 In an exclusive TIA members-only day of ICT policy debate and discussion, more than 150 industry and government executives gathered at the beautiful Ronald Reagan Center for International Trade in Washington, D.C., on April 8, 2008, to learn about and discuss the future of communications service and business.
The association’s 9th Annual Spring Policy Summit covered accessibility issues for people with disabilities, broadband and emerging technologies, spectrum, and trade policy in four diverse panels.
 The Summit’s distinguished keynote guests included Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet; Ambassador John Veroneau, Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR); Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer; and Tucker Carlson, Senior Campaign Correspondent from MSNBC.
In the off-the-record event with no journalists attending, speakers were candid and intriguing. As TIA President Grant Seiffert noted, “You had to be there to gain the most from the lively debates and aggressive questioning.”
The highlights offered here may provide a glimpse of the nature and substance of the Summit, while maintaining the spirit of the closed meeting.
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), opening keynoter, was introduced by TIA’s President Grant Seiffert, who presented him with the TIA annual Spirit of Innovation Award.
 Mary Brooner, Senior Director of Regulatory Strategies, Global Government Relations Office, of Motorola; and Aubrey Woolley, Policy and Compliance Analyst, Government Marketing Division, of Canon USA chaired the first panel of the day, “A New Age of Accessibility: Technology Aiding Disabilities.” Participating panelists were Rosaline Crawford, Director, Law and Advocacy Center, National Association for the Deaf; Tim Creagan, Senior Accessibility Specialist, U.S. Access Board; Jennifer Dexter, Assistant VP, Government Relations, Easter Seals; Cathy Seidel, Chief, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau, FCC; and Karen Peltz Strauss, Legal Counsel, Communications Service for the Deaf.
This panel covered topics of critical importance to the disabled and hearing-impaired population, whose needs on communications issues are at the forefront of TIA’s work in this arena. TIA recently announced the release of the final report to the U.S. Access Board of the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC). The report addresses how federal agencies and private industry are expected to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. TEITAC was formed on July 6, 2006, by the Access Board and was tasked with providing recommendations for updates of accessibility standards issued under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and section 255 of the Telecommunications Act.
 Brian Mefford, President and CEO of Connected Nation, moderated “Broadband and Emerging Technologies: Deployment and Drivers.” Panelists were Kenneth DeGraff, Senior Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.); Scott Deutchman, Legal Advisor, Office of FCC Commissioner Copps; and Chris Ornelas, Communications and Technology Counsel, Office of Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.).
The speakers’ discussion ranged from the need for a national broadband policy that includes a redefinition of broadband and the development of critical infrastructure to enable U.S. competitiveness, to Universal Service Fund (USF) broadband reform, and to faster pipes and newer technologies that keep schools in the forefront, as well as the critical importance of broadband to the U.S. economy at a pivotal point in this country’s economic competitiveness and history.
 In a humorous (and predictably opinionated) luncheon keynote that offered a light-hearted pause from the serious notes of the day, Tucker Carlson, senior campaign correspondent for MSNBC, offered his thoughts on the ongoing presidential campaign in an address titled “Politics and Partisans: Election 2008.”
 Marty Cooper, founder of ArrayComm and inventor of the portable cellular phone in 1973, moderated the panel session titled “The 2008 Spectrum Landscape: Hot Topics for the Coming Year.” Panelists were Fred Campbell, Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC; Julius Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC; Mark Seifert, Counsel, Majority House Energy and Commerce Committee; and Karl Nebbia, Associate Administrator for Office of Spectrum Management, NTIA.
“Spectrum,” a topic of frequent news reports in recent weeks, covers a broad range of issues. Among those the panel touched on was Digital TV (DTV) transition in 2009, TV white spaces, E911, hearing aid compatibility, U.S. spectrum auctioning, open access, dynamic spectrum access, public safety/national interoperability and net neutrality.
 The mid-afternoon keynote by Ambassador John Veroneau of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) office, set the tone for the rest of the program and closing panel on trade policy. It was a timely, though politically-charged topic, and the next day TIA issued its press release supporting the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, explaining that it will allow companies in Colombia to expand their telecommunications networks more economically while positively contributing to Colombia’s economic and infrastructure development.
 “Trade Policy in an Election Year: Progress or Pause?” was the closing panel’s focus, led by its moderator, Ambassador David Gross of the U. S. Department of State. Panelists were Meredith Broadbent, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Industry, Market Access and Telecommunication; Mike Castellano, Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.); Jamie Estrada, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, International Trade Administration; and David Thomas, Minority Trade Counsel, House Committee on Ways and Means.
Citing numerous statistics from TIA market research, Ambassador Gross stressed how critical trade is to the United States. The panel identified telecommunications as a priority for trade, along with the computer sector, financial services and energy. Speakers expressed mixed opinions on the outlook for various pending free trade agreements (FTAs), as well as other issues such as intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement, recently announced results of telecommunications trade agreements and the nine countries of concern regarding unfair trade practices such as dumping.
 During the final keynote presentation, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer noted that rural telecommunications is close to his heart as he spoke about his years in the telecommunications business, and about the importance of a strong national platform in telecommunications, particularly in rural America. Secretary Schafer also touched on free trade agreements, and the rural loan program.
In closing the Spring Policy Summit after a day packed with insightful and thought-provoking discussion, TIA President Seiffert thanked the speakers and expressed appreciation to the sponsoring companies: Alcatel-Lucent, Bechtel Communications, Cisco, Corning, Intel, Motorola, Nortel, Research In Motion, Telcordia, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics and Ulticom. He added, “What a great day for TIA members intensely interested in candid exchanges about ICT policy, regulation and legislation.”
To see more photos from the Spring Policy Summit click here.
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CableLabs® President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard R. Green will provide a Keynote Address at NXTcomm08 on June 19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. NXTcomm replaces SUPERCOMM as the one event delivering the ecosystem of network-enabled voice, video and data, and will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center June 16-19. 
It’s not too late to register for the April 23, 2008, NXTcomm09 Planning Meeting, at Chicago’s McCormick Place, West Hall. The West Hall is a new building in the McCormick Place complex, and previous shows have not been held in this venue.