Every conference has its purpose and place. NTCA’s upcoming Legislative and Policy Conference, for example, comes at a time when critical broadband policies are up for debate or even in question, and we have a great speaker lineup in place, ranging from key policymakers and staff to thought leaders on issues ranging from universal service to political prognostication. After seeing how much our Telecom Executive Policy Summit last fall moved the needle and helped to shift the winds on several important issues, “showing up” may be “half the battle,” as the old saying goes — but the other half is coming armed with great data, tons of proven, long-established credibility, and lots of compelling stories to back up good messages and arguments.
But the conference that’s on my mind today is NTCA’s Telecom Executive Forum, which just wrapped up this week. It’s the mark of a great meeting when your newly expanded 75-minute peer roundtables still aren’t enough time to compare notes and cover everything the group wants to discuss. And it speaks volumes about the commitment of the attendees when the room is packed from first thing in the morning until late in the afternoon, with people dialed into sessions that covered topics ranging from macroeconomic impacts on the telecom sector and creativity in supply chain management to competing on customer experience and strategizing for sustainability in serving rural markets. There may be no meeting we do that better captures the spirit that I’m emphasizing as I step into this new role at NTCA and that I’m hoping we can convey across our membership — Embrace change. Push innovation. Help members help themselves.
Seeing this group of industry leaders network, game plan, problem-solve and brainstorm was energizing. This meeting truly was about “making connections and making you think.” The areas that NTCA members serve are deeply rural, and the diverse challenges they face require a mix of ideas and solutions. There are no silver bullets, and in some places the business case is just incredibly daunting. But participating in conversations with this group of 150 industry leaders as they strategized about how to take greater ownership of their own futures – and how to advance and sustain the future of the communities they live in and serve – inspired a ton of confidence about where we’re headed as an industry. I’m really looking forward to working for and with this group and our broader membership on continuing to innovate and helping them deliver on their commitment to rural America.