan; Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Representative
 
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
4:15 pm - 5:30 pm Rural Broadband Policy Panel
  Is this the best of times or worst of times for rural telecoms and technology deployment and access? There’s still a lot of “dirt between laptops” in much of rural America. It’s still a tough place to provide state-of-the-art service. Despite this, some of the most exciting and innovative work occurs in the toughest-to-serve places, thanks to the grit and determination of local communities working with service providers, continued and sometimes surprising technology innovation, and a conducive policy environment. How can policy support continued deployment and access? When might policy hinder or discourage deployment and access? This session will cover key policy issues that rural telecommunications advocates must understand to accomplish their missions

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Bob Rowe
Speaker(s): Matthew Brill; Shirley Bloomfield; Victor Glass, Ph.D.; Bill Gillis, Ph.D.; Lisa Schoenthaler
 
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm Rural Telecommunications Congress Delegate Selection
  Location: Conference Theater
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Exhibits Reception
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
7:00 pm Dinner on your own
 
 
Tuesday - September 30, 2003

 
8:00 am - 9:00 am Communities of Interest Breakfast
  A chance to meet and mingle with other conference participants within your community or communities of interest. A continental breakfast will be served and seating areas will be reserved for each of the six communities of interest: Community and Economic Development, E-Government, Education, Infrastructure, Public Policy and Research, and Telehealth and Telemedicine.

  Location: Regency A
 
 
8:45 am - 9:00 am Welcome
  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Jane Leonard
 
9:00 am - 9:30 am Keynote - Thomas Dorr, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development
 

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Jane Leonard
Speaker(s): Thomas Dorr
 
9:30 am - 10:30 am Broadband Applications: Changing the Way We Do Business Panel
  This session will outline how businesses, communities, social service organizations, and others are utilizing the power of the Internet, and high-speed telecommunication services to improve the "bottom line", and improve the economic and social service development of rural areas.


  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Harry L. Roesch - ARC Senior Telecommunications Advisor, RTC Board of Directors
Speaker(s): Bruce Mehlman; Dr. Dena Puskin; RUS Representative
 
10:30 am - 11:00 am Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
11:00 am - 12:00 pm Concurrent Session III - 1 - Virtual Entrepreneurial Network
  The Virtual Entrepreneurial Network is an economic development broadband application that combines proven online applications with old fashioned community organizing to promote and support entrepreneurship. Minnesota Rural Partners developed a suite of online and on the ground tools including: BizPathways (www.bizpathways.org) uses matching technologies to connect entrepreneurs with business development services that are best suited to help them, The Entrepreneurial Community Champion Playbook is full of tools, worksheets, and planning templates, and Finance Avenue (www.financeavenue.org) that connects entrepreneurs with information and access to specific funding resources based on their profile built from seven simple questions. Presenters will discuss the impact of the of implementation in Minnesota and North Dakota.

  Location: Capitol Room
  Speaker(s): Christy James; Ann Treacy
 
  Concurrent Session III - 2 - Communitywide Networks: Process and Project Management
  Nationwide, rural communities are struggling to make sense of broadband and how to get it for their region. A myriad of solutions are
available, but local leaders are often loathe to make public investments for fear of making the wrong decision. Much of the confusion stems from the tendency of policy makers and elected
officials to defer to anyone that claims to be an “expert,” but in most communities, the “experts” are usually unqualified local businesspeople or network equipment and service vendors.

This interactive workshop will present a straightforward, step-by-step process for managing communitywide telecommunications projects, including the five key areas of investment for communities and the positive impact on economic development.

  Location: Columbia A
  Speaker(s): Andrew Cohill, Ph.D.
 
  Concurrent Session III - 3 - Deploying a FTTx Solution in a Rural Market and Working With Community Leaders Panel
  To deploy any type of intelligent network in a rural market requires the coordination and cooperation of many different stakeholders. Fiber to the home (FTTH) efforts without regional backbones create remote broadband islands and regional fiber backbones without the appropriate FTTH/Wireless strategies create underutilized assets.

