Telecom News

Time Warner Telecom Inc. will be changing their name to TW Telecom on July 1st. The name have been operating under (Time Warner Telecom) is licenced from Time Warner Inc. but the agreement expires June 30th. However this is a good oppertunity to build a new brand.

 “The time is right to focus our brand around the tw telecom name and a vision, a set of values and a brand promise that we have built over the past decade,” said Larissa Herda, Time Warner Telecom’s Chairman, President, and CEO. “Our new brand name is a key milestone in the evolution of our company, as we become the true choice for business communications services - anywhere. tw telecom acknowledges our heritage and reinforces our commitment to delivering the finest customer experience in the industry, just as we always have.

“As tw telecom, we will stay close to our roots and continue our determination to care for our customers. This company-wide mantra has always been driven by an unfailing commitment and dedication to helping customers succeed. “We have built a company that is unmatched in delivering a powerful combination of nation-wide network assets, innovative solutions, success-based growth strategies, strong financials and a focus on the customer. We leverage these strengths to benefit each one of our customers and to grow long-term shareholder value.

“tw telecom is familiar; it is stable; it is consistent; it is clear, concise and focused – it is who we are,” Herda said. tw telecom has more commercial buildings directly connected to a fiber infrastructure than any other U.S. competitive telecom services provider.

“This gives us the ability to quickly and seamlessly deliver Ethernet and other next generation services to businesses that require more efficient network connectivity,” Herda said. “This strategy has translated into double-digit growth rates for us over the
past several years.”

Time Warner Telecom reported 2007 revenue of $1.084 billion and modified EBITDA of $339 million. The company employs 2,859, as of Dec. 31, 2007. Time Warner Telecom, delivers high-speed, high-capacity communications services at up to 10 Gbps to businesses, organizations, government entities, and carriers over its own national fiber infrastructure and IP backbone. Time Warner Telecom
operates in 75 U.S. metropolitan areas.

Time Warner Telecom has been operating under a name licensing agreement with Time Warner Inc. that will expire June 30, 2008.

About Time Warner Telecom
Time Warner Telecom Inc., headquartered in Littleton, Colo., provides managed network services, specializing in Ethernet and transport data networking, Internet access, local and long distance voice, VoIP and security, to enterprise organizations and communications services companies throughout the U.S. As a leading provider of integrated and converged network solutions, Time Warner Telecom delivers customers overall
economic value, quality, service, and improved business productivity. Please visit www.twtelecom.com for more information.

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Telarus has been voted the Top Master Agent for 2008 by members of the Telecom Association. The award is the Association’s highest honor and is a direct result of votes cast by all eligible members of TA, including agents, vendors, and VARs - all of whom work full-time in the telecom industry.The TA Member’s Choice Award comes on the heals of the Gold 5-Star designation that Telarus received in the 2008 VARBusiness Magazine Partner Program Guide, a guide that acknowledges the commitment and strength of a vendor’s partner programs for its Channel resellers, IT integrators, and technology consultants.

Adam Edwards, president of Telarus at the 2008 Spring Channel Partners Expo

“I feel like we’ve won the Super Bowl and World Series, all in the span of one week” commented Adam Edwards, president of Telarus. “Many people have asked the secret to our recent success; as though Telarus became successful overnight. The fact is, we’ve been executing on our unique business model for well over 4 years, quietly attracting new partners and finding new customers both online and offline. Likewise, our agents work extremely hard and they are extremely loyal. We work as a team, not individuals, and we reward our team with new technology that allows them to process more orders in less and less time. It’s just that simple.”

Telarus was nominated for the TA Members Choice Award for Top Master Agent for the first time in 2006 and was awarded the President’s Choice Award for Innovation. After another year of double-digit growth, voting members of the Association finally gave Telarus the nod for the Top Master Agent award.

“On behalf of the Telecom Association I’d like to congratulate Telarus and the other candidates for an outstanding vote” added Dan Baldwin, president of the Telecom Association. “Telarus has always been a peculiar entity because they attract business through affiliates and then distribute such leads to their agents - a model many inside the telecom industry thought would never work. Kudos to Telarus for not following the status quo and for becoming the newest winner of the top Master Agent category.”

