FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2008

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Joins With Connected Nation to Bring Technology to All Americans

TIA President Grant Seiffert Joins Connected Nation Leadership to Promote Public-Private Efforts for Expanding Broadband

Arlington, Va. – Grant Seiffert, President of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leader in advocacy, standards development, business development and intelligence for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, recently joined the Connected Nation Board. Seiffert’s new role positions TIA alongside a powerful ally with similar policy objectives and a proven track record through state and local grassroots awareness/adoption campaigns. The Connected Nation Board includes U.S. technology leaders representing industry, labor, academia and government, planning for ways to partner together to promote U.S. leadership in ensuring access to and use of broadband and related technology.

“I’m excited at the prospect of joining the Connected Nation board, which will mutually support TIA’s efforts in this area that we’ve been working on over the past decade,” said Seiffert. “The closeness with which their public service mission dovetails with TIA’s goals is particularly gratifying, especially in creating public-private partnerships to expand broadband access and improve quality of life for individuals and communities. Connected Nation’s results on the state level are extremely impressive, and with added resources and partnerships, we are confident that our joint efforts will reap benefits for consumers, government and industry as a whole.”

Connected Nation, the national non-profit widely recognized for its ability to dramatically impact broadband availability and technology literacy, recently assembled its expanding team of directors to accelerate the organization’s national impact. Connected Nation research has indicated that the U.S. economy stands to benefit by $134 billion annually by increasing use of broadband.

“Grant Seiffert is a technology leader in America and brings a wealth of experience to the Connected Nation Board of Directors,” said Brian Mefford, Chairman and CEO of Connected Nation. “We are bringing together a broad coalition that is capable of working together to generate meaningful results that yield more and better broadband for all parts of the country. Together, we are working to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to realize the promise of technology. The future of our country’s economic prowess and the extent of opportunities for our children depend on it.”

For more information about the Connected Nation Board of Directors, visit
http://www.connectednation.org/our_team/board_of_directors.php

For more information on TIA, contact Mike Snyder at msnyder@tiaonline.org

About TIA
Currently in its 84th year, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory analysis. Thousands of companies and individuals work through TIA to enhance the business environment for telecommunications, broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite, unified communications, emergency communications and the greening of technology. TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

TIA’s Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ACS, ADC, ADTRAN, Alcatel- Lucent, ANDA Networks, ArrayComm, AttivaCorp, Avaya, Bechtel Communications, Inc., Cam Communications, Cisco Systems, Corning Incorporated, Ericsson, Inc., Graybar, Harris Stratex, Henkels & McCoy, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nortel, OneChip Photonics Inc., Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics, Ulticom, Inc., Verari Systems, Westell Technologies, Inc. and Zebra Technologies Corporation. Advisors to the Board include FAL Associates, ILS Technology, Orca Systems and Telcordia Technologies.

TIA membership enhances the ability of companies to prepare for the future of communications. TIA brings people and businesses together by helping the industry overcome technical and political barriers to communications. Visit www.tiaonline.org for details.

About Connected Nation: Connected Nation (www.connectednation.org) is a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization widely recognized for its ability to improve digital inclusion. Connected Nation expands access to and use of broadband Internet and the related technologies that are enabled when communities and families have the opportunity and desire to connect. For the United States, this means better education, more jobs, improved healthcare, more efficient government and a better quality of life. Connected Nation has garnered international, industry-wide recognition as a best-practice model for technology expansion. The model relies on a public-private structure to accomplish extensive broadband asset mapping and to create customized local technology plans through grassroots eCommunity Leadership Teams. Additional programs include No Child Left Offline®, which places computers in homes that otherwise could not afford them.

 

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