Author: Ken Pyle, Managing Editor
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Safety First – A Worthwhile Seminar
NTCA’s Education Group produces seminars that cover areas of critical importance to independent telcos’ on-going business operations. The topics may sometimes sound dry, but the speakers that NTCA employs always manage to make the subject matter lively and entertaining. Definitely check out their latest offering, which is the NTCA OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Compliance Seminar…
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Smart Home Tour – Smart Idea
The problem with conferences is the sterile hotel environment that they typically occupy. Speakers talk about the networked-home at these confabs, but the discussions are somewhat theoretical as slide-ware, videos and exhibits are used to convey information. Rarely are these type of meetings held in the real world (Viodi’s Local Content Workshops being an exception, of…
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Content Production Potpourri – Demonstration Schedule
Roger and I are at NAB this week and we will have many interesting reports from this confab, particularly as it relates to telecom. If you are at NAB, stop by the Content Production Potpourri, as we will have approximately 12 demonstrations from companies that are making tools for low-cost, high quality local content productions.
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Cleaning Products – No, It’s Web 2.0 Technologies
Martin Taylor, Vice President of Product Management and Technology for MetaSwitch, gave an excellent overview of XML and its ascent as the standard for machine-to-machine interface in the telephony world. XML allows for a mash-up of applications, such as the obligatory caller ID on television. Combining XML data with Asynchronous JavaScript is AJAX, which allows updating of…
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Prospering in the Video Business
The WTA Spring 2008 Meeting featured a upbeat panel on the distribution of video by independent telcos. Gerald Duffy of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast moderated a panel that provided both the big and detailed picture of the video business. Ben Foster, VP of Sales and Marketing for Twin Valley Telephone, an early adopter of…
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Only in California – The Original Social Network
The basis for one of the nation’s most innovative independent telcos was the social needs of a couple of teenage girls. At the WTA 2008 Spring Meeting, Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee explained how over 90 years ago Roseville Telephone (Now SureWest Communications) got its start when a couple of farmers connected their farms with…