Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Potential FCC travel restrictions

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 11:59:10 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
From: "ciadvocate" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Potential FCC travel restrictions

I'm going to have to agree with Alan T. here. While the McCain bill 
would increase the FCC's travel allowances, it wouldn't be enough to 
allow the mid-level staff members to get to smaller conferences 
(like, say, ours), and the Commissioners and higher-level people 
would have to be choosy. As Alan notes, they would continue to show 
at the big conferences, but would be even less available for what 
they consider lesser events, and land mobile is not at the top of 
their lists.
UTC has a limited amount of funding to pay for FCC guests -- we find 
the lowest-possible coach airfare, and our guests do not get 
expensive suites. We invite the people our members should hear from 
and the personnel who should hear from our members. At a trade 
association meeting, FCC personnel get the chance to speak to dozens 
of people who would never show for a meeting in Washington -- to 
their credit, most Commission staff consider it a good opportunity to 
hear from the "real" people. So the non-profit trade associations and 
their members would be among the real losers if this bill passes.

Jill Lyon
UTC

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From: Jack Daniel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 11:08:29 -0700

I fully appreciate what you are saying. I do a lot of association work
also but not as much as you.

Maybe we all need to get creative and stop being viewed as lapdogs to
deep pockets. 

I don't want to automatically accept the conclusion that we MUST accept
corporate influence over our FCC speakers to have an FCC presence at our
functions. 

Laura made some very good points about having a WDC presence to address
the staffers and that should be an ongoing activity of every
association, not just a once a year event. Quarterly or monthly
symposiums where your members and staff make meaningful presentations to
FCC staffers will keep them coming back and get your message across.

As Alan T. also pointed out, it is not the big names at the FCC that get
things done for us, it's the working staff. 

No association can afford to keep the FCC travelers in the style they
have become accustomed to, but never forget it's YOUR meeting that gives
the corporate sponsors a reason to pay for these trips.

Since it's in your association's name and on your turf, why not solicit
corporate member sponsors to give their bucks to the association
instead. Then it's your association members sponsoring the FCC travel.
That allows you to pool the sponsorships and diffuse the influence of
any one big sponsor.

Sure, sponsors can get credit and honorable mention for their
contributions to the association, that's supposed to be their reason for
helping the association anyway isn't it?

Association meetings are of great value to your members and your causes,
but you degrade that if you take the easiest way out and let some
predatory corporate entities literally take over your events and control
your program. 

Don't you agree that what your association is doing is important enough
to draw good speakers and programs and sponsors without relying on
corporate bribery?

Remember we are only concerned with sponsors that have a big stake in
OUR industry, not broadcasting or cable or anything else. So where are
corporate sponsors in OUR industry going to go if not to our association
meetings?

Seems to me we need an adjustment in some association policies.
We can chose to continue as influence vehicles used by a few
self-serving corporations or risk having fewer and lower level FCC
attendees at an unbiased open forum. 

The associations will WIN when they can get their message direct to the
FCC attendees without thier message being compromised to satisfy big
sponsors who may have a different agenda.

This bill makes your job of maintaining an independent position easier. 

But I may be wrong.......
Jack Daniel
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