For Immediate Release
Contact: Kelly Wismer, 703-351-2015, [email protected]
Arlington, Va., (February 23, 2018)—FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr and Anne Hazlett, assistant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Secretary for Rural Development, will address leaders of the rural broadband industry during the 2018 Rural Telecom Industry Meeting and Expo (RTIME) on Monday, February 26 in Austin, Texas.
RTIME is rural America’s largest annual telecommunications industry event and regularly draws nearly 2,400 attendees from across the telecommunications and rural development industries. The conference includes industry leading speakers, educational programming and the industry’s largest exhibition of products and services, featuring more than 100 vendors showcasing the latest technologies.
Featured events taking place during RTIME 2018 are:
Monday, February 26, 2018:
- 8:15 a.m. CT: Opening General Session*
- Ann Hazlett, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Brendan Carr, FCC Commissioner
- Shirley Bloomfield, NTCA chief executive officer
- 4:00 p.m. CT: Expo Hall Open House*
- Explore the latest products, services and solutions for rural telecommunications networks.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018:
- 8:45 a.m. CT: Second General Session
- Cyber Security Expert Marcus Sachs presents, “Everything You Need to Know About Cybersecurity.”
Wednesday, February 28, 2018:
- 8:00 a.m. CT: NTCA Excellence Awards Ceremony*
- The Excellence Awards recognize excellence within the industry and rural communities by paying tribute to individual achievements in eight categories.
A full agenda for the conference can be found online. Members of the media interested in attending RTIME 2018 must register by emailing Kelly Wismer at [email protected] before 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 25. Select events will also be streamed live on the NTCA Facebook page.
*Denotes event will be streamed live online.
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of transformative technological advancements, regulatory challenges and marketplace competition, NTCA members are leading the technological evolution for rural consumers, delivering robust and high-quality services over future-proof networks that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development, e-commerce, health care, agriculture, and education and contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year.