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Manager's Memo - For the Week Ending June 27, 2008
Register Today for Summer Conference: Our industry's annual summer gathering is just around the corner, and we hope you are making plans to join your colleagues for the event. The 2008 MTIA Annual Conference will be held August 10 through 13 at the St. Charles Convention Center. This great new facility, immediately adjacent to our conference hotel, the Embassy Suites, is in the heart of St. Charles, the oldest city on the Missouri River and the state's first capitol. We're just minutes away from dozens of family-friendly attractions and activities in the metro St. Louis area.
Our room block is filling quickly, so members are encouraged to make hotel reservations today. Just call the Embassy Suites at 636-946-5544 or 800-EMBASSY and ask for the MTIA room block. Don't delay ---- our block expires July 10.
Visit us online at www.mtia.org for a complete agenda and conference registration forms. We hope to see you soon in St. Charles.
FCC Report Highlights Broadband Progress: An FCC report released last week documents the steady increase in broadband deployment in both rural and urban U.S. markets. Nearly half of the broadband market is served by cable modems, while about one-third of the nation's consumers are served by DSL provided by the telecom industry. The findings also suggest that consumers are increasingly looking for higher speeds for their broadband connections.
From the end of 2003 until last June, high-speed broadband lines have increased from 28 million to more than 100 million, and the number of high-speed providers in the country now tops 1,300. Among the factors driving deployment are the agency's new franchise rules streamlining the franchise approval process. The report notes the link between broadband and video, and points out that the rules have contributed to the acceleration of broadband deployment.
A similar pattern is occurring in Missouri since the legislature's action last year to approve a new law granting streamlined statewide video franchises. Since then, more than a dozen telecommunications carriers have applied to offer video services over broadband.
Commission Grants Embarq Additional Competitive Exchanges: The Missouri Public Service Commission this week approved Embarq's request for competitive status in five more exchanges. The Commission action approved competitive classification for all of the carrier's business services, other than exchange access service, in its Buckner, Odessa, Oak Grove, Pleasant Hill and Salem exchanges. In addition, Embarq gained competitive status for its residential service in the Salem exchange.
Under competitive classification, carriers are not subject to price or rate regulation by the PSC, and can adjust prices subject to the marketplace. As part of the determination for competitive classification, the Commission must determine that two or more qualifying non-affiliated carriers provide basic local phone service to customers located within the exchanges.
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