Telecommunications and Economic Development in Texas

Preliminary Readings

August 30, 2001

September 16, 2001

NOTE: Several readings require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software program that comes with most Web browser software today. If you need a copy, or want to download the latest copy of Acrobat Reader, click here.

Availability of Advanced Services in Rural and High-Cost Areas, Report to the 77th Texas Legislature, Texas Public Utilities Commission, December 28, 2000. At http://www.puc.state.tx.us/telecomm/projects/21166/21166arc/rpt77leg_asarcost.pdf. (Downloadable PDF document; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Rural Internet Connectivity, by Dr. Sharon Strover, September 1999, at http://www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/Reports/TRPC.pdf.(Downloadable PDF document; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Aspects of Internet Use in Texas, a report by the University of Texas Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute, Drs. Sharon Strover and Joseph Straubhaar, October 2000, at http://www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/Reports/PUC.pdf. (Downloadable PDF document; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Advanced Services for Rural Texas, LBJ School Professional Report (2001) by Warigia Bowman, self-service reserve at the Public Affairs Library, LBJ School.

"In Capitol, AT&T and Bells Fight to Control Web Access," by Lizette Alvarez, The New York Times, August 29, 2001, at http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/technology/29NET.html.

WashTech "Special Report on the Broadband Deregulation Debate," The Washington Post, at http://www.washtech.com/specialreports/telecom_debate.html.

"Rural Implications of H.R. 1542," a RUPRI Report, Dr. Sharon Strover, at http://www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/Reports/PB2001-121.pdf.(Downloadable PDF document; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Review CLEC Glossary of telecommunications terms, at http://www.clec-planet.com/resources/glossary.htm.

Review material and links on the Digital Divide Network, at http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/sections/index.cfm.

Review material and links of Rural Telecommunications magazine, at http://www.ruraltelecom.org/.

Review links and Web site of the Texas Internet Service Providers Association, at http://www.tispa.org/index.asp. Especially look at the searchable database of Texas ISPs, at http://www.tispa.org/Dbii/searchisp.htm.

Try the Internet speed test, at http://computingcentral.msn.com/internet/speedtest.asp.Try it from UT and from home.
 

September 16, 2001

Broadband Bibliography
Prepared by the Texas Public Utilities Commission, Commissioner Brett Perlman

Aldrich and Kusmin, What Makes Rural Communities Grow
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib737/AIB737.PDF

Parker, Edwin B., Heather E. Hudson, Don A. Dillman, and Andrew D. Roscoe. Rural America in the Information Age: Telecommunications Policy for Rural Development. Lanham, MD: The Aspen Institute, 1989.

Parker, Edwin B., Heather E. Hudson, Don A. Dillman, Sharon Strover, and Frederick Williams. Electronic Byways: State Policies for Rural Development Through Telecommunications. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1992.

Federal Communications Commission Broadband Reports http://www.fcc.gov/broadband/

PUC Broadband Homepage (List of other broadband links) http://www.puc.state.tx.us/telecomm/reports/index.cfm

National Telecommunications and Information Agency

Community Connections: Preserving Local Values in the Information Age, at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/top/publicationmedia/comm_conn/community_connections_illus.html

Advanced Telecommunications in Rural America, at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/ruralbb42600.pdf

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Center for the Study of Rural America, Main Street Series, at http://www.kc.frb.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MainStMain.htm

State Telecommunications Plans

Virginia Governor's Task Force on e-communities, at http://www.thedigitaldominion.com/policy/technology.cfm

Rural Fiber Net (Oregon), at http://www.ruralfiber.net/

North Carolina Rural Internet Access Authority, http://www.ncruralcenter.org/internet/

Broadband Toolkit

Articles on strategic planning broadband deployment:

McMahon and Salant, Strategic Planning for Telecommunications in Rural Communities (1999) http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rdp/rdpoct99/rdpoct99a.pdf

Rowe, Strategies to Promote Advanced Telecommunications Capability, Federal Communications Bar Journal http://www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/v52/no2/rowe.pdf

Economic Model for Rural Telecommunications Investment

Fox and Porca, Investment in Rural Infrastructure, Proceedings of the Federal Reserve Bank of  Kansas City, in Beyond Agriculture:  New Policies for Rural America, at http://www.kc.frb.org/PUBLICAT/beyond/beyondmain.htm

State Broadband Development Programs


Strategic Planning Groups

Massachusetts Broadband Advisory Board, at http://www.massbroadband.com/

Strategic Planning Surveys

Computer Systems Policy Project—Readiness Guide, at http://www.cspp.org/projects/readiness/

State of Ohio, at http://www.osc.edu/ecom-ohio/readiness.html

Connected Communities, at http://www.connectedcommunities.net/

Demand Aggregation:

Berkshire Connect at http://www.bconnect.org/

Anchor Tenancy:

Colorado Beanpole Project (Multi-Use Network Project) http://www.state.co.us/mnt/

Multimedia Service Access Points:

Blacksburg Electronic Village at http://www.bev.net/

Community Networks:

Association for Community Networks, at http://www.afcn.net/

Community Technology Center Networks:


http://www.ctcnet.org/

Texas Materials

Proposed legislation

House Bill 1736, at http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/db2www/tlo/billhist/Hmatrix.d2w/report?LEG=77&SESS=R&CHAMBER=H&BILLTYPE=B&BILLSUFFIX=01736

Senate Bill 1783, at http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/db2www/tlo/billhist/Smatrix.d2w/report?LEG=77&SESS=R&CHAMBER=S&BILLTYPE=B&BILLSUFFIX=01783

State Agencies and Other State Economic Development Resources

Texas Infrastructure Fund Board, http://www.tifb.state.tx.us/
Department of Agriculture, http://www.agr.state.tx.us/
Electronic Government Task Force , http://www.dir.state.tx.us/egov/index.html
Department of Economic Development, http://www.tded.state.tx.us/
Texas Economic Development Council, http://www.texasedc.org/

General Telecommunications Policy Issues

Dawson, Universal Service High-Cost Subsidy Reform: Hindering Cable-Telephony and Other Technological Advancements in Rural and Insular Regions, Federal Communications Law Journal, at http://www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/v53/no1/dawson.pdf

Cato Institute of Public Policy Briefing Papers, at http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-063es.html

Progress and Freedom Foundation, at http://www.pff.org/aspen2001/Fiorinaspeech.htm

Client Resources

Concho Valley Council of Government (San Angelo)

Jeffery Sutton
Executive Director
Concho Valley Council of Government
5002 Knickerbocker
San Angelo, TX 76904
915 944-9666
915 944-9925 (fax)
jsutton@cvcog.org

Mike Trollinger
McCulloch County Industrial Foundation
915 597-2104
mlt@bradynationalbank.com

Mike Brown
County Judge
Tom Green County
112 W. Beauregard
San Angelo, Texas 76903
915 653-3318
915 659-3258 (fax)
Mike.Brown@co.tom-green.tx.us

Harlingen

John Crutchfield
President and CEO
Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce
311 E. Tyler
Harlingen, TX. 78550
1-800-531-7346
956-425-3870 (fax)

Hill County

Dennis Thomas (former PUC Commissioner)
Texas Admin
400 W. 15th Street, Suite 804
Austin, Texas 78701
Dennis_Thomas@texasadmin.com

Bee County (Corpus Christi area)

John P. Buckner
P.O. Box 9909
Corpus Christi, Texas 78469
(361) 883-5743
FAX: (361) 883-5749

Texas Rural Development Council

Cheryl Hinkley
Texas Rural Development Council
(512) 323-6515

Texas Regional Council of Governments

http://www.txregionalcouncil.org/