“Winning this award is a major coup for Telarus” said Lance Akins, VP of Sales. “It shows just how committed we are to our agent’s livelihoods. We really do lose sleep over how to help them become more successful and they return the favor by leveraging our technology to increase their own productivity. We hope that this award will increase public awareness that there is a master agent who can write software, integrate with all of its carriers for real-time quotes, deliver internet leads to its agents, and wire accurate commissions on-time each and every month.”

About the Telecom Association

Originally founded in 1995, TA is a membership organization for telecom agents, channel partners and vendors that provide the telecom and technology business services. Of TA’s 2,000 members, about two-thirds are distributors and the rest are providers. TA collects, creates, publishes and distributes information and content that TA members need or desire to help make their businesses more efficient and profitable. To learn more visit http://www.telecomassociation.com/ or contact Dan Baldwin at 951-245-6877.

About Telarus

Telarus is a premier master agency who’s goal is to make agents more successful than they can be on their own or with any other master agency. Telarus provides is agents tools, automation, superior support, all in an atmosphere of cooperation and ethical community. Telarus drives warm leads to its agents and VARs through its web marketing portals which include: ShopforT1.com, ShopforEthernet.com, VARNetwork.com, and VARPartner.com.

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Legal Alert from the LAW OFFICES OF THOMAS K. CROWE, P.C.
for more information contact Jaclyn J. Murray, Legal Assistant [firm@tkcrowe.com] - Full contact info at end of article.

The information below represents a non-exhaustive list of FCC and selected state (i.e., CA, NY and TX) regulatory assessment and reporting requirements coming due March 4, 2008 through April 30, 2008.  The filing deadlines generally apply to diverse types of service providers, including interexchange or long distance telecommunications service providers, prepaid calling card providers, wireless providers and MVNOs, as well as other types of providers.  If your company holds an FCC 214 authorization or provides intrastate toll service in any one of the states listed below, chances are that one or more of the requirements covered in this Alert may apply to your company.  Interest on late payments and/or other penalties, including loss of state certification, may apply if filings or payments are not submitted on time.   

FCC
2008 FCC Form 499-A – Due April 1.  All intrastate, interstate, and international providers of telecommunications within the U.S. are generally required to file the Form 499-A.  This includes providers which qualified as de minimis in 2007.
International Circuit Status Report – Due March 31.
International Resold Private Line Addition Report – Due March 31.
Prepaid Card Provider FCC Certification – Due March 31.
Section 43.21(c) Annual Report – Due April 1. 

California 
Combined California PUC Telephone Surcharge Transmittal – Due March 10.
Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge Return – Due March 31.
Operational and Financial Information Annual Report – Due April 1. 
Combined California PUC Telephone Surcharge Transmittal – Due April 10. 
Quarterly Fee Statement for PUC Utilities Reimbursement Account – Due April 15.
California PUC User Fee – Due April 15.Emergency Telephone Users Surcharge Return – Due April 30. 

New York 
Wireless Communications Service Surcharge Report – Due March 15.
Statement of Gross Intrastate Operating Revenue – Due March 31. 

Texas
 9-1-1 Wireless Emergency Service Fee Report – Due March 20.
USF Worksheet – Due March 25.
9-1-1 Wireless Emergency Service Fee Report – Due April 20.
USF Worksheet – Due April 25.
Telecommunications Assessment Report – Due April 30.                

If you need assistance in submitting any of these reports or filings, or would like to retain us to handle your state and/or FCC filing obligations, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Jaclyn J. Murray, Legal Assistant  [firm@tkcrowe.com]  Law Offices of Thomas K. Crowe, P.C.
1250 24th Street, N.W.
Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 263-3640 (voice)
(202) 263-3641 (fax)
www.tkcrowe.com  

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Telarus, Inc., premier telecom master agent and creator of VARNetwork.com  has been recognized by CMP Channel’s VARBusiness as one of North America’s top information-technology (IT) vendors for its VAR Network.

