The development of the Independent Forum originated from my initial reluctance to continue publication of the Independent Telecom Report after retiring from my law practice, where I was privileged to work with hundreds of rural telecom providers.  On the one hand, my retirement did not mean that I had retired my interest in rural telecom and the companies that serve rural America.  On the other hand, though, I was not satisfied that continuing the Independent Telecom Report by itself - separate from the law practice - would either satisfy me or be as fully useful to you as I would want it to be.

 

      My concern was driven by the reality that our Report by itself is a “one-way” venue.  The Report alone, does not provide a forum for comment or questions about the information we send or other issues impacting the telecom industry.   If we were to continue the Report,  I wanted - at minimum-  to offer a new forum that not only would achieve that purpose, but one that would also encourage the development and sharing of ideas among companies that will increase revenues and decrease costs.

 

      I hope that as you explore the Independent Forum site, you’ll agree that the various site pages - “Independent 411,”  “Speakers’ Corner,” “Perspectives” and more - offer those opportunities.  Both the format and the content of the site are still in the Beta stage, and I’d greatly appreciate your feedback - good or bad - with any suggestions you may have, from thoughts on the content and concepts to ideas for the format.

 

     The reality is that the site itself cannot provide the intended benefits without participation by you and your colleagues - and, please forgive the pun - the Independent Forum site won’t evolve from “Beta” to “better” without your involvement, input and posts. 

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Welcome to the Independent Forum!

                                                                                                                                             -  Steve Kraskin