Message-ID: <s5c89863.005@ntca.org> Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 17:37:02 -0400 From: Matthew Parry <mailto:mparry@NTCA.ORG> Subject: Your Invitation to the First International Conference on Rural To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Apologies for Cross-PostingsDear Telecommunications Development Colleagues,
The National Telephone Cooperative Association and the World Bank, under the Global Knowledge Partnership, are pleased t invite you to participate in the First International Conference on Rural Telecommunications, which will be held Novembe 30-December 2, 1998 in Washington, D.C., USA.
(If you would prefer to receive a printed invitation rather than this e-mail invitation, please send your name and addre s to: mailto:international@ntca.org).
Finding ways to serve rural people is one of the most critical concerns in international communications technology devel pment. By bringing together the world*s rural telecommunications practitioners and policy makers, this conference is in ended to stimulate new ideas, working partnerships, resource sharing and information exchange on:
Policy conducive to rural telecommunications development; Technology choices appropriate for rural areas; Models for serving rural and isolated communities; and Financial tools for rural telecommunications deployment and expansion.
Presenters will include many established *names* in international rural telecommunications, plus many new faces and fres voices.
This conference will be interactive and participatory to the greatest extent possible. We all have something to share, a d we all have something to learn. Since we announced this conference in April, we have been joined by presenters from many organizations and institutions. A partial listing includes:
African Advanced Level Communications, Kenya Australian Commonwealth Department for Communications and the Arts Australian Rural Telecentres Association Bell Atlantic Plus Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, Egypt Center for Telecommunications Management and Studies, India Ecole des Sciences de l*informacion, Morocco Foundation for Agrarian Development Research, Russia Foundation for Rural Service Ghana Telecom Center Grameen Bank, Bangladesh Grameen Telephone Company, Bangladesh Hughes Network SystemsIDRC/Uganda Institute of Telecommunications, Poland International Telecommunications Union Ministry of Communications, Guatemala The Mountain Institute National Communications Commission, Argentina National Exchange Carrier Association Open Society Institute/Soros Foundation Philippine Association of Private Telephone Companies Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority South Pacific Centre for Communication & Information Development, Papua New Guinea Sunplus, Ltd., Ghana SR Telecomm Summit Strategies, Kenya Telecommunications Investment Supervisory Body, Peru Uganda National Council for Science and Technology UNDP Universal Service Agency of South Africa University Hospital of Tromso, Norway, Department of Telemedicine University of Guelph, Canada University of San Francisco, Telecommunications Management & Policy Program University of Valladolid, Telecommunications Engineering Department, Spain VITA
There will be no manufacturers* expo at this meeting. This is designed to be an opportunity to share and learn. Here a e just some of the case studies, lessons learned, etc. to be presented:
POLICY Universal service and universal access: Practical and feasible practices and case studies that promise the greatest chan es of success; lessons from South Africa, Chile, Peru, Argentina, the U.S. and others.
Legal and regulatory policy: Elements most conducive to rural telecommunications development; the important components o a multi-provider network; the results of Eastern European experiments in licensing small, rural telephone companies.
Privatization and exclusivity: Disadvantages and advantages for rural areas.
Spectrum allocation and frequency: The issues affecting rural service. Lessons from Guatemala, South Africa and others.
RURAL MODELSCommunity-owned systems: Success stories from Poland, Argentina, Bolivia and the U.S.
Agriculture: the Internet*s impact on production and local economies.
Mobilizing the community: The *bottom-up* approach to planning, financing and managing rural systems.
Telecenters: Case studies from South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Haiti and Australia.
Economic and Social Impact on Communities: Lessons from Papua New Guinea, Poland, the U.S. and others.
Telemedicine: A cooperative project between Norway and Russia.
FINANCE Bilateral and multilateral donors: Their assessments of the importance of rural telecommunications, and programs availab e to support rural telecommunications development.
Funding mechanisms: Argentinean, Peruvian, South African, Guatemalan and U.S. funding models for universal service.
International accounting rates: The effect of recent and future structural adjustments.
Private investment: Attracting the private sector to rural areas.
