Executives and Policy Makers Will Explore Policies and Strategies to Connect Arizona Communities to the Internet

TEMPE, Ariz., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC -- http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/ ) will convene the Arizona Telecom Summit 2007: "Advanced Telecom and Broadband Deployment in Arizona" for key public and private executives and policy makers on May 17, 2007 in Mesa, Arizona followed by a free After5 Showcase and Networking Event open to the public. The purpose of the Summit is to engage stakeholders to reduce barriers and accelerate deployment of affordable broadband Internet and advanced telecommunications services to all Arizona communities and is being preceded by four preparatory online Briefing Sessions.

Mike Keeling, Chair of the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council, emphasized the importance of this event: "These services are critical for community development and the health, safety, welfare, educational advancement, and economic prosperity in Arizona communities. Unfortunately many tribal, rural and other unserved and underserved communities lack the telecommunications infrastructure to support deployment of these services. Summit participants will hear keynote presentations and engage in workshops to explore options and to reach consensus on policies and plans to overcome barriers to the deployment of this critical infrastructure." Workshops include State Strategic Telecom Planning, Funding Mechanisms and Strategies, Rights-of-Way Access, Local Community/Tribal Planning and Policies, and Telecom Provider Requirements.

The Summit Telecom and Technology Expo will showcase telecom, Internet, or other advanced technologies and services. The Summit Background Document, "Advanced Telecom and Broadband Deployment in Arizona", and other Pre and Post Summit Briefing Documents will be available for download from the Summit Web Site at http://www.tucsonlink.org/Summit07/ .

According to Steve Peters, Summit Coordinator, we expect federal, state, local, and tribal elected officials, policy advisors and Chief Information Officers, telecom service provider executives, and representatives from many interest groups including Telemedicine, Libraries, Homeland Security, Education, Indian Tribes, and Law Enforcement, will participate in these deliberations.

The May 17th Arizona Telecom Summit will take place from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM at the Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street, Mesa, Arizona. The $50.00 early registration fee includes program, materials, meals and reception rising to $65.00 after May 10. The Summit will conclude with an outstanding free After5 Showcase and Networking Event from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, hosted by the Arizona Technology Council ( http://www.aztechcouncil.org/ ), the largest technology association in Arizona. Summit exhibitors will be featured at the After5 event and reception which is free and open to the public.

The Arizona Telecom Summit will be preceded by four online Pre-Summit Briefing Sessions on April 9 (Issues and Overview of Arizona Initiatives), April 19 (Tribal and Local Community Issues, Policies and Best Practices), April 30 (Telecom Technologies), and May 10 (Telecom Providers Perspective). These sessions will provide background information, technology overviews, updates on Arizona issues and initiatives, best practices, etc. to better prepare participants for an effective Summit event. The free online Briefing Sessions will all take place from 2:30 - 4:00 PM. For those people that would like to network and participate in person, these Briefing Sessions session will originate in Phoenix at locations to be announced. For those unavailable to participate on these dates, the sessions will also be available for access from the Summit web site a day or two after each presentation. See the Summit web site for the Phoenix locations and instructions to join the audio and web conferences.

The Arizona Telecom Summit is being presented by the Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council (ATIC -- http://www.arizonatele.com/atic/ ) and the Communications Infrastructure Advisory Committee (CIAC -- http://gita.state.az.us/telecom/ciac/ ) of the Governor's Council on Innovation and Technology (GCIT -- http://www.gcit.az.gov/ ), in cooperation with other important business, non-profit, and government organizations.

Arizona Telecom Summit Sponsors:

Many thanks to our Platinum Sponsors AT&T ( http://www.att.com/ ) and Strategic Technology Communications ( http://www.stlcorp.net/ ), as well as our other Summit Sponsors Conterra Ultra Broadband, Cox Business Services, TeleSpectra, Salt River Project Telecom, and WI-VOD Communications. Additional Exhibitors include CellularOne, Global Investment Recovery, Sky Catcher Communications, SkyPilot Networks, Starnet Data Design, Tierra Right of Way Services, Triad Wireless, and more. For additional opportunities to Sponsor or Exhibit, please visit http://www.tucsonlink.org/Summit07/sponsors.htm for details.

CONTACT: Steve Peters, Summit Coordinator of The Arizona
Telecommunications and Information Council, +1-520-321-1309,

stevepeters@tucsonlink.org ; or Galen Updike, Director of Telecom Development
of Arizona Government Information Technology Agency (GITA), +1-602-364-4794,

gupdike@azgita.gov

Web site: http://www.aztechcouncil.org/

Web site: http://www.tucsonlink.org/Summit07

Web site: http://www.arizonatele.com/atic

SOURCE The Arizona Telecommunications and Information Council

URL: http://www.prnewswire.com