Nearly 600 NTCA member representatives descended on the nation's capitol earlier this week for NTCA's 2008 Legislative & Policy Conference.  The annual event brings together key telco staff for an overview of NTCA's current advocacy initiatives and the unique opportunity to build and enhance relationships with their Congressional representatives.  Cultivating these relationships helps ensure that the rural voice is taken into consideration as policy-makers explore new laws and regulations that affect the way rural telcos do business.

NTCA CEO Michael E. Brunner kicked off the event Monday morning, welcoming attendees and setting the stage for an intensive day of legislative and regulatory briefings.  The goal of these briefings is to educate members about emerging rules and regulations and other industry issues.

NTCA Vice President Government Affairs Tom Wacker was joined by two Congressional staffers for a discussion of their perspectives on issues currently seeing activity in the House and Senate.  Among these is the upcoming transition from analog to digital television, and both staffers agreed protecting consumers during the transition is a priority for Congress.   The staffers: Amy Levine, senior counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Jessica Rosenworcel, senior communications counsel for the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, fielded several questions from the audience.  The two emphasized the importance of consistent communication between NTCA members and their Congressional delegations, both in Washington, DC and in the local districts across the country.

Wacker and the government affairs staff then led a policy discussion on critical telecommunications issues, to prepare attendees for meetings with members of Congress the following day. A briefing on regulatory issues by NTCA's legal & industry staff, led by NTCA Vice President, Legal & Industry Dan Mitchell, rounded out the afternoon's agenda.

The evening concluded with a reception during which attendees networked with colleagues, while preparing for Tuesday's Congressional office and FCC visits.

Tuesday morning's breakfast featured an address by Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio.), who discussed the critical role of broadband in rural America's future economic viability.  Space told the audience that he understood the challenges of rural communities because he grew up in one, and has seen first hand the effect broadband connections have on health care, education and quality of life issues.  Space is a proponent of a strong national broadband policy and expressed his support for the RUS broadband loan program, universal service support and inclusion of broadband in the definition of universal service.

Following Space's presentation, attendees headed to Capitol Hill and to the FCC to conduct a full day of meetings with policymakers. These meetings are critical to preserving and advancing rural telecom interests in the policy debate. During the meetings NTCA representatives focused on three key areas: reverse auctions and the identical support rule, phantom traffic and small business operating issues.