QWEST Regional Oversight Committe To Meet, 9/13, Missoula

2004-09-13 08:45:00

Holiday Inn Missoula Parkside, 200 S. Pattee St.

Contact: Bob Rowe – 406-444-6167

Missoula will host the semiannual meeting of representatives of the state regulatory commissions that comprise the Qwest Regional Oversight Committee on Monday, September 13. The day-long meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Missoula Parkside, 200 S. Pattee St., beginning at 8:45 a.m.
"We’re looking forward to our Missoula conference," said North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark, who is chairman of the Regional Oversight Committee. "Our agenda includes presentations from some of the leading telecommunications professionals in the nation."

The Regional Oversight Committee was formed by the 14 state regulatory commissions, including the Montana Public Service Commission, that regulate Qwest in the years following the breakup of “Ma Bell.” It is a way to share information and coordinate among states on telecommunications matters. The Regional Oversight Committee member states have cooperated on customer service issues, implementation of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, and other matters. The largest project undertaken was a multi-state “alternative dispute resolution” project to achieve Qwest’s compliance with Section 271 of the Telecommunications Act, which required Qwest and other Bell companies to take certain steps to open their local markets to competition before they could offer interLATA long distance service within their home regions. There is nothing similar to the Regional Oversight Committee in other parts of the country.

Bob Rowe, Montana PSC Chairman, and former ROC Chairman, said, “The Regional Oversight Committee is a unique regional collaboration among telecommunications regulators. The ROC’s work on service quality in the mid-90s, and especially it’s recent one-of-a-kind work implementing the competition provisions of the federal Telecommunications Act have provided real value to customers and to the telecoms sector.”

The meeting agenda follows:

Ballroom AB
8:45 – 8:50 Welcome – Hon. Tony Clark, ROC Chairman; President, North Dakota PSC

8:50 – 9:15 The ROC Multi-State Qwest Performance Assurance Plan Audit – Learn
more about the progress of the ROC coordinated effort to establish a multi-state
audit of the Qwest 271 performance assurance plan.

Moderator: Tom Spinks, Regulatory Consultant, Washington UTC
Panelists: Walt Drabinski, President, Vantage Consulting Inc.
Cherie Axelrod, Director – Regulatory Compliance, Qwest

9:15 – 10:45 Telecom Financials post-Triennial Review Order – What are investors
hearing? What does it mean for telecom investment in the Qwest region?
Attendees will hear from a panel of distinguished experts in the telecom
investment community.

Moderator: Hon. Elliott Smith, Commissioner, Iowa Utilities Board
and ROC Vice Chairman
Panelists: Jessica Zufolo, Sr. Policy Director, Medley Global Advisors
Anna-Maria Kovacs, Pres., Regulatory Source Associates
Other financial panelists invited

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – Noon Keynote Address – John Stanton, Chairman and CEO of Western Wireless
Corporation. Mr. Stanton is a leader in the wireless industry throughout the
region and the nation. He will offer his perspectives on the future of
telecommunications.

Noon – 1:30 Lunch Break (on your own)

1:30 – 2:15 Federal Update – Learn more about the numerous orders and notices at the
FCC that are of critical importance to the industry and the states within the
ROC region.

Moderator: Hon. Ray Baum, Commissioner, Oregon PUC
Presenters: Robert Tanner, Senior Legal Counsel to the Bureau Chief,
FCC Wireline Competition Bureau
Ian Dillner, Attorney, FCC Competition Bureau

2:15 – 3:15 A Case Study in the Emerging Commercial Agreements – Background and
perspectives on the Qwest-CLEC commercial negotiations

Moderator: Hon. Ted Boyer, Commissioner, Utah PSC
Speaker: Cheryl Parrino, President of Parrino Strategic Consulting
Group and a past NARUC President

3:15 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 5:00 Beyond the Triennial Review Order Panel – Hear from a panel of leading
experts who will answer the question—Where are we now? Procedural, legal,
regulatory, policy and jurisdictional issues will be explored. As always, special
emphasis will be placed on the implications for Qwest states.

Moderator: Hon. Bob Rowe, Chairman, Montana PSC
Panelists: Mary Tribby, VP/Chief Regulatory Counsel, AT&T
Tom Dixon, Associate Counsel, MCI
Ray Gifford, President, The Progress & Freedom Foundation
Wendy Moser, V.P. Policy & Assoc. General Counsel, Qwest
Bill Haas, V.P./Deputy General Counsel, McLeod USA

5:30 – 6:30 Social (Ballroom CD)

6:30 – 8:00 Dinner (Ballroom CD)
Speaker: John Rose, President, OPASTCO

For more information, contact:
Bob Rowe – 406-444-6167