There has been a significant amount of consolidation in every sector of the communications industry. At The INCOMPAS Show, you can learn more from leading financial executives as they discuss merger and acquisition trends in the tech and telecom sector, and share their insights about what may be on the horizon. 

Moderated by Rich Lukaj, senior managing director of the  Bank Street Group, the Mergers and Acquisitions Panel will include  Rick Calder, president and CEO of GTT Communications Inc., and  Chris MacFarland, chairman and CEO of Masergy Communications Inc. (invited).

The Mergers and Acquisitions Panel is just one of the educational and vendor sessions that will be featured at The INCOMPAS Show, April 3-5 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Visit our schedule online to learn more about these sessions, the Buyers Forum, and the many formal and informal networking opportunities that await you. 

Register now! Please note: To qualify for member rates, all companies must have renewed their membership for 2017.  

Make Your Hotel Reservations Today!

By registering now, you also can secure your hotel reservation and benefit from the INCOMPAS preferred rate of $239 per night at our host hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (just 256 steps from the Morial Convention Center). Attendees will receive a link for housing reservations in their registration confirmation email. Discounted rates are limited and only available to registered conference attendees, so book soon!

An all-star line-up of members of Congress and policy leaders from the nation's most innovative internet and tech companies took the stage at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. last week for the 2017 INCOMPAS Policy Summit.

Sen. Cory Gardner

	Sen. Brian Schatz

INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering sat down with Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) to highlight the overlooked impact rural and farming technology has had on the industry. Meanwhile, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) weighed the prospects of key legislation during the upcoming congressional session - from open internet to broadband infrastructure.

Rep. Brett Guthrie

	Rep. Adam Kinzinger

INCOMPAS also welcomed two members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who noted small businesses with better broadband end up doing more business. In addition, they discussed the critical impact broadband has on local schools.

Competition Creates the Future panel.

The audience also heard from senior executives from T-Mobile, Sprint, Twitter, Vimeo, Verizon, DISH, BT Americas and others on the importance of competition policy and need for bigger, more robust networks. Verizon highlighted the impact of 5G, while Microsoft said new networks were critical for burgeoning virtual reality applications.

Hook Me Up broadband deployment panel.
All photos by Stephen E. Purcell

The broadband deployment panel, with competitive innovators like Google Fiber, Rocket Fiber, Lumos Networks and FirstLight Fiber set out a policy agenda for the FCC's new broadband deployment effort that includes addressing local regulatory barriers for poles and infrastructure. They also called for freeing customers in multiunit apartment buildings and condos from monopoly control.

In addition, more than a dozen tech and business journalists joined the event, with reporters from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Communications Daily moderating panels.

"The annual INCOMPAS Policy Summit has quickly become the place for innovative ideas that help shape the future of competition policy in Washington and at the local level," said Pickering. "We want to thank all our sponsors, and the Newseum, and are already looking forward to making next year's event bigger and better."

Verizon will host its second Rural Call Completion Industry Workshop on Wednesday, March 29 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the National Press Club (529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC).

The workshop will include an overview and discussion of investigative activities into rural call completion issues, and a presentation by Dr. Eric Burger of Georgetown University on research he has completed about the issue.

If you would like to attend, you must register no later than Wednesday, March 15. To register, email your name, title, company and email address to
[email protected].

It's time to start planning your news for The INCOMPAS Show, which takes place April 3-5 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.  

Exhibitors and sponsors of the show, and INCOMPAS members, are invited to submit news to The Show Daily. The deadline is Monday, March 20 by 5 p.m. ET.  The Show Daily will hit newsstands at the event on the mornings of Tuesday, April 4, and Wednesday, April 5. 

For more information on editorial guidelines, visit The INCOMPAS Show website. All news releases and accompanying graphics should be emailed directly to Show Daily Editor Tara Seals and INCOMPAS Show PR contact Gail Norris. Companies wishing to advertise in The Show Daily should e-mail Publisher Berge Kaprelian or call 480-503-0770.