As much as I want to continue reading and writing about the USF comments, I have to take a short break from blogging for the next 2 weeks in order to focus on my studies and travel to Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway 2011 Annual Meeting. However, I will be back with a vengeance come May 2 or so, and I will definitely resume summarizing the USF comments from the price cap carriers as well as take a closer look at the Rural Association Plan proposed by NTCA, OPASTCO, WTA, etc. I believe the FCC is also holding a USF workshop soon like the one they had for ICC, which I will certainly watch and report on once I have some time.
I have some exciting ideas planned for new features on Rural TeleCommentary, including an International Telecom Policy Spotlight. I have been so amazed at all the readers I have been getting from all around the world, I never expected to have such an international audience--it has inspired me to keep learning about international telecom policies. For this feature, I am planning to highlight telecommunications policies in specific countries that are either focused on rural issues or just plain interesting. I think it will be valuable and interesting for my American audience to learn about international telecom policies, and it will be very educational for me to dig deeper into some of the topics I see on the news or have studied in the past. I took an international telecom policy and business class last year and I really loved it--each week we had to pick a country and write about a recent telecom development in that country. I'm already planning to write about the plight of reverse auctions in India and Chile, the European decision on Net Neutrality, and rural broadband initiatives in Sweden, Japan, South Korea and many other countries. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or e-mail me!
I will also continue writing about rural telecom/electric cooperative Smart Grid Business Opportunities, including an overview of the paper that I should be working on right now! Naturally, I will be keeping a close eye on the AT&T-T-Mobile Merger, Net Neutrality, Intercarrier Compensation, and Universal Service Reform so I can bring you the rural telecom industry perspective on these hot issues.
I'm looking forward to an exciting summer for Rural TeleCommentary! I don't think I am taking any classes (I anticipate that this spring is my last semester of classes--ever--unless I decide to take more "for fun"), so aside from working on my thesis project I should have plenty of time to dedicate to this website.
Cassandra Heyne
ruraltelecommentary@gmail.com
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