Rural Telecommunications articles from January 2005

Rural Telecommunications archives from January 2005

Happy New Year!
January 1, 2005... It's hard to believe we once again are welcoming in a New Year. Looking back, 2004 was a year of change for Americans, be they city dwellers or rural residents. But as the old adage goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. ...

Pop-up ads spark record complaints.(SHORT Takes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Few computer users have been spared the pervasiveness of unwanted pop-up ads. The Federal Trade Commission reported that complaints about these software culprits increased 1,300% in the third quarter of 2004 as compared to the same period the...

Ringing up the stars.(SHORT Takes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... For those who just can't start the day without being advised of how the stars are lining up for them, Russell Grant, Europe's renowned astrologer, has teamed with SMS Media Group to deliver daily horoscopes to cellular phone users across the...

A lifetime of unlimited VoIP calls.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Rhode Island-based Internet telephone service provider, Voip2Save.com, has broken the mold and is offering unlimited lifetime calling for $999.99. The "Phone for Life" service does one better than many other Internet phone companies, which...

Phone-in house hunting.(online real-time images)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Want to track construction of your summer home in the Caribbean, but are stuck in a blizzard in Buffalo? Just pull out your cellular phone and dial up the progress. This capability comes courtesy of a partnership between the San...

Nontechnical training for technical staff.(SHORT Takes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... While skills such as project management, leadership and communications may be important tools for information technology (IT) managers, many employers are not providing them with formal education in these areas, according to a new survey. ...

LECs make VoIP possible.(Perspective)(Last-mile facilities)
January 1, 2005... The current commotion over VoIP, or voice over Internet protocol, has left many in the rural telephone industry confused and frustrated. It seems that regulators and legislators are having difficulty understanding that VoIP providers cannot...

What would you like to see the FCC do for rural telcos in 2005?(FIRST Person)
January 1, 2005... With the ringing in of a new year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appears to have its work cut out. Universal service, intercarrier compensation and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) all are hot issues (among many others) that...

VoIP and E-911: is help on the way?
January 1, 2005... By the end of 2004, estimates projected that some 980,000 subscribers were likely to be using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) to place calls, according to The Yankee Group. By 2008, that number is expected to balloon to 7 million....

Regulating VoIP.
January 1, 2005... As if the complexity of telecommunications regulations wasn't bad enough, along comes VoIP. Under current law, VoIP falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is considered exempt from rules that...

Telecom Act rewrite: what's at stake?
January 1, 2005... THE 1996 TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT WAS THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE OVERHAUL OF THE TELECOM sector in more than 60 years. Now, less then a decade after its inception, Congress has determined that the industry has outgrown the scope of the law, largely...

Post election roundup: congress holds on to status quo.
January 1, 2005... The dust from the November elections has settled in Washington, providing a clearer view of the changes ahead in the 109th Congress and what they might mean to the rural telecommunications industry. Not only did the Republicans retain the White...

A review of the CAN-SPAM Act.(Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing )
January 1, 2005... It has been a year since the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM) went into effect, and most e-mail users would be hard-pressed to claim a remarkable decrease in the volume of commercial e-mail that...

Taking care of business.(leadership qualities to sustain in telecommunication industry)
January 1, 2005... In today's work force, most people think the same: You work hard. You pay your dues, and eventually, you work your way up to the top. Then what? Everything changes. Your friends/fellow co-workers now see you as "the boss." Your "to do"...

Taking the headache out of succession planning.
January 1, 2005... Many business owners think of their offspring when they contemplate retirement. Similarly, many children dream of owning their parents' businesses. There are many advantages for both generations in such a scenario. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Surviving the seven classic workplace behaviors.
January 1, 2005... In any workplace, there are seven classic styles of behavior: Commander, Drifter, Attacker, Pleaser, Performer, Avoider and Analytical. When at their worst, and depending on whether the person is your subordinate or your boss, each of these...

Shaping the future of telecom in the New Year.(EXECUTIVE Viewpoint)
January 1, 2005... The New Year: a time to set goals and prioritize objectives for the future. We are looking toward the coming year with much hope and enthusiasm, and a plan to help change the telecommunications industry for the better. As we ring in 2005,...