...course, Katrina's lingers. But this great city has a tradition of overcoming adversity. In 1815, a few thousand of Major General Andrew Jackson's soldiers took on 8,000 redcoats, seasoned warriors of the British empire. It was a rout. The British suffered 2,000 casualties. The Americans lost but 71. One small technicality would mar Jackson's victory.

The war of 1812 had ended 15 days earlier with the signing of the treaty in Belgium. No one knew. Such was the state of communications back then.

Once again the NTCA family has been hit by disaster, with the tornadoes that struck Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee last week. Once again our members' perseverance and commitment to ensuring rural Americans remain connected--even in the most extreme conditions--has been successful. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those whose lives were touched by this destruction and tragic loss of life.

On to communications today and the forces we must contend with. In Orlando last year, you might recall my message to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service: "Get real."

The joint board had to account for the obstacles you face in serving your customers. Universal service makes it possible for over 7 million rural Americans to enjoy affordable voice and quality broadband service. However, should policy-makers bungle universal service reform, the consequences could be dire. Countless rural communities would suffer.

The process leading up to the joint board's recommendations last November had its challenges. As I've said on occasion, NTCA looks for opportunities to work with other associations and industry groups.

The multi-association group, or MAG, plan on intercarrier compensation and the Rural Task Force, or RTF, plan on universal service support are examples of NTCA collaborations.

However, on universal service reform, your association made a decision mid-year to go it alone. We just could not compromise on certain policy positions. Other associations, representing not only small but also mid- and large-size carriers, had to account for the views of these powerful interests. Plus, time was of the essence. The MAG and RTF plans had taken years to reach a consensus. The joint board had set October...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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