Telarus was certified as a Gold 5-Star Overall Winner in VARBusinesses’ 2008 Partner Program Guide (PPG), a guide that acknowledges the commitment and strength of a vendor’s partner programs for its Channel resellers, IT integrators, and technology consultants.

“This award is huge recognition for our company,” said Adam Edwards, president of Telarus. “We work very hard to make telecommunication carrier sales easy for equipment and IP networking VARs through our proprietary real-time quote technology and in-house CRM tool. Allowing our VAR partners instant access to complex carrier pricing information has allowed them to succeed in an area of business that instantly adds to their bottom lines.”

Of the hundreds of vendor program entries reviewed for this year’s guide, Telarus was one of only ten Gold 5-Star Overall Winners chosen in this 14th annual VARBusiness Partner Programs Guide survey. Telarus was also certified a Silver 5-Star Winner in the Partner Profitability, Communication and Partner Recruitment categories.

“The quality of a vendor’s partner program reflects the true commitment they have to the thriving Solution Provider Channel, and this years 5-Star Partner Programs Guide winners are the cream of the crop of Channel-friendly vendors,” said Robert C. DeMarzo, vice president and editorial director, CMP Channel.

“The Telarus VAR Network is second to none” added Robert Butler, director of the Telarus VAR Program. “We are the only telecom master agent who has invested substantial time and money into creating software to support a truly unique and streamlined program whose sole focus is making carrier sales easy for VARs. In the past year we’ve released The guide appears in the March issue of VARBusiness and can be found online at www.channelweb.com.

About Telarus

Telarus is a premier master agency whose goal is to make agents more successful than they can be on their own or with any other master agency. Telarus provides agent tools, automation, and superior support in an atmosphere of cooperation and ethical community. One example of the tools Telarus provides its agents is real-time voice and data price quoting through its patent-pending GeoQuote technology. GeoQuote makes it possible for business shoppers to access instant pricing and availability information for over 30 broadband data and voice service providers which include ACC Business, AireSpring, AT&T, Cavalier, Covad, Level3, MegaPath, Network Innovations, NewEdge Networks, Nuvox, PAETEC, One Communications, PowerNet Global, Qwest, TelePacific, Telnes, Time Warner Telecom, UCN, and XO Communications.If you are interested in making Telarus your Master Agent, please visit us here

About VARBusiness 
For the past 20 years, VARBusiness’ strategic resources have been the gateway to the commercial and public sector (or government) Solution Provider community. The VARBusiness integrated platform of media opportunities provides strategic insight for technology integrators through industry-defining research, in-depth editorial, channel events and innovative Web services, enabling these IT professionals to make educated decisions for their businesses, partnerships and customers. VARBusiness offerings lead vendors and distributors to unprecedented access to the most powerful strategic Solution Providers in the market. VARBusiness has been the recipient of numerous industry awards for both editorial content and design.

About CMP Channel (www.cmpchannelgroup.com)
CMP Channel is the one stop shop customers turn to in order to meet their global sales channel objectives from access to execution. Through use of its family of channel solutions which include CRN and VARBusiness, the ChannelWeb network, XChange Events and the Institute for Partner Education & Development (IPED), vendors are able to accelerate sales through the channel. CMP Channel provides a worldwide answer to advertising, branding and marketing services, lead generation, market intelligence, branded and custom events, education of solution providers and best practices for vendors.

About CMP
CMP (http://www.cmp.com/) is a media and marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. With the leading online, event and print brands in all technology market categories, and with services and tools that reach beyond traditional advertising, CMP shapes and influences the technology industry worldwide. CMP publishes highly respected media brands such as TechWeb, InformationWeek, ChannelWeb, CRN, EE Times and TechOnline; produces major industry events such as Interop, Web 2.0 Expo, XChange, Game Developers Conference and the Embedded Systems Conferences; and provides business information and marketing services such as the International Customer Management Institute, Semiconductor Insights and Second Life consulting for technology marketers. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. For more CMP news, go to cmp.com/news.

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