Politics

How I Talked to the FCC

Here's how I made the connections that led to my first FCC meeting.

by Marlon Schafer Consultant and CEO, Odessa Office [April 27, 2004]

My first face to face contact with the FCC happened by chance. I was speaking at the ISP Business Expo in Dallas in 2001. Robert Pepper, chief of the Plans and Policy office, was also speaking. I don't normally take notes, but I found myself scribbling stat after stat, and statement after statement. 3 pages worth!

Things like "There are 500,000 Wi-Fi cards being sold per month". "We rate technology adoption by the time it takes to be adopted by 10 percent of the population. The only technology that's hit faster than broadband internet access was black and white TV."

The guy floored me. Not at all the dry, stuffy Nutty Professor type I was expecting! After he was done I introduced myself, said I had to do a session and couldn't talk but I really wanted to chat with him some more. We traded cards, I headed upstairs and started in on my thing. Next thing I know guess who's walking into my session!

Long story short, I called him to chat a bit. That turned into a conference call with a group of ISPs and WISPs. And that turned into a trip out to DC, with a group of WISPs. That turned into the (as far as I know) first ever WISP Training Session at the FCC. That was in June of 2002.

Since that time I've been blessed to have met a number of FCC personnel including about half the Commissioners and most of the Bureau chiefs. I was also asked to come back for the Rural WISP Showcase in November of 2003. And I've led two more teams (always mostly different people) into meetings with various FCC personnel.

They've always been nice, personable and engaging. Not the mean ol' ogres that I, as a small business person, tend to think of bureaucrats as. And there has been one theme that's come through loud and clear, over and over and over.

Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO). The people at the FCC keep saying, over and over again, if you don't talk to us we can't make life better for you. If you don't file comments when we ask questions, don't pick up the phone, don't stop in when you are in the area, shame on you. Others will do that (telco etc.) and they'll set the agenda. You have to come and talk to us.

Spend time at www.cybertelecom.org and learn how to play the game. Then go play. It only hurts a little bit ;-). Don't embarrass the rest of us though!

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