Arizona Technology Group Announces September 19^th Live Internet Coverage of Corporation Commission Forum
Phoenix- September 12, 2002

In a first for Arizona elections, the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC) today announced its plans for a live Internet webcast of a major debate among the candidates for Corporation Commissioner. The two-hour, non-partisan forum, sponsored by ATIC, will be held before a live, studio audience on September 19, 2002 at the AVNET Corporate Broadcast Center (CBC) in Phoenix located at 2617 S. 46th Street. It will feature all six candidates vying for the three open Corporation Commissioner seats in the general election. Kino Digital Communications will provide the technology for the live webcast, which can be accessed over the Internet at http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/election/, beginning at 2:00 pm on September 19th. In addition to the live webcast, a statewide, toll-free dial in audio conference, sponsored by Cox Business Services will also be available for remote audio monitoring of the event.

ATIC Elections Committee Chairman Gary Yaquinto, consultant and former Director, Utilities Division of the Corporation Commission stated, "ATIC is pleased to help pioneer the use of Internet technology to make the views and perspectives of the candidates for Corporation Commissioner accessible to voters across the state." He further stated, "This election is an important one, since voters this year will be choosing three commissioners to serve on the recently expanded five member panel. Our hope is to increase voter awareness of the Office of Corporation Commissioner and provide voters with useful information about the candidates' positions on issues that affect development of communications and technology in Arizona."

ATIC will also make audio/visual excerpts of the debate available through its Elections Website at http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/election/, where it has already posted the candidates' responses to ATIC's telecommunications policy questionnaire. ATIC's Platform Statements, are also online and have been endorsed by all the Corporation Commission candidates, addressing Communications Infrastructure, Advanced Telecommunications Applications, Bridging the Digital Divide and Cyber Security/Consumer Information Privacy.

ATIC will also co-sponsor a breakfast forum with all the candidates for the Office of Governor on October 17, 2002 at Mesa Community College. The Gubernatorial forum will be co-sponsored by ATIC, together with the East Valley Partnership and Salt River Project's Public Involvement Committee and will also be available for webcast after the event on the ATIC site.

About ATIC: The Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council is a foundation of the Governor's Strategic Partnership for Economic Development (GSPED). ATIC functions as Arizona's recognized and authoritative organization guiding technology policy development, serving as a leading source of information and expertise on telecommunications and information technology matters. ATIC develops, promotes and supports initiatives and guides adoption of effective public policies that encourages wide-scale deployment and availability of telecommunications services and information technologies to insure economic prosperity fro the Arizona community, expand the region's global competitive advantage, enable continued educational advancement and support an enhanced quality of life. ATIC website at http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/ or call 602-254-5887. ATIC Elections Committee content is online at http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/election/.

About AVNET Corporate Broadcast Center: The AVNET Corporate Broadcast Center (CBS) is Arizona's premier broadcast and video production facility. Conveniently located near Sky Harbor Airport at Phoenix at 2617 S. 46th Street, this 12,000 sq/ft facility is dedicated to the needs of corporate video producers. With a complement of services including video production, satellite broadcasting, web development/webcasting, post-production, video conferencing and news service links to all major network broadcast facilities, the Corporate Broadcast Center is a one-stop shop for full turnkey production support.

About Kino Digital Communications: Kino Digital Communications creates and customizes Streaming Media solutions for a variety of applications, including sales and marketing, human resources, and corporate communication needs. Kino's end-to-end service philosophy encompasses everything from concept development, production, and comprehensive management and delivery systems. Kino's start-to-finish service offers a full range of cost effective solutions including: Video and Audio Production; Live and On-Demand Webcasting - Planning, Production, and Delivery On-Demand Global and Domestic Streaming Media Hosting; Encoding; DigitalDirect™ - Targeted Email Delivery of Streaming Media; StreamSafe™ - Affordable Security and Digital Rights Management Kino Conferencing - Customized Corporate Communications Solutions; Comprehensive Reporting Web Design and Development; Flash & Animation.

About Cox Business Services: Cox Business Services (CBS), is the commercial division of Cox Communications, a full-service provider of advanced video, voice and data for homes and businesses. With their extensive fiber network, CBS offers businesses affordable communication solutions backed by cutting-edge technology and outstanding customer service. CBS provides conferencing services for ATIC meetings utilizing Cox Web Conferencing, an automated, web-enabled, reservation-less conferencing service that integrates the power, reach and visual support of the Internet with traditional telephony to allow groups to conference and collaborate simply and reliably.

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Contact: Mark Goldstein, Secretary, Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC), Voice & Fax: 602-254-5887, markg@researchedge.com