VOIP Marketing Tip 98

Lately there have been a bunch of articles about VoIP and Hosted PBX and small business. Do you have an article on your website that reads like any of these?

5 Reasons Small Business Should Switch to VOIP [link] Hosted VoIP vs. Premise Based VoIP: The Honest Truth [FreedomIQ] Could the Cloud Kill PBX [itbe] Is VoIP Is Right For Your Office [blog] Hosted VoIP/PBX - Ten Questions You Should be Asking Your Vendors [techrepublic white paper]

Windstream Adding Services

After settling its $7 million billing dispute with Alltel (now Verizon), Windstream announces a couple of new services aimed at SMB but also aimed to bring in higher ARPU and stickiness.

Windstream is now offering ConnectStream Secure, a high-performance yet affordable managed security product for small and medium business customers.

Wiindstream is also offering an online backup and file sharing service designed especially for residential and small business customers, powered by Radialpoint.

What are you announcing to your customer base? Or do they just hear silence from you and lots of noise from your competition?

NOFA Reactions

Broadband Stimulus Podcast #2: NOFA Reactions

Speakers: Peter Radizeski, Marketing and Sales Consultant at RAD-INFO, Inc. and Juan Vela, Occam Networks.

Juan and Peter discuss their reactions to the BIP/BTOP NOFA in the second in our series of Broadband Stimulus related podcasts. (The NOFA is the notice of funds availability for the Broadband Stimulus package. BTOP and BIP are separate programs that both the RUS and the NTIA are in charge of. Each agency will be administering grants and loans for delivery of broadband to unserved and underserved areas).

Click here to listen.

Broadband Stimulus Update

I wrote up the update on TMC this week. Head over there to read it.

De-Tariff California

California De-tariffing Effective July 15, 2009 - As a result of changes in the regulation governing telecommunications services in California, most business telecommunications services offered by AT&T California and AT&T Long Distance, will no longer be provided pursuant to tariffs filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”). Effective July 15, 2009, most of the AT&T business telecommunications services our customers subscribe to will be offered under the terms and conditions of the Business Services Agreement. (Posted 7/13)

BTOP Update again

BTOP and BIP Broadband Grants availability

From the LAW OFFICES OF THOMAS K. CROWE, P.C.:

Last week, on July 1, 2009, the Rural Utilities Service (“RUS”) of the Department of Agriculture and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) of the Department of Commerce released a Notice of Funds Availability (“NOFA”) announcing the policies and application procedures for the first round of funding for broadband initiatives established pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“Recovery Act”). Pursuant to the Recovery Act, the RUS has established the Broadband Initiatives Program (“BIP”), and the NTIA has established the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (“BTOP”).

Read the rest here

Hearing on Review of Rural Broadband Programs

Testimony of Mark G. Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, before the U.S. House of Representatives (Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture of the Committee on Agriculture) Whew!

“[W]e will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.”

"In my testimony, I will focus on NTIA’s implementation of BTOP and the State Broadband Data Program, and address our collaborative efforts with RUS and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to achieve the objectives of the Recovery Act and expand access to broadband services in the United States." Read the testimony here.

Whitacre at GM

I still can't believe that they hired former SBC CEO Ed Whitacre as Chairman for the New GM. What amazes me is how thee are no parallels between GM and SBC. GM is not a monopoly and does not have favorable legislative or regulatory aid. SBC was a Baby Bell that through mergers rebuilt AT&T. Is that what he will do with GM? Rebuild the old GM?

As CEO of AT&T and predecessor Southwestern Bell from 1990 to 2007, Whitacre built the smallest of the so-called Baby Bells into the world’s largest telecommunications company. He retired with a compensation package valued at $158.5 million, according to the Corporate Library in Portland, Maine.

Nice. I wonder how much we are paying him for the GM gig.

On to BTOP...

DNS Filtering

Bright House has had a series of DNS outages this year. Comcast just released its new DNS Re-direct service in trial cities. (It's a test to see if anyone complains). Most of the Top 12 ISP's have been using Bear Fruit DNS tools for over a year. Re-direct and you spelled it wrong are just 2 of the tools.

BTW, OpenDNS just raised a second round of funding.

Lifehacker has 5 content filtering tools for your clients - or you can use Squid and offer URL filtering yourself, especially to businesses.

Savvis in Legal Trouble over Audit

This is an interesting case involving Savvis auditing a client for VISA security compliance. The suggestion is that audits are a picture of time and that companies need to have a point person in charge of security - that could be your firm if you have the talent.

