I was quite pleased to read such a comprehensive article in your October issue regarding the tremendous inroads achieved by the KREDC’s Telecommunications Committee. I’d like to take it a step further, in conformance with our mission to increase the opportunity for family-wage, community-based jobs...beginning with our many volunteers. After all, why not inform our business and government community of these professionals, so we can reduce our exportation of them to outlying counties? Let’s find more places for them to work here by promoting them, as well as our initiatives. Long before officially functioning under the KREDC umbrella, these individuals and entities gave extensively of their expertise and time over the years to make these successes possible.

Also, while the free market competition method was a factor in some of our results, due credit should certainly be given to the many telecom partners who voluntarily and consistently attended and participated in our meetings, including information provided for the Last Mile report. This collaborative result is almost unheard of in a sometimes hostile and secretive environment.

Thus, I’d like to thank those members and supporters of both the core and private sector subcommittees — Gary Baker, Linux-Works; Brad Camp, Sprint; Lary Coppola, Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal; Phil Dorn, Port Gamble S’Klallam Development Authority; Kevin Dwyer, Bainbridge Island Chamber; Jim Freeman, Coldwell Banker; Rand Hein, Voice Processing Specialists; David Jackson, Day City Internet; David Jones, Kitsap PUD #1; Wini Jones, Bainbridge Economic Council; Bob Malecki, Northwest Network Services; Skip Malette, Digibode, Inc; Jeff Mattox, Mattox Consulting Group; Tom Novotney, Qwest; John Stockwell, Convergence Technologies and NW Commnet; Nancy Stump, Phynity; Mike Walton, eAcceleration; David Miller; Charles Keating, Keating Consulting Service, Inc.; David B. Pabst, EnterSource, Inc; Stella Ley, Qwest; Jerry Rotondo, (formerly) Charter Communications; Manson Hanks, CenturyTel; Dale King, Silver City Group; Stan Finley, AT&T, and last but not least, Elaine Davis of the Fair Competition Alliance.

Doña L. Keating
Vice Chairman, Kitsap Regional Telecommunications Committee
Chairman, Subcommittee on Private Sector Last Mile Solutions