ATIC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes July 2004

ATIC Board Meetings 2004

ATIC Board Meeting Minutes- July 14, 2004
On-site Attendees:
Mark Goldstein (*), Roberta Zatkowsky, Don Eginton, Diane Bacon (*), Jerry Crow (*), Carmo Fernandez, Patt Patterson, Richard Kindberg, Galen Updike (*), Oris Friesen (*), Steve Peters (*), Randy Frantz (*), Al Sterman (*), George Favela Ð for Ron Drake (*), Kim Marona, Al Macaluso, Sharon Sevy, Aaron Haskal, Pat Quinn, Brad Tritle (*), Jay Flash Miringoff;
Attendees Via Audio or Video Conferencing: : Michael Cohen, Jon Poston, Ralph Gierish (*), Matt McClymonds (*), Glenn Stoneman (*).

(*) - ATIC Board Members (13) present with a quorum = 10)

Many thanks to the Cox Web Conferencing service provided by Cox Business Services for the statewide audio conference connections, and thanks, too, to Lewis & Roca for providing videoconferencing facilities in Phoenix and Tucson.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW:
REMEMBER: No Board Meeting in August! The next ATIC Board Meeting will be on September 8, 2004, 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Modifications to and Acceptance of Agenda Draft
The agenda was accepted as shown below.

Agenda

Modifications to and acceptance of agenda draft
Self-Introductions
Acceptance of minutes from last meeting
Review of Outstanding Action Items as Documented in June 2004 Minutes.
Committee Reports

Government Affairs Committee (Mike Keeling, Steve Peters, Oris Friesen, Kurt Jonckheer, Galen Updike)
- State Government Broadband Planning and SupportÐ progress report
- Citizens Clean Election Commission (CCEC) debates
Cyber Security Subcommittee (Jerry Crow, Cindy Donaldson)
ACC Activities (Tom Campbell)
Arizona Telecommunications Directory (Galen Updike, Brad Tritle)

Monthly "General Information" Meetings (Mark Goldstein)
- Next meeting agenda
Informational Presentations
- Pat Quinn, President of Qwest for Arizona, will provide a briefing on initiatives and outlook for Qwest in Arizona followed by a Q&A session.
Adjourn

Acceptance of Minutes from Last Meeting
The minutes for the June 9h Board meeting were presented for approval.

"Jon requested the ATIC Board to take a position in favor of competition by supporting an FCC action to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court."

MOTION: To approve the minutes.
MOVE: Al Sterman
SECOND: Galen Updike
Passed Unanimously

Review of Outstanding Action Items
No outstanding items.

Committee Reports

Joint Government Affairs/Strategic Planning Committees (Mike Keeling, Steve Peters, Kurt Jonckheer, Oris Friesen)

Citizens Clean Election Commission (CCEC) debates

Oris reported that the July 13th Primary Election debate was very successful. The CCEC representative was very pleased with the event, commenting on the good turnout (about 60 people in the auditorium and 30-40 online for the web cast) and the professional nature in which all aspects of the debate were handled. Many thanks to all who helped create this event.

The event was moderated by John Kelly, ATIC Chair, and the participants were Republican candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) seat expiring in 2007, Kris Mayes and Carl Seel. Below is an outline of the subject matter covered during the 90 minute session:
- - Introductory Remarks
- # 1 Public Participation In ACC proceedings
- # 2 Corporation Filings and Public Access To Corporate Information
- # 3 Oversight of Securities
- # 4 Broadband Deployment
- # 5 Telecom Regulation In Today's Economic Climate
- # 6 Telecom Competition
- # 7 Universal Service - Basic and Advanced Services
- # 8 Pipeline Safety
- # 9 Energy Conservation and Alternative Sources
- # 10 Energy Reliability
- # 11 Communities and New Utility Construction
- # 12 Rate Cases and Settlement Agreements
- # 13 Renewable Energy and Environmental Portfolio Standard
- # 14 Water Quality Issues for Private Water Companies
- # 15 Groundwater Management and Central Arizona Water
- # 16 Territorial Prerogatives For Utilities
- # 17 Regulating VoIP Voice Over Internet Protocol
- # 18 Open Access To ILEC Telecom Networks
- # 19 Regulation Of Cell Phone Providers
- # 20 Building An Oil Refinery In Arizona
- # 21 Mix Of Renewable Energy
- # 22 Promoting Solar Energy In Arizona
- # 23 Natural Gas For Electricity Generation
- # 24 Vision Of Future For Electricity
- # 25 Standards Of Success For The Corporation Commission
- # - Closing Statements
The non-partisan debate was sponsored by the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC) and the Citizens for Clean Elections Commission (CCEC). It was web cast live throught the studio production facilities of Avnet Corporation and the communications capabilities of Kino Communications. Spanish language and sign language translations were also provided on-site and are available on the debate videotapes that have been distributed statewide to approximately 30 local television affiliates, approximately 30 public access channels and other interested parties.

