From: JaniceB@edc.org (JaniceB)
Subject: First International Conference on Rural Telecommunications
To: gkd@tristram.edc.org
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GKD members may be interested in this Conference:


Subject: Your Invitation to the First International Conference on Rural 
Telecommunications
Author:  INTERNATIONAL  at 
Internet Date:    8/5/98 5:11 PM

Apologies for Cross-Postings

Dear Telecommunications Development Colleagues,

The National Telephone Cooperative Association and the World Bank, under the 
Global Knowledge Partnership, are pleased to invite you to participate in the 
First International Conference on Rural Telecommunications, which will be held 
November 30-December 2, 1998 in Washington, D.C., USA.

(If you would prefer to receive a printed invitation rather than this e-mail 
invitation, please send your name and address to: international@ntca.org). 

Finding ways to serve rural people is one of the most critical concerns in 
international communications technology development.  By bringing together the 
world*s rural telecommunications practitioners and policy makers, this 
conference is intended to  stimulate new ideas, working partnerships, resource 
sharing and information exchange on:

Policy conducive to rural telecommunications development; 
Technology choices appropriate for rural areas;
Models for serving rural and isolated communities; and
Financial tools for rural telecommunications deployment and expansion.

Presenters will include many established *names* in international rural 
telecommunications, plus many new faces and fresh voices. 

This conference will be interactive and participatory to the greatest extent 
possible. We all have something to share, and we all have something to learn.

Since we announced this conference in April, we have been joined by presenters 
from many organizations and institutions. A partial listing includes:

African Advanced Level Communications, Kenya
Australian Commonwealth Department for Communications and the Arts 
Australian Rural Telecentres Association
Bell Atlantic Plus 
Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, Egypt 
Center for Telecommunications Management and Studies, India 
Ecole des Sciences de l*informacion, Morocco
Foundation for Agrarian Development Research, Russia 
Foundation for Rural Service
Ghana Telecom Center 
Grameen Bank, Bangladesh
Grameen Telephone Company, Bangladesh 
Hughes Network SystemsIDRC/Uganda
Institute of Telecommunications, Poland 
International Telecommunications Union 
Ministry of Communications, Guatemala 
The Mountain Institute 
National Communications Commission, Argentina 
National Exchange Carrier Association
Open Society Institute/Soros Foundation
Philippine Association of Private Telephone Companies 
Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative
South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
South Pacific Centre for Communication & Information Development, Papua New     

Guinea
Sunplus, Ltd., Ghana
SR Telecomm
Summit Strategies, Kenya 
Telecommunications Investment Supervisory Body, Peru 
Uganda National Council for Science and Technology 
UNDP 
Universal Service Agency of South Africa
University Hospital of Tromso, Norway, Department of Telemedicine 
University of Guelph, Canada
University of San Francisco, Telecommunications Management & Policy Program 
University of Valladolid, Telecommunications Engineering Department, Spain 
VITA

There will be no manufacturers* expo at this meeting.  This is designed to be an
opportunity to share and learn.  Here are just some of the case studies, lessons
learned, etc. to be presented:

POLICY
Universal service and universal access: Practical and feasible practices and 
case studies that promise the greatest chances of success; lessons from South 
Africa, Chile, Peru, Argentina, the U.S. and others.

Legal and regulatory policy: Elements most conducive to rural telecommunications
development; the important components of a multi-provider network; the results 
of Eastern European experiments in licensing small, rural telephone companies. 

Privatization and exclusivity: Disadvantages and advantages for rural areas.

Spectrum allocation and frequency: The issues affecting rural service. Lessons 
from Guatemala, South Africa and others. 

RURAL MODELS
Community-owned systems: Success stories from Poland, Argentina, 
Bolivia and the U.S.

Agriculture: the Internet*s impact on production and local economies.

Mobilizing the community: The *bottom-up* approach to planning, financing and 
managing rural systems.

Telecenters: Case studies from South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Haiti and Australia.

Economic and Social Impact on Communities: Lessons from Papua New Guinea, 
Poland, the U.S. and others.

Telemedicine: A cooperative project between Norway and Russia. 

FINANCE
Bilateral and multilateral donors: Their assessments of the importance of rural 
telecommunications, and programs available to support rural telecommunications 
development.

Funding mechanisms: Argentinean, Peruvian, South African, Guatemalan and U.S. 
funding models for universal service. 

