March 2010

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Independent ISP Wins County Broadband Grant

March 31, 2010

"Rapid Systems, a wireless internet service provider, was selected by the Hardee Broadband Project to deploy Motorola's fixed wireless broadband solutions across Hardee County, Fla. Based on Motorola's PTP 800 licensed microwave Ethernet bridges and PMP 320 licensed network access solutions, the wireless broadband infrastructure will deliver affordable, high-speed Internet connectivity to businesses and residents of the county."

Today, CenturyLink provides DSL in some urbanized areas of the county, but a majority of Hardee County is without a broadband option. Rapid Systems will utilize WiMax from Motorola to supply businesses and residents with a 10MB broadband option.

"The Hardee Broadband Project has emerged as a result of the Federal stimulus focus on bringing broadband services to rural communities.

Posted in ISP, Internet, broadband, wimax, wireless

Tagged: broadband, internet, wimax, wireless : Related Tags: wireless broadband, rapid systems, hardee county, businesses residents, hardee broadband, broadband

Covad Acquiring MegaPath

March 31, 2010

Covad announced a merger with MegaPath today. That combines 2 of the 3 independent DSL transport players in the Industry. (The third would be EarthLink's New Edge Networks). Interestingly, MegaPath is a Covad customer.

Posted in CLEC, broadband, mergers, wireline

Tagged: broadband, clec, merger, wireline : Related Tags: megapath, covad

Ever Wonder?

March 31, 2010

Ever wonder why Hosted PBX isn't sold by telcos? It's the new entrants to the voice game that are pushing Hosted PBX on to the business community.

Comcast is probably the closest thing to a CLEC that sells Hosted PBX; hence, the NGT acquisition.

Many CLEC's have morphed into tiny ILEC's, because getting to $1B in revenue means changes. The model for most of the CLEC's is the ILEC. It's unfortunate but true.

The sales force for most CLEC's has the plug-n-play mentality, which to me means that the sale is wrapped around replacement services.

Posted in PBX, cloud computing, sales and selling, voip

Tagged: hosted pbx, selling, voip : Related Tags: managed services, hosted, sales, services, replacement

ATC Assists TCA With Code of Ethics

March 30, 2010

ATC Instrumental in Collaborative Effort to Formalize Technology Channel Association's Code of Ethics

Association's Agent Committee Finalizes Professional Guidelines for Telecom Agents

Advanced Technology Consulting, Inc. today announced its critical involvement in a national, collaborative effort to formalize the Technology Channel Association's (TCA) Code of Ethics.

Posted in TCA, agents, channel

Tagged: agents, channel partners, TCA, tca : Related Tags: channel association, technology channel, effort formalize, telecom services, agent committee, technology

USF now over 15%

March 30, 2010

This is ridiculous! the Universal Service Fund contribution factor is now 15.3% at the federal level. (The state factor varies). Up from 14.1% last quarter. What the heck? This is getting out of control. And now that the National Broadband Plan suggests funding will come from the USF, you can bet that it will hit 25% before too long.

Posted in FCC, politics

Tagged: FCC, rant, usf : Related Tags:

Is Hosted PBX Like BPM?

March 29, 2010

Business Process Management was a big concept about 5 years ago. The concept revolved around integrating business processes into systems for consistent execution of routines. (Heh! I can talk marketing speak!)

Today, we have Hosted PBX coming into small and medium businesses mainly as a cost savings factor, but there are business changes that occur due to the nature of the service.

As companies move to Software-as-a-Service, Cloud services or other hosted offerings, business will change as a result.

Posted in Internet, PBX, cloud computing, data center, saas, telecommunications, training

Tagged: data center, hosted pbx, net-head, telecommunications : Related Tags: business process, phone system, hosted, business, system, phone

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VoIP Access Ruling

March 29, 2010

"On February 18, 2010, a federal district court stepped in to fill the gap left by the FCC's silence on the issue of whether transmission of Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP")-originated calls is an information service exempt from access charges or a telecommunications service subject to access charges." [from Kelley-Drye]

I spoke with Kris Twomey last week about this judgment. In summary, the judgment of Civil Action No. 08-0397 is as follows: "If the call leaves the customer premise as VoIP and remains VoIP until it hits the tandem, then there are not any LD or toll access charges. VoIP is an Information Service according to the FCC."

