June 18 Event
Customers, Competition and the 1996 Telecom Act
On Wednesday, June 18, 2014, a bipartisan collection of current and former Members of Congress, consumer advocates and CEOs from the nation’s leading competitive broadband providers joined with customers to discuss the enduring benefits of competition forged in the landmark 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The event - “Customers, Competition and the 1996 Telecom Act” – was hosted by COMPTEL and The Broadband Coalition in the historic Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the original site of the signing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
Participants included:
Members of Congress
Former Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. (R-VA)
Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS)
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)
Former Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), CEO of COMPTEL
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Former Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
Broadband Leaders & Customers
Christopher Ancell, CEO, XO Communications
Auzzie Brown, Senior Vice President, WestStar Mortgage (XO customer)
Jim Butman, Group President, TDS
Tim Koxlien, CEO, Rural Health Telecom
Michael Rouleau, Senior Vice President, Business Development, tw telecom inc.
Oron Strauss, Chairman, Pantheon Software (tw telecom customer)
Deb Ward, CEO, TSI
Gene Kimmelman, President, Public Knowledge
Michael Copps, former FCC Commissioner, Common Cause
Customers 4 Competition: CEO of XO Communication salutes customer WestStar Mortgage
Customers 4 Competition: tw telecom customer Pantheon Software
Former Rep. Bliley: Competition Brought Bipartisan 1996 Telecom Act Came Together
Senator Ed Markey: The 1996 Telecom Act and the Future of Innovation
Former Rep. John Shadegg: The Conservative Argument For Competition
Gene Kimmelman, President of Public Knowledge