TECHNOLOGY Internet: From telephony to e-mail, from access to impact: practical ways to provide rural service. Case studies from Ta zania, Russia, Australia, South Africa and others.
Terrain challenges: Serving deserts and mountainous areas in Papua New Guinea, Canada, the U.S. and Egypt.
VSAT: Its impact in Gabon, Egypt, and Thailand.
Wireless systems: Lessons from Malawi, Tanzania, Haiti and Ecuador.
REGISTRATION Because we want to foster dialogue and interaction, we are limiting this conference to the first 500 registrants. There re many people whom we can reach only via fax and mail, and who will thus receive an invitation after you. We need to se aside places for them, and so we are able to guarantee spots for only the first 250 registrants responding to this e-ma l message.
Due to security considerations, we are not accepting financial information via e-mail. Please print out the registration form below and fax or mail it back to us at:
NTCA International Conference 2626 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20037-1695 USA FAX: +1 (202) 298-2317 or 298-2320
Thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing you in November!
WHO WE ARE The National Telephone Cooperative Association NTCA is a major telecommunications trade association representing some 500 locally owned and operated small and rural co perative and commercial telephone systems in 46 U.S. states. Other members include, 40 rural telephone systems headquart red in Poland, the Philippines, Micronesia, Bolivia, Canada and Mexico; 56 state telephone associations; 300 manufacture s and suppliers to the US rural telecommunications industry; and 100 cable, cellular and DBS subsidiary companies.
E-mail: mailto:international@ntca.org Internet: http://www.ntca.org TEL: (+1) 202-298-2369 FAX: (+1) 202-298-2317 or 298-2320
The World Bank and Global Knowledge Global Knowledge is an ongoing worldwide dialogue on how to harness knowledge and information as tools of sustainable an equitable development.
Its focal point was an international conference, Knowledge for Development in the Information Age, which took place in T ronto in June 1997 and which was hosted by the World Bank and the Government of Canada, in cooperation with a broad rang of public and private partners.
Those partner organizations and institutions now comprise The Global Knowledge Partnership (http://www.globalknowledge.o g). The Partnership*s Secretariat is located within the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank.
CONFERENCE E-MAIL REGISTRATION FORM
Please Print or Type _________________________________________ Last name
__________________________________________ First name, middle initial
__________________________________________ Title
___________________________________________ Organization
___________________________________________ Mailing address
___________________________________________ Mailing address
___________________________________________ City
___________________________________________ State / Province
___________________________________________ Country
__________________ _________________________ Telephone (including country / city codes)
____________________________________________ Fax (including country / city codes)
____________________________________________ E-mail address
CONFERENCE FEE Conference Registration is U.S. $795 per participant (includes conference materials, three breakfasts, three luncheons a d reception.) This is payable only in U.S. Dollars.
CANCELLATION POLICY Cancellations received by September 30, 1998 will be refunded in full. Cancellations received between October 1-31, 199 will receive $495. No refund will be made for cancellations received on or after November 1, 1998. All cancellations m st be received in writing via fax, e-mail or postal service.
METHOD OF PAYMENT 1. You may submit a check or money order made out to NTCA, sent via mail.
2. You may pay by credit card
(Check one) MasterCard______ or Visa______
Credit Card Number______________________ Expiration Date______________
Signature of Cardholder_______________________________________________
3. You may choose to do a wire transfer (please contact us directly for information on this.)
Registrations Will be Processed when Payment is Received. Payment Must Be in US Dollars
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION The official Conference hotel is the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill 400 New Jersey Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001 USA Tel: +1 (202) 737-1234 Fax: +1 (202) 942-1576 Special Conference Rate: $165.00 per night
Participants should contact the Hyatt directly to make reservations. Please ask for the NTCA International Conference r te when making reservations.
Please mail or fax to: NTCA First International Conference on Rural Telecommunications 2626 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20037-1695 USA Fax: +1 (202) 298-2317 or 298-2320 Additional information can be obtained by calling 202-298-2369 or by E-mail: international mailto:@ntca.org