Posted in CLEC, Internet, politics, telecommunications, voip, wireline

Tagged: FCC, fcc, inter-carrier compensation, law, lawsuit, voip : Related Tags: access charges, enhanced services, information service, subject access, basic service, services

HD Voice is Supplied More Buzz

March 29, 2010

VoIPSupply.com has announced "the launch of an enhanced category on for High Definition (HD) VoIP technology. The new enhanced HD VoIP category features educational information, manufacturer solution overviews and a full suite of HD capable handsets."

"High definition voice calling is no longer the future; it's the present" stated Garrett Smith, Director of Marketing and Business Development at VoIP Supply, LLC. "With most major VoIP manufacturers and service providers supporting HD voice calling, now is the perfect time for businesses of all sizes to learn about the benefits the technology delivers and put it to use within their operations."

Doug must be happy!

Nice breakdown on codecs too.

Posted in voip

Tagged: HD Voice, voip : Related Tags: voice calling, voice

Brain Drain and TBTF

March 29, 2010

This is about tech in general and very specific to my current location. Kind of a rant.

There was an article in the St. Pete Times about the Tampa Bay Technology Forum working on a state-wide initiative. State-wide?

Posted in economy, off topic, politics, technology

Tagged: offtopic, rant, technology : Related Tags: brain drain, local talent, central florida, tampa, florida, local

SUTUS DEMO 2010

March 26, 2010

View SUTUS at DEMO 2010. SUTUS points out how the traditional solution of many service specific boxes is old-school. In the new green world, having everything in one easy-to-use box is a smarter solution for businesses with under 25 employees.

Posted in PBX, VAR, technology, unified communications

Tagged: pbx, sutus, technology : Related Tags: sutus

Our Economic Survival

March 25, 2010

The FCC's National Broadband Plan suggests that adding 500 MHz of spectrum to the mix will fix most things. HA!

I thought when Julius became FCC Chair we would have some change. Instead, we get the idea that if we give more spectrum to companies that already have spectrum we will improve the current situation.

Somebody please explain how?

Sprint, Clearwire, T-Mobile, VZW and AT&T have spectrum that they have not turned up yet. Giving them more - and varied - spectrum will not make any marked improvement.

How many radios do you thing we can add to a cellular handset?

Posted in FCC, broadband, cellular, economy, fiber, politics, spectrum, wireless

Tagged: broadband, FCC, wireless : Related Tags: spectrum

VoiceCon and FISPA

March 22, 2010

I'm heading over to VoiceCon at the Gaylord Palm to work with XO interviewing attendees. The question: What does UC mean to you? I'm expecting 25 different answers. (Which will prove my point).

Posted in CLEC, twitter, unified communications, voip, xo

Tagged: clec, conference, fispa, isp, twitter, UC, xo : Related Tags:

Changing the Name May Not Work

March 22, 2010

"Network Liquidators has changed its name to Vology Data Systems effective March 17, 2010. The new company name better conveys the rapidly growing organization's key mission: delivering complete technology solutions to customers in the U.S. and 80 countries worldwide."

Yeah, nothing says global tech solutions like Vology Data Systems.

Posted in channel, technology

Tagged: hardware : Related Tags: network liquidators, company, vology, systems, solutions, global

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Unbelievable Response

March 18, 2010

Let's say that you are ITSP who provides white label Hosted PBX to service providers. Let's say you have issues delivering your service to that service provider. The issues are persistent. The service provider partner loses customers as a result.

Posted in voip

Tagged: customer service, hosted pbx, itsp, voip : Related Tags: service provider, service, another, understand

2010: The Year for CLEC's

March 18, 2010

This could be the year for CLEC's.

First, the Broadband Stimulus money is starting to be handed out. CLEC's (and ISP's) are starting to get some of it.

CLEC's are getting acquired by ILEC's and Cablecos.

