FRED is pleased to sponsor the appearance of Phil Jones from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Mr. Jones will speak on the Intercarrier Compensation panel during the second general session on Wednesday, January 21 at OPASTCO's winter convention in Kauai.

Each year, FRED awards over 50 scholarships to students who live in or attend school in the service area of OPASTCO members. Both Telephone Companies and Associate members are eligible to nominate students for this program. Applications are due to the nominating companies by January 30, 2009. All applications are then due to FRED by February 17, 2009.

The 2009 Leadership Through Learning Program will take place April 19-24, 2009. The selection committee is reviewing the applications and the students attending the program will be announced in mid- January.

Each year FRED conducts an Annual Giving Campaign to raise funds for programs that support OPASTCO members and their communities. This year, the campaign will benefit FRED's Scholarship and Ethyl Grant Programs. These programs provide OPASTCO member communities with more than $80,000 in scholarships and grants each year. With your donation to the Annual Giving Campaign, we can increase that amount and give more back to rural areas. Every penny of the money we raise from this campaign is returned to the rural communities we serve.

We are able to do our work thanks to the many donations we receive from the OPASTCO community. If your company is looking for a charity that directly benefits your community, please consider making a donation to FRED's Annual Giving Campaign.

Sponsored by FRED, this 21st annual survey addresses both executive and administrative/operations compensation practices as well as benefits practices of small telecommunications companies. This comprehensive survey includes regional classifications of respondents, participant profiles, and compensation data on more than 65 jobs. The survey was directed by Dr. Robert L. Mathis (Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha) who has had extensive academic and consulting experience in human resource management in many industries, including the rural telecommunications industry. CD version available in 2009! A detailed listing of the jobs and benefits areas covered can be found here.

For a PDF version of the survey, click here.
For an Excel version of the survey, click here.

January 17-21, 2009 - OPASTCO winter convention in Kauai
January 19, 2009 - FRED's traditional Hawaiian luau
February 17, 2009 - Scholarship applications due
April 19 - 24, 2009 - LTL Program in Washington, DC