Business tops agenda of Telecom & Broadband Summit.

The second Governor's Telecommunications & Broadband Summit has been scheduled for Sept. 8 at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon.

Hosted by New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, the New Hampshire Telecom Advisory Board the New Hampshire Telecom Association, U.S. Dept of Agriculture-Rural Development, New Hampshire Business Review and others, the one-day summit will give attendees the opportunity to learn from government leaders--including Governor Lynch and U.S. Sen. John Sununu--meet with vendors at a trade show and participate in break-out sessions.

The event is specifically designed to meet the needs of businesses in New Hampshire and bordering towns in Vermont that are involved in or affected by technology, public policy, wireless, rural broadband deployment, homeland security and communications.

The first summit was held in October 2004 in Nashua. A variety of factors went into the decision to hold the second summit in Grafton County, according to Smart Arnett, director of the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development.

"Lebanon is an important economic engine for the western part of the state and for bordering areas in Vermont as well. Since this summit will focus on telecommunications issues as they impact those in rural areas, it makes good sense to hold the event there," he said.

Arnett say "there's a real proliferation" of microbusinesses in rural areas, and telecommunications and broadband access "can be critical to the success of these businesses."

Arnett said officials are "hoping to see at least 50 microbusinesses from around the state attend."

Telecom priorities

Arnett views the summit as a convening event, the only one in the state that brings together telecommunications users, providers and policy specialists.

"It's natural that the Division of Economic Development would take a leadership position in hosting this event, because the division is charged with identifying and building awareness about the existing telecommunications infrastructure," he said. "We also work with telecom providers, educators, municipal, county, state and other government officials to ensure that our telecom infrastructure continues to evolve to take advantage of new technologies."

Arnett said appearances at the summit by Lynch and Sununu are especially fitting because both have made telecommunications a priority.

In June, Lynch signed legislation that could help expand wireless and broadband Internet access to rural New Hampshire communities. In doing so, he said, "Our communities have long bonded to build roads and bridges because roads and bridges are critical infrastructure for public safety and for economic development. This legislation recognizes a technology infrastructure is as important for the future of our communities as their road infrastructure." The legislation allows communities not currently served by a broadband carrier or provider to bond to build their own broadband infrastructure.

Sununu, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation and Competitiveness, has been at the forefront of the effort to keep Internet access free from state and local taxation and to develop an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for emerging technologies, such as Voice over Internet Protocol.

Plans call for Lynch to kick off the event with a 9 a.m. address. Sununu will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon at noon. In-between, there will be workshops on homeland security, technological advancements, telecommunications and broadband public policy and the "High Speed Heroes" project, a microbusiness research and best practices initiative of the Division of Economic Development

The $75-per-person registration fee includes breakfast, lunch and four seminars. On-site lodging is available.

Reservations to attend the event must be made no later than Aug. 31. To make a reservation, log on to www.nhtelcom.org/ Summit2006/summitinfo.htm or send $75 per person plus your mailing information to NHTA, P.O. Box 219, Concord N.H. 03302.

For information on the High Speed Heroes initiative, visit technologynh.com.

A limited number of sponsorships and vendor booths at the trade show are available as well. For more information, contact Trudy Gendron at the New Hampshire Telecom Association at 1-800-400-NHTA (6482).