Posted in CLEC

Tagged: cableco, clec, strategy : Related Tags: neutral tandem, market advantage, comptel, exchange, employees, voice

GROWCO Tidbits

March 17, 2010

So I was at INC magazine's GROWCO conference this week. I wasn't too thrilled with the majority of the content - speakers were off-topic or just blowhards. But here are a bunch of ideas:

"Fear is necessary," said George Foreman. It was reiterated by many others because fear means that you are uncomfortable and growth only happens when you are uncomfortable.

Posted in conferences, expo, sales and selling

Tagged: expo, selling, strategy : Related Tags: warren church, jason fried, customers, business, customer, church

Is That a Rebate?

March 17, 2010

VZW was a sponsor of GROWCO. I owe them for bringing in Michael Gerber, since his speech was sponsored by VZW. There were ads all over the show for VZW handsets. The new Droid Eris by HTS is just $99.99.

Posted in cellular

Tagged: FTC, rant, vzw : Related Tags: debit cards, rebate, debit, cards

Ill. Judge Only Smart One

March 12, 2010

Only a single judge in Illinois has the common sense to see that the Frontier-Verizon deal is very similar to the Fairpoint-Verizon deal that resulted in a bankruptcy within 18 months while screwing consumers in three states.

The Herald-Review has a report about "An administrative law judge ruled that the planned sale of Verizon's land-line service to Frontier Communications should not be approved by state regulators.... In her ruling, Administrative Law Judge Lisa M. Tapia says evidence presented in the case in front of the Illinois Commerce Commission doesn't support the sale, primarily because the transaction would leave Frontier too laden with debt to be able to properly manage the lines and other infrastructure."

This was exactly the deal with Fairpoint.

Posted in Internet, broadband, fiber, mergers, spectrum, telco, wireline

Tagged: cableco, mergers, telecom is broken, vz, wireline : Related Tags: margin business, network upgrades, frontier, judge, margin, business

Broadband Speed Test

March 12, 2010

The FCC has launched a new website, Broadband.gov - for all things broadband. Besides being the site to explain the National Broadband Policy, the FCC is using the site for 2 things:

1) to collect information where broadband is not available
2) broadband speed test - to collect its own information about the quality fo broadband in the US.

Posted in FCC, Internet, broadband

Tagged: broadband, FCC, internet : Related Tags: broadband speed, broadband, speed

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The Gap

March 11, 2010

There's a gap of about 93 million Americas who do have Internet Access (of any kind - not even dialup! I can't even wrap my head around that). The FCC is on a mission to bridge that gap.

Commissioner Clyburn's statement was informative, especially about the proposed "National Digital Literacy Corps in order to help individuals who are unfamiliar with or intimidated by the on-line world develop the skills they need to be comfortable on-line and to take full advantage of all it has to offer." Like a help desk.

Posted in FCC, Internet, broadband, duopoly, economy

Tagged: broadband, FCC, internet : Related Tags: meaningful competition, national digital, literacy corps, internet access, digital literacy, internet

Channel Chief Summit

March 11, 2010

The Technology Channel Association, the only not-for-profit agent trade association, is holding the first ever Channel Chief Summit on April 13th. This is an exclusive event for the TCA vendor members to some together to discuss best practices in the Channel. Other topics will include the Certified Agent Program and the Code of Ethics that TCA committees have been working on.

If you are interested in attending, please contact me at 813-963-5884 or visit the TCA website at tcasite.org.

Posted in TCA, agents, channel

Tagged: channel partners, TCA : Related Tags: chief summit, channel chief, channel

A Message from the Fellows

March 10, 2010

I attended the University of Tampa Fellows Forum this morning. Verizon was the presenting sponsor so I got to listen to Michelle Robinson, President, Southeast Region, Verizon, gush about how wonderful VZ is. Point of order, Michhelle. You said that VZ gave a whopping $2M to charity in Florida in 2009.

Posted in economy, off topic

Tagged: economy, offtopic, politics, rant : Related Tags: customer experience, health, customer, experience

Hosted versus Premise

March 8, 2010

Point-CounterPoint: Hosted Voice vs. CPE is an open debate between two bloggers: Mike Graves and Dave Michels (of PinDropSoup).

