Who We Are

NTCA in 2009 had 580 member telcos: 258 cooperatives and 322 locally owned and controlled commercial companies. In addition, the association has 385 associate member suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and other companies providing financial, legal, engineering, accounting, billing, and other essential services to rural telephone systems, 99 subsidiary members, and 10 international telco members, 61 statewide and regional telephone associations bring NTCA's total membership to 1,135.

NTCA is a full-service association, offering a wide array of member services, including a highly effective government affairs program; expert legal and industry representation; a broad range of educational services; a comprehensive assortment of regular and special publications and public relations programs; and a well-rounded complement of national and regional meetings.

Services Management Corporation (SMC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of NTCA. Established in 1980, SMC provides administrative services for the association's many benefit programs through contractual relationships with Trust committees that are appointed by the NTCA Board to administer the programs. The services SMC provides include claims and benefits administration, data processing, and member relation services.

NTCA also calls upon three related organizations to better serve its membership:

• Formed in 1969, Telecommunications Education Committee Organization (TECO), the association's political action committee, lends credibility to the government affairs program through modest and judicious campaign contributions to key congressional supporters.
• National Telcom Corporation (NTC) is an association-captive property and casualty insurance company. As a captive, NTC serves only NTCA members and provides opportunities to minimize administrative costs and control losses.
• Communications Supply Service Association (CSSA), a group-purchasing venture formed by individual NTCA members, provides technical services and offers economies of scale in buying telecommunications equipment.

In 1994, NTCA established the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), a non-profit foundation, whose mission is to inform and educate the public on the rural telecommunications industry and to improve the quality of life throughout rural America. Located in NTCA's Arlington, Va., headquarters, the FRS resource center, disseminates information about rural America and its telecommunications infrastructure. The foundation also sponsors an annual "Youth Tour," bringing rural high school students to the nation's capital. This tour gives the students an opportunity to witness the legislative and federal regulatory process, and to learn about the rural telecommunications industry from both a national and local perspective.