This panel explores the dynamics of deploying Fiber Optic infrastructures in rural regions throughout the country. You will get firsthand experiences in the successes/failures in every aspect of the work cycle. Specific detail will be devoted to “getting the politics right” to secure institutional buy-in to your project.

  Location: Columbia B
  Moderator(s): Tom Moylan
Speaker(s): Howard Lowe; Alan McAdams; Jim Baller; John Toccalino; Coe Hutchison
 
  Concurrent Session III - 4 - Use of Enhanced Telecommunications Services to Improve Delivery of Quality Health Services
  The panel will outline how telemedicine / telehealth services are becoming an integral part of the overall health care delivery system in rural America. The panel will discuss the funding of telehealth services, the types of services that are being offered, and highlight results: better health care, improved diagnostic services, better records management, and cost containment issues.

  Location: Conference Theater
  Moderator(s): Harry L. Roesch - ARC Senior Telecommunications Advisor, RTC Board of Directors
Speaker(s): Dr. William L. England; Jon Linkous; Dr. Dena Puskin
 
12:15 pm - 12:45 pm Lunch Keynote - Alan McAdams, Cornell University
  This keynote address compares and contrasts key aspects of the evolving IT and Telecom infrastructures in Korea, Japan and Canada with those in the U.S. It demonstrates that the U.S. is far from being the world leader in deploying this vital infrastructure -- the IT/Telecom infrastructure. Yet it is the IT/Telecom infrastructure that will determine the performance and productivity of the information technology sector of the U.S. economy -- and in turn, of the entire U.S. economy. The U.S. is behind; it is falling further behind and is unlikely easily to catch up -- unless it turns to a new paradigm of network ownership.

  Location: Regency A
  Speaker(s): Alan McAdams
 
12:45 pm - 1:30 pm Rural Policy Research Institute Policy Research Panel
  This panel will review some of the latest research bearing on rural communities' business and residential computer and Internet use, telecommunications self-development and the role of rural small businesses, and telecommunications facilities and costs. The panel will comment on current legislative and regulatory policies as well as pending and needed legislation and programs.

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Sharon Strover, Ph.D.
Speaker(s): Victor Glass, Ph.D.; Linda Garcia; Jorge Schement; Ann Hollifield, Ph.D.
 
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Concurrent Session IV - 1 - Statewide Networks Meet Frontier Counties: Lessons Learned
  This panel discussion on statewide networking projects presents the experiences of professionals who have worked on rural broadband infrastructure projects across the rural West.

  Location: Columbia A
  Moderator(s): Dr. Jeff Richardson
Speaker(s): Rick Malinowski - Director, Colorado Division of Information Technologies
 
  Concurrent Session IV - 2 - RUS Loan and Grant Programs
  This presentation will be an update on all telecommunications programs of the Rural Utilities Service, the outlook for '04, broadband loan program application requirements, and experiences with the early applications(highlighting problems to avoid to ensure your
application doesn't get returned!).


  Location: Capitol Room
  Speaker(s): Deb Jackson
 
  Concurrent Session IV - 3 - Broadband and the Revitilization of a Community; Models for Recovering Infrastructure Cost Investments
  The first half of this session, titled "Broadband and the Revitilization of a Community," will explore community and economic development activities associated with broadband.

The second half of the session, titled "Exploring the Financials and New Techniques for Deploying Fiber and GigEthernet Technologies: Models for Recovering Infrastructure Cost Investments," will explore cost recovery models for infrastructure investments.

Although the Internet ’s global reach and high speed backbone transport networks have greatly expanded access to a virtually limitless range of resources and services, the “last mile” connection to individual users has remained a significant hindrance to high speed communications, especially in rural areas.

This presentation explores the new, cost-effective technology initiatives in the industry and the financial impacts of these new techniques.