Personally, I think Dave missed the boat. Two key points: CAPEX and OPEX.

For CAPEX (capital expenditure), there are ITSP's that are offering a leasing package which includes the phones, a router, a POE switch, Internet Access, phone service and monitoring. It is financed and rolled into one monthly charge, eliminating the CAPEX scare.

There are a number of businesses that just need the IP desk phones that they opt to purchase themselves.

Posted in PBX, cloud computing, technology, telecommunications, voip

Tagged: hosted pbx, voip : Related Tags: premise based, internet access, access phone, hosted, business, internet

TCA Agents Ratify Code of Ethics

March 5, 2010

The Technology Channel Association's Agent Committee has ratified the Code of Ethics. (Download a copy here). The Code of Ethics must now be approved by the Board of Trustees. The Code of Ethics is the first step in the creation of a certificate program for Agents. One of the goals of TCA is to bring to market a Certified Agent program that will bring skills, knowledge and professionalism to the Channel.

Posted in TCA, agents, channel

Tagged: ethics, TCA : Related Tags: ethics

Finding Your Best Clients

March 4, 2010

My agent pal, Dave, asked me how I find my clients. My first answer is that I sell only to a very specific vertical -- a Niche. And only to three verticals within that Niche - VoIP, regional CLEC and ISP.

Look at your client base. Who are your top 5 or 10 clients?

Posted in Marketing, agents, sales and selling

Tagged: marketing, selling : Related Tags: clients

A Pocket MBA for the MSP

March 4, 2010

At SMB Nation, Harry Brelsford announced an online MBA program for executives of managed service providers. It's a 16 week online course tailored for the SMB market by Aspen University. From Finance to HR to sales and marketing - in 16 weeks for a certificate that costs less than $3K!

Posted in smb, training

Tagged: education, msp, smb nation : Related Tags:

Blind Items

March 4, 2010

Some buzz I picked up at the Channel Partners Expo.

What company is working on a certification program for its agents?

A company is going to be giving a big surprise DEMO later this month.

Merger rumors were active at the show. Who will buy Deltacom? What will happen to Qwest?

One CLEC has an agent agreement issue, which is why it isn't getting much traction right now.

There is one carrier selling IPv6 at such a low rate, even Cogent is jealous.

One long-haul carrier is offering waves for less than a cup of jow per meg.

Posted in expo, off topic

Tagged: rant : Related Tags:

FCC, SBA Discusses Broadband

March 2, 2010

On Thursday, March 4, 2010, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will highlight ways that the FCC's National Broadband Plan will promote broadband opportunities for small businesses. Recognizing the importance of broadband for ensuring America's economic development and leadership, Congress and the President tasked the FCC with developing a National Broadband Plan to connect all Americans to affordable, world-class, high-speed Internet. The FCC's National Broadband Plan, which the agency will deliver to Congress on March 17, 2010, will create jobs and spur economic growth; unleash new waves of innovation and investment; and improve education, health care, energy efficiency, public safety, and the vibrancy of our democracy. [Docket]

Posted in FCC, broadband

Tagged: broadband, FCC : Related Tags: national broadband, broadband, national

How Not to Sell VoIP

March 2, 2010

NGT presented a session on How to Sell VoIP at VoIP Nation. According to attendees, the NGT way to sell VoIP is to sell it on price. Wrong!

Posted in VAR, voip

Tagged: var, voip : Related Tags:

Channel Partners Need a Net-Head

March 1, 2010

Arrived in Vegas for the Channel Partners Expo (in conjunction with VoIP Nation). Seems everyone I speak with is looking for sales. We have at least as many channel agents as we have always had, so why the growing need for sales?

I think one reason is that most of the channel partners are TDM. Plug and play.

Posted in Internet, PBX, VAR, agents, bandwidth, cellular, channel, conferencing, fiber, saas, telecommunications, wi-fi, wireless

Tagged: agents, channel partners, microcorp : Related Tags: channel partners, customer account, upsell cross, sales, agents, channel

On Rad's Radar?

March 2010