International accounting rates: The effect of recent and future structural 
adjustments. 

Private investment: Attracting the private sector to rural areas.

TECHNOLOGY
Internet: From telephony to e-mail, from access to impact: practical ways to 
provide rural service. Case studies from Tanzania, Russia, Australia, South 
Africa and others. 

Terrain challenges: Serving deserts and mountainous areas in Papua New Guinea, 
Canada, the U.S. and Egypt.

VSAT: Its impact in Gabon, Egypt, and Thailand. 

Wireless systems: Lessons from Malawi, Tanzania, Haiti and Ecuador.


REGISTRATION
Because we want to foster dialogue and interaction, we are limiting this 
conference to the first 500 registrants. There are many people whom we can reach
only via fax and mail, and who will thus receive an invitation after you. We 
need to set aside places for them, and so we are able to guarantee spots for 
only the first 250 registrants responding to this e-mail message. 

Due to security considerations, we are not accepting financial information via 
e-mail. Please print out the registration form below and fax or mail it back to 
us at:

NTCA International Conference
2626 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20037-1695 USA
FAX:    +1 (202) 298-2317 or 298-2320

Thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing you in November!

WHO WE ARE
The National Telephone Cooperative Association
NTCA is a major telecommunications trade association representing some 500 
locally owned and operated small and rural cooperative and commercial telephone 
systems in 46 U.S. states. Other members include, 40 rural telephone systems 
headquartered in Poland, the Philippines, Micronesia, Bolivia, Canada and 
Mexico; 56 state telephone associations; 300 manufacturers and suppliers to the 
US rural telecommunications industry; and 100 cable, cellular and DBS subsidiary
companies.

E-mail: international@ntca.org
Internet:       http://www.ntca.org
TEL:            (+1) 202-298-2369
FAX:            (+1) 202-298-2317 or 298-2320

The World Bank and Global Knowledge
Global Knowledge is an ongoing worldwide dialogue on how to harness knowledge 
and information as tools of sustainable and equitable development. 

Its focal point was an international conference, Global Knowledge for the 
Information Age, which took place in Toronto in June 1997 and which was hosted 
by the World Bank and the Government of Canada, in cooperation with a broad 
range of public and private partners.  

Those partner organizations and institutions now comprise The Global Knowledge 
Partnership (http://www.globalknowledge.org). The Partnership*s Secretariat is 
located within the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank. 



CONFERENCE  E-MAIL REGISTRATION FORM   

Please Print or Type
_________________________________________ 
Last name

__________________________________________ 
First name, middle initial                   

 __________________________________________
Title

___________________________________________ 
Organization

___________________________________________ 
Mailing address

___________________________________________ 
Mailing address

___________________________________________ 
City

___________________________________________      
State / Province 

___________________________________________ 
Country

__________________ _________________________        
Telephone (including country / city codes)

____________________________________________    
Fax (including country / city codes)

____________________________________________ 
E-mail address            



CONFERENCE FEE
Conference Registration is U.S. $795 per participant (includes conference 
materials, three breakfasts, three luncheons and reception.)  This is payable 
only in U.S. Dollars.

CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations received by September 30, 1998 will be refunded in full. 
Cancellations received between October 1-31, 1998 will receive $495.  No refund 
will be made for cancellations received on or after November 1, 1998. All 
cancellations must be received in writing via fax, e-mail or postal service.

METHOD OF PAYMENT
1. You may submit a check or money order made out to NTCA, sent via mail. 


2. You may pay by credit card

(Check one)   MasterCard______ or  Visa______

Credit Card Number______________________   Expiration Date______________

Signature of Cardholder_______________________________________________


3. You may choose to do a wire transfer (please contact us directly for 
information on this.)


Registrations Will be Processed when Payment is Received. 
Payment Must Be in US Dollars

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION     
The official Conference hotel is the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill 
400 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001 USA
Tel: +1 (202) 737-1234 
Fax: +1 (202) 942-1576
Special Conference Rate: $165.00 per night

Participants should contact the Hyatt directly to make reservations.  Please ask
for the NTCA International Conference rate when making reservations.

Please mail or fax to:
NTCA
First International Conference on Rural Telecommunications 
2626 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20037-1695 USA
Fax: +1 (202) 298-2317 or 298-2320
Additional information can be obtained by calling 202-298-2369 or by E-mail: 
international@ntca.org