Also, please note that the entire event is also available as streaming media divided into convenient topic segments according to the subjects outlined above. It can be found on the ATIC site at http://atic.researchedge.com/election/acc04debate.html accompanied by various collateral material of interest to the Arizona electorate.

The general election debates will be presented at

The University of Advancing Technology - Auditorium
2625 West Baseline Road
Tempe, Arizona 85283-1042

on Thursday, October 7, 2004
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Government Broadband Development Activity progress report
Galen Updike reported that the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Government Information Technology Agency (GITA) are moving ahead to create a mechanism, tentatively called the Arizona Telecommunications Policy Commission (ATPC) to address telecommunications planning and policy throughout Arizona. We will probably place the Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology (GCIT) as an advisory body situated between DOC and GITA. ATIC would support the ATPC as a background organization and as a source for some ATPC membership slots.
Grant Opportunities
Galen reported that a grant application to provide WiFi capabilities along the CANAMEX Corridor has been selected as one of three applications to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant is targeted primarily to implement wireless access for improved first-responder use along the CANAMEX corridor, with ATIC as an oversight and implementation body.

up to agenda

Cyber Security Committee (Jerry Crow, Cindy Donaldson)--

Jerry reported that the Cyber Security Committee featured Ms. Melissa Guenther, an independent contractor who has been involved in a wide range of security/Privacy related assignments, at its last. She presented a "How-To Guide for Security/Privacy Awareness Campaign Changing Organizational Culture through Effective Training, Education, and Awareness."

No meeting is planned for July, but the August 9th meeting will feature Mr. Ron Babich of Telesoft Corporation, who will present on "Converged Telecom Network Toll Fraud Prevention, Security Enhancement, and Carrier Cost Recovery Secrets." This valuable session will provide the latest tips and secrets to maximize the prevention of toll fraud, enhance security areas within telecom, and discuss the most effective ways to recover vendor billing errors.

The Committee is also participating in several InfraGard meetings planned for the near future., and is planning to hold a second cybersecurity workshop in the spring.

Steve Peters reported that a security event is being planned for Tucson in the fall of this year.

up to agenda

ACC Activities (Tom Campbell) --
No report.

up to agenda

Arizona Telecom Directory (Ralph Gierish, Brad Tritle, Mark Goldstein --
No report.

up to agenda

Monthly "General Information" Meetings
The public meeting scheduled for June 10, was cancelled in lieu of the CCEC ACC Candidates debate held on July 13.

Additional public meetings are planned for September 16, and November 18.

up to agenda

Informational Presentations
Pat Quinn, President of Qwest for Arizona, provided a briefing on initiatives and outlook for Qwest in Arizona followed by a Q&A session. Among the topics covered were the following:

Qwest has spent the last few years focusing on reducing customer service issues and listening to the needs and requirements of customers. A dominant theme from customers has been the desire for wireless communications. One reponse to this has been the introduction of "Naked DSL," which is not dependent on landline phones.
Qwest has been strtiving to provide redundancy for all of Arizona. The Sierra Vista area has been completed, and northern Arizona is now in play.
The light rail project in Phoenix is challenging in that it requires facilities and copper to be moved to make way for the rail line. The city will pay for moving the equipment but will not pay for upgrading the technology. However, it would cost 20% to 25% less to convert from copper wire to fiber while implementing the move. Nevertheless, the city will not pay for upgrading the technology, so they will pay a higher rate simply to move the older technology communication lines.

This may be an issue that calls for ATIC involvement at some point.
Rights of Way have been an ongoing issue in many instances involving the National Forest lands, tribal lands and state lands. In some cases this has forced Qwest to resort to "aerial fiber" on poles, which is not a preferred option.
Currently Qwest has more than 150 digital switches in Arizona, of which more than 80 are equipped for DSL or VDSL. Some 2300 remote terminals (DSLAMs) are capable of supporting DSL or VDSL. To see the latest updates on where Qwest is planning to provide network support, consult the website at http://www.qwest.com/disclosures/index.html.
The viability of fiber to the home (FTTH) is dependent on making an agreement for a large number of subscribers, through a homeowners association, for example.
In response to a question, Pat said that Qwest would consider doing in the ten counties of Arizona where Qwest has a presence what they did in Colorado in conjunction with that state's public-private Beanpole Project.
A question was raised about the availaility of DSL throughout Pinal County.

George Favela will contact Michael Cohen to investigate this.
As Qwest looks toward the future, it is examining strategies such as VoIP, DSL and VDSL. Wireless footprints, video by satellite transmission, business customers and a focus on personal contact.

up to agenda

Next ATIC Board Meeting
The next ATIC Board Meeting will be on September 8, 2004, 12:00-2:00 p.m. at Lewis & Roca in both Phoenix and Tucson.

up to agenda

Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

up to agenda