US/ND-4: NPTN / Universal Service

NPTN / Universal Service

Jim Callahan (jcalhan@sundial.sundial.net)
Thu, 19 Sep 1996 18:57:59 -0700 

NPTN Closing Comments on Universal Service
> NPTN was also in the forefront of the universal service movement this year,
> with the help of Glenn Manishin and Jeff Blumenfeld, our pro bono counsel
> from the noted telecom law firm, Blumenfeld and Cohen in Washington, D.C.
> With their help, NPTN had the opportunity to advance community networks as
> a model for universal service.  Our comments to the FCC, and subsequent
> meetings with FCC staff, the offices of two FCC commissioners, and Senate
> staff, attracted the interest of the policy makers, so much so that NPTN
> was invited to (and did) testify before the Joint Board on Universal
> Service.  The Board's request for follow-up comments also referred directly
> to our comments.  I continue to hope that the FCC will follow our proposal
> to provide seed money for community networks, as the Canadian government
> does.
>
> In addition to these accomplishments, NPTN continued to do the lower
> profile things that support community networking -- like directing a dozen
> or so callers to community networks in their areas every day, and working
> on such projects as Academy One, the Health and Wellness Area, and
> CyberSolon.  And we did all of this on a fraying shoestring.
>
> The Big Picture
>
> The closing of NPTN should not be taken as a sign of problems in the field
> of community networking generally.  All over the United States, Canada, and
> much of the world, more and more community networks are starting and
> succeeding.  Public interest has never been higher in socially constructive
> uses of telecommunications technology.  New models for community networking
> and new faces laboring at the grass roots appear each day, with valuable
> contributions to add.  Despite the financial, technical, and competitive
> challenges that face community networkers in the coming years, I have every
> confidence that they will continue to bring the Internet to their
> communities and, more importantly, bring their communities to the Internet.
>Sometimes you don't realize what you have till its gone. . .  :(
Jim Callahan
JCalhan@Sundial.Net