  Location: Conference Theater
  Moderator(s): Richard Civille - Executive Director, San Juan County Economic Development Council
Speaker(s): Norvill Clark; Diane Kruse
 
  Concurrent Session IV - 4 - The Universal Service Fund Program: Helping Rural America Bridge the Digital Divide
  The panel will discuss the various programs that are available under the Universal Service Program including: where to find information on the various programs, how to file applications, what types of funds are available, who is eligible to apply, who receives the funds, and much more.

  Location: Columbia B
  Moderator(s): Harry L. Roesch - ARC Senior Telecommunications Advisor, RTC Board of Directors
Speaker(s): Dr. William L. England; Karen Majcher
 
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Exhibit Break
  Location: Regency & Columbia Foyers
 
 
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Concurrent Session V - 1 - Opening Kentucky to the Global Economy
  This presentation details a three-year statewide program assist Kentucky's rural governments, healthcare organizations, emergency response units, co-operatives and utility providers, educational institutions and business and industry to determine the applications, access, and infrastructure necessary to continue economic growth and expansion.

  Location: Columbia B
  Speaker(s): Linda Johnson, Ph.D.
 
  Concurrent Session V - 2 - The Federal Communications Commission's Rural Broadband Initiative: Opportunities And Difficulties
  The FCC has recently initated an effort to foster the development of broadband communications opportunities in rural markets. What could the FCC's effort mean to your community? Come hear the latest on this initiative, and how you can participate.

  Location: Capitol Room
  Speaker(s): Allen Tilles
 
  Concurrent Session V - 3 - Medical Technology that Will Prevail in Crisis: Enabling Health Care Professionals to Provide Better Care Utilizing State of the Art Wireless Technology
  This session highlights state-of-the-art wireless technology that helps health care professionals provide better care to their patients.

  Location: Columbia A
  Moderator(s): Anne Byers - Community Information Technology Manager, Nebraska Information Technology Commission
Speaker(s): Joe Hummel, MD; Paul Hemminger
 
  Concurrent Session V - 4 - Community Broadband: By the Community For the Community
  This session reviews the communication needs of public power utilities and discusses why they are natural choices for providing community broadband systems.


  Location: Conference Theater
  Speaker(s): Ron Lunt
 
5:30 pm U.S. Capitol Congressional Reception
  Conference attendees are encouraged to invite their local congresspersons.

  Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, G-50
 
 
Wednesday - October 01, 2003

 
8:00 am - 9:00 am Continental Breakfast - Rural Telecommunications Congress Board Elections
  Location: Regency A
 
 
8:45 am - 9:00 am Welcome
  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
9:00 am - 10:00 am Networking the Land: Lessons Learned from TOP
  This panel focuses on projects supported by the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) of the United States Department of Commerce. Three participants will describe their TOP-supported projects and assess the lessons they are learning about the role of information technology in addressing crucial issues in rural resource management, small business development, and cultural heritage preservation.


  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Judith Sparrow
Speaker(s): Emil Milevoj; Roger Topp; Roger Hansen
 
10:00 am - 10:30 am Break
  Location: Regency Foyer
 
 
10:30 am - 11:30 am Killer Aps: Broadband Market Drivers for Rural Communities
  Broadband promises significant economic benefits and an enhanced quality of life for all Americans. Rural communities may be the greatest beneficiaries of the broadband revolution, through expanded education opportunities, telemedicine initiatives, and a host of emerging technologies. Former Congressman and Technology Network CEO Rick White will discuss killer applications driving broadband demand in rural communities, and the policy challenges that threaten high-speed Internet access to rural America

  Location: Regency A
  Moderator(s): Scott M. Lindsay
Speaker(s): Rick White
 
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Close
  Location: Regency A
  Speaker(s): Kate McMahon - Owner - Operator, Applied Communications
 
12:15 pm - 3:00 pm RTC Board Meeting
  Location: Capitol Room
 
 
Rural Broadband:
A recommitment to America’s heartland

This year’s Rural Telecommunications Congress conference is organized into tracks based on the following six Communities of Interest:

Infrastructure
Policy and Regulation
Tele-Health and Tele-Medicine
E-government
Education
Community and Economic Development

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