April 29, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Karen P. Powell, Public Relations Manager
Skyline Telephone Membership Corporation
(336) 982-3800, ext. 6117
e-mail: karen.powell@skyline.org

Local Delegation Join Other NTCA Members in Nation’s Capital for 2005 Legislative and Policy Conference

WEST JEFFERSON, N.C.--More than 600 National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) members, including board members and key staff of SkyLine Membership Corporation, traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this month for the 2005 NTCA Legislative and Policy Conference. The local delegation included SkyLine Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Dixon, SkyLine Chief Technology Officer Jimmy Blevins and Board members Buster Burleson and Joe McNeil. The conference began with a briefing on the legislative issues currently on the table in Congress. Following a candid question-and-answer session conducted by NTCA’s government affairs staff, members of NTCA’s legal and industry department conducted two panels at which Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials discussed the various issues facing rural carriers, specifically universal service, local number portability, intercarrier compensation and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).

Another highlight of the conference’s agenda was the launch of a new series of educational papers by NTCA’s educational and advocacy organization, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS), during a luncheon for congressional staff on Capitol Hill. The Rural Telecom Educational Series is intended to assist policymakers in preparing for a rewrite of the Communications Act, and to aid in their understanding the complex issues surrounding the telecom industry – specifically the critical issues facing providers across rural America. FRS presented the first installment of the series, “One Nation Indivisible: The Case for Universal Service and Rural Connection in the Broadband Age,” as well as two case studies that demonstrated how small, independent companies —through the support of universal service—have deployed reliable and affordable services to their rural consumers. This first installment of the series was developed in partnership with John Staurulakis, Inc. (JSI), a telecommunications consulting firm. “ We wanted our representatives and regulatory agencies in Washington to know that rural telecommunications companies like ours are actively deploying and providing broadband to their communities,” said John Dixon, SkyLine CEO. “We believe that deploying advanced infrastructure that is fully capable of offering technology-driven telecommunications services should become the hallmark of our national universal service policy.”

Attendees also heard from two key Congressional speakers: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Rep. Lincoln Davis (D- Tenn.). Additionally, NTCA Chief Executive Officer Michael E. Brunner presented the organization’s Congressional Leadership Award to Sen. Conrad, for his consistent contributions on behalf of the telecommunications industry.

Members spent the remainder of the Conference visiting Congressional leaders and staff at the FCC, where they communicated the perspectives of rural telcos with national policymakers—an extremely valuable process for advancing rural telcos’ interests and priorities. The local delegation met with Senator Richard Burr and Representative Virginia Foxx, and the staffs of Representative Patrick McHenry, Representative Robin Hayes and Representative Sue Myrick.

“ We appreciate the opportunity to meet with our congressional representatives to share the unique concerns that we as rural telecommunications providers face in light of continued changes and developments in technology and the regulatory and competitive environments,” Dixon said. SkyLine is a member-owned cooperative, providing a variety of telecommunications services to its members in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties in North Carolina, and Johnson County in east Tennessee. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, SkyBest Communications, offers de-regulated products and services, including local calling services, business systems solutions, broadband Internet services and long distance.