4 Reasons Business is Off

I read this article and chuckled because this was part of my Marketing session in Nashville. The Top 4 Reasons your business is off:

1. Your website is awful and hasn't been updated since 2004. Your website is your online brochure and sales agent. (The portal site of news, etc., should be a separate page for customers).
2. Your marketing is non-existent. At least send out a newsletter to current customers to be more than a bill to be paid to them. (Plus you might upsell them to gain more mind share).
3. Your salespeople are not Dis-qualifying leads - and spending too much time on the wrong leads. (What's a Wrong Lead? Low margin deals or unqualified buyers.)
4. You are not talking to your Top Customers to find out (a) why they buy from you; and (b) what else they might buy from you if you offered it (or they knew you supplied it).

VoIP Sales Are Up

By all accounts Hosted VoIP sales are up: http://tinyurl.com/mkjhxx

One reason: "the boost in subscribership is due to the fact that there’s a "crop of new business start-ups" out there "whose entrepreneurial founders had perhaps suddenly found themselves unemployed and ready to take destiny into their own hands.""

At FISPA, we had to sessions to help you sell Digital Voice. Are you doing it?

More Broadband Stimulus Search

So far most of the information about the Broadband Stimulus (BTOP) has been a re-hashing of the original ideas from the bill and some guesses and gossip about the development of the program. (See here for last BTOP post). But the Notice of Funds Availability was released. (PDF) It's available from the RUS page.

Here's the portal to apply for broadband funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. "The Recovery Act appropriated $7.2 billion and directed the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the U.S., increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure, and provide long-term economic benefits. The result is the RUS Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)."

"BIP will make loans and grants for broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas. BTOP will provide grants to fund broadband infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable broadband adoption projects."

The first tranche of applications will be accepted between July 14 until August 14, 2009.

NTIA Workshops are going on NOW starting July 7! See here. (Follow link from USDA Workshops page using register online link)

Grant Writers probably have little if any experience writing grants for broadband (tech), mostly they write for rural healthcare and e-rate for libraries.

The Rural Development Broadband Loan Program is committed to ensuring that rural America has access to affordable, reliable broadband service through loans for rural communities. There is a search tool designed to allow you to find information about RUS funded Broadband Loans... here.

Last point: it's about Job Creation, Shovel Ready, and Bridging the Digital Divide.

UPDATE: US Agencies Require Net Neutrality With Broadband Grants - http://tinyurl.com/n3trq2

BTOP Broadband Stimulus update

Following up on the BTOP / Broadband Stimulus from the earlier post, here's more info:

BTOP Funding Criteria, Definitions, and Comments

USDA Releases Broadband Guidelines

From Stimulating Broadband blog: "In defining the "Strategy" of the $2.5 billion broadband program to be administered by RUS, the document states, "RUS will offer grants, direct loans and loan / grant combo."" [Scribd PDF]

Dave Burnstein provided good advice on how you should be quantifying the jobs you'll create with your plan. Also, Get involved in community outreach programs, such as training partnerships with community colleges and libraries.

DSL Prime's David Burstein shares the newest updates on what you should be including in your application in order to get noticed. [Podcast]

Review guidelines for NTIA and RUS applications

8 Points for Understanding Today's Broadband Stimulus Regulations

My advice: If you don't have a CPA and bookkeeper now, don't try for the money. You have to track it carefully or go to jail. In most cases, the money is for assets only, not for laber or OPEX (operating expenses). If you don't understand how to break out CAPEX and OPEX in GAAP accounting, get a CPA who can because spending funds on lawyers to explain it all will stink.

FCC Changes

Amid a crammed schedule, the FCC is in the midst of staff musical chairs. The Senate finally confirmed Julius Genachowski as the new FCC Chairman. So Copps goes from Acting Chair back to Commissioner. Jonathan Adelstein moves over to run the RUS. McDowell was just re-appointed as a Republican seat. Other Commissioners are for Senate confirmation - "Republican lawyer Meredith Attwell Baker to be a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission. Baker, along with recent nominee Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat, will fill the last vacancies in the five-member commission." [Forbes]

The first meeting of the new FCC is tomorrow.

1. The DTV transition just finished.
2. The FCC is still working to design a National Broadband Policy.
3. There is a 2.5 GHz spectrum auction coming up.
4. Cell Phone exclusivity policy to be reviewed.
5. Oh, that Inter-Carrier Compensation thing and
6. the rising USF contributions (12.9% now).

Full plate.

Other appointments confirmed were, "the Senate has approved Lawrence Strickling as Assistant Secretary for the Communications and Information in the Department of Commerce and administrator of the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA). With the Senate’s swift actions FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein is now available to begin the confirmation process that will make him head of the Rural Utility Service (RUS)." [WisBusiness]