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Washington, DC - Today, the federal and state members of the Joint
Conference announced a schedule of six field hearings to gather information on
the status of deployment of advanced services to all Americans. The field
hearings will focus on two goals in particular. First, the Joint Conference will
seek information on what data is available at the state level on the status of
deployment of advanced services. Second, the Joint Conference will seek
examples of "best practices" in successful deployment in communities.
Some communities have found creative ways to bring high speed Internet
access to areas that were previously underserved. For example, a community
may speed deployment by bringing many potential users of advanced services
together, thereby aggregating demand to increase their buying power. A
compilation of creative efforts, or best practices, will provide guidance to
communities in other states to speed deployment of advanced services.
Transcripts of each field hearing will be made available to the public as
soon as possible after each field hearing. The field hearing schedule is as
follows:
Meeting of Joint Conference and Initial Hearing
- Washington, DC March 8, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Chairman William Kennard and Chair of the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska, Nanette Thompson.
- All FCC and State Commissioners will attend the first field hearing in
Washington, DC, as their schedules permit.
- Special focus on broadband deployment in inner cities.
Western Regional Field Hearing
- Anchorage, Alaska April 17, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Commissioner Susan Ness and Chair of the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska, Nanette Thompson.
- Special focus on the relationship between advanced services deployment
and economic development, satellite deployment.
Midwestern Regional Field Hearing
- South Sioux City, Nebraska April 19, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Chairman William Kennard and Chair of the
North Carolina Utilities Commission, Jo Anne Sanford.
- Special focus on cable and fixed wireless deployment and deployment in
rural areas.
Northeastern Regional Field Hearing
- Lowell, Massachusetts May 22, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Commissioner Michael Powell and Public Utility
Commission of Texas Commissioner Brett Perlman.
- Special focus on public/private partnerships, deployment in remote areas,
and data gathering initiatives.
Gulf States and Southeast Regional Field Hearing
- Miami, Florida June 9, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, Louisiana Public
Service Commission Chair Irma Muse Dixon, North Carolina Utilities
Commission Chair Jo Anne Sanford, and Public Utility Commission of Texas
Commissioner Brett Perlman.
- Special focus on deployment to rural and urban multicultural communities,
fixed wireless deployment, and public/private partnerships.
Mountain West Regional Field Hearing
- Cheyenne, Wyoming June 23, 2000, time to be determined.
- Joint Conference Hosts: FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth and
Wyoming Public Service Commission Deputy Chair Steven Furtney.
- Special focus on speeding deployment via community demand aggregation,
deployment in rural areas and Indian Territory, data gathering initiatives.
Further information about the Joint Conference can be found on its web site:
www.fcc.gov/jointconference
-- FCC --
Common Carrier Bureau Contact: Emily Hoffnar (202) 418-0940 TTY: (202) 418-0484
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