OPASTCO, TIA to Promote Conventions, Unite Members

Changes in the telecom industry spurred a partnership between the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, which was announced Monday, OPASTCO President John Rose said in an interview. “We want to get outside of being just a carrier [association]. Because of the future of IP networks we must broaden our base of who we work with.” The groups have signed a “friendship agreement” aimed at helping to inform their members and to collaborate on the conventions and trade shows of each association, he said. That “allows us to exchange ideas and information and understand each other’s policies and positions,” said TIA President Grant Seiffert. TIA has similar partnerships with the CEA and other organizations, he said.

While the groups plan to encourage participation in each other’s events, there will be no joint conference, Seiffert said. This year’s cancellation of Supercomm, which TIA co-hosted with USTelecom, was not the reason for the agreement with OPASTCO, he said. “Just because Supercomm has been canceled it doesn’t mean we don’t work with USTelecom and their membership.” Despite the demise of Supercomm, Rose said, “there’s still a lot of value in TIA putting on a show and we'll cross-promote."

The agreement is “experimental” for OPASTCO, said Rose. “We're not sure where it’s going to lead.” The value of the agreement will be assessed to determine “how it’s been helpful for the organizations,” said Seiffert.

Working with other rural associations isn’t a new thing, but it’s especially important as the FCC is implementing the rollout of broadband, said Derrick Owens, Western Telecommunications Alliance director of government affairs. WTA meets often with OPASTCO, the National Exchange Carrier Association and other groups to address the concerns of their members. Those groups all represent those in the rural telecom industry and “we want to make sure we do that as effectively as we can and you do that by talking with your colleagues,” Owens said.

As the facilitator bringing the parties together for the joint meetings, NECA encourages agreements such as the one between OPASTCO and TIA. “There’s a lot of room for the associations to work more closely,” said Joe Douglas, vice president of government relations. “We want the rural industry to speak with a common voice.”