Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & EXPO 2013
Orlando, FL
Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel
February 4-5, 2013
Attendees: 2,500
Exhibitors: 116
Calysto Overview
2013 was the inaugural year for the Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & Expo – formerly the annual meeting of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, or NTCA. This year’s event was hosted jointly by the NTCA and OPASTCO, and on the last day of the show, as long anticipated, members of both organizations voted to unify the two associations. On March 1, the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association and the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications will be known as NTCA, The Rural Broadband Association.
The NTCA represents more than 570 locally-owned and controlled telecommunications cooperatives and commercial companies throughout rural and small-town America. OPASTCO represents approximately 460 rural local exchange carriers (LECs) and their affiliate telecommunications companies. The goal for the new organization is to increase the policy strength for the rural telecommunications industry, as well as expand business opportunities for growth and development.
NTCA Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield addressed this year’s theme in her keynote speech: “harnessing our power with a united voice.” Her money quote — “We need to make rural America cool!” — appeared to resonate with attendees.
Much of the event programming was geared toward giving rural telecommunications providers tools to create partnerships and seek economies of scale amid regulatory and technological changes. There were NTCA committee meetings and members were briefed on policy issues. Some of the topics covered in education sessions included mobile apps, cloud computing, smart computing, and smart technologies.
This year’s exhibition area featured 116 companies, with 36 new exhibitors to the show. Some of the companies attending this year were Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, National Information Solutions Coop, and others.
This is an event appropriate for building industry, rather than media, relations. There was some discussion on Twitter via #RTIME13, but it was fairly low key overall.
One perspective came from the Calix blog commenting on 2012: “One year ago, the rural telecom industry was being impacted by a confluence of events that left a palpable feeling of uneasiness around both the OPASTCO and NTCA EXPO annual meetings. . . . Fast forward to 2013, and a new atmosphere prevailed when the rural industry’s two largest trade associations got together – made even clearer by the fact that both OPASTCO and NTCA joined into a single RTIME event this year. The predominant tone was one of determination. Upbeat. Ambitious. Accepting. Accelerating.”
Two voices are louder than one, and while time will tell, it appears that the unification will be a win/win for both the NTCA and OPASTCO.
Upcoming: EXPO ’14, February 2 – 5, 2014, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas
Articles of Interest
NTCA Members Approve Unification with OPASTCO as Rural Telecom Meeting Closes
NTCA Blog
Industry Insights, Policy Developments Pack Second Day of RTIME 2013
NTCA Blog
Thoughts on the RTIME (Rural Telecom Industry Meeting and Expo)
Calix blog
By Geoff Burke
The Rural Broadband Association is Born
TeleCompetitor
By Bernie Arnason
Feb. 6, 2013