Speaker Bio's

Jeff Blaylock has served as the Chief Clerk of the House Committee on State Affairs for Chairman Steven Wolens since November 1999. The 15-member committee has jurisdiction over the electric utility and telecommunications industries, open government laws, state agency management, procurement policy, ethics and lobbying laws, public employment, information technology, homeland security, abortion, and other matters of statewide policy. He has previously served the Texas House of Representatives as a researcher for its House Research Organization for which he wrote analyses of banking, energy, and tax legislation.  He has served in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he worked on veteran's health care and related issues, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he conducted econometric analyses of VA health care trends and budget resources. He has worked for the U.S. General Accounting Office and former Fort Worth Congressman Pete Geren. He has also owned a small consulting business based in Austin. 
Jeff has a bachelor's degree in journalism, with a political science minor, from Texas Christian University and a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University in Washington. At Georgetown, Jeff's research included specifying a cost function for the VA health care system that explained differences between VA hospitals in terms of cost and care quality measures, and evaluating the potential problems arising from deregulation of the electric generation industry.

David Brown, General Attorney for SBC Southwestern Bell, has handled various assignments for SBC Communications Inc. or one of its subsidiaries since 1992. Mr. Brown has been responsible at various times for federal and state regulatory issues, including implementation of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 (FTA) and its impact upon landline, cellular, long-distance, and other businesses; FTA interconnection arbitrations; collocation; customer information and privacy issues; federal regulatory appellate work; external communications, including press and advertisements; legislative, lobbying, and ethics issues; and municipal relations and right-of-way issues.  Before joining SBC Southwestern Bell, Mr. Brown was in private practice in Dallas, Texas, with the law firm of Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Hill & LaBoon, handling commercial litigation, including securities fraud and lender liability, and bankruptcy matters. Mr. Brown received his BS and BA (1982) and JD (1985) from Southern Methodist University, where he was on the board of editors of the SMU Law Review Association Journal of Air Law and Commerce.  He and his wife, Janna, reside in Austin and have three daughters, Caitlin, Meagan, and Erin.

Richard Brown is the Director of Grants and Services at the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board. He came to the TIF Board following over 30 years in public Education where prior to retirement he served as a classroom teacher and, for 24 years, a high school principal. He has been with the TIF Board approximately 31/2 years, working as a grant administrator, manager of grants and services and now as Director of the Grants and Services section.  Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and a Master of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He and his wife Karen live in Round Rock. He has three children and three grandchildren.

Robert Cannon is Senior Counsel for Internet Issues in the Office of Plans and Policy of the Federal Communications Commission. Prior to this position, he was Deputy Director of the FCC's Y2K Task Force. He is also the Founder of the Washington Internet Project, a pro-bono project dedicated to promoting awareness of and participation in federal regulatory developments that affect the Internet www.cybertelecom.org. Mr. Cannon moderates the Cybertelecom-l listserv and edits the e-newsletter CybertelecomNews. His article on the Communications Decency Act was published in the Federal Communications Law Journal, cited before the Supreme Court in Reno v. ACLU, and republished in an anthology on the First Amendment. His article on the FCC's Computer Inquiries Proceedings is being published as an FCC Working Paper, in Catholic University's Law Journal Commlaw Conspectus, and as an anthology by MIT Press. He is a Legal Columnist for Boardwatch Magazine and has spoken at widely. He was the creator and co-chair of the Federal Communication Bar Association's Online Communications Committee. In 1993, he completed a judicial clerkship with Judge Steffen Graae in D.C. Superior Court. He can be reached at cannon@cybertelecom.org.

Tom Cantrell is the Director of Government Affairs for the Middle America Cox division of Cox Communications. He is responsible for all franchising and governmental affairs activities associated with Cox's largest operating group and communicating the often times complex aspects of their business to public officials in over 300 franchise locations.  Mr. Cantrell joined Cox last fall and returned to Texas after nearly seven years as the Director of Franchising and Government Affairs for TCI Midwest Region and its successor, AT&T Broadband, in Bloomington, Indiana. He began his career in the cable television industry in 1980 and has held various positions of responsibility including serving as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Houston where he taught upper division courses in cable television to students in the Department of Communications.  He holds a BA from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey and is currently working on his Masters degree in business administration at the University of Texas at Tyler.   Middle America Cox has over 800,000 customers in seven states, with the largest number of systems in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Cox Communications, a Fortune 500 company, serves approximately 6.2 million customers nationwide, making it the nation's fifth largest cable television company.

Steve Catlin is a Network Consultant with MicroAge College Station. Prior to joining MicroAge, Steve served as a Network Analyst and Systems Analyst for the City of College Station. Steve primarily deals with Cisco, HP, 3COM and Intel networks for School Districts, Public Libraries and Local Government entities. MicroAge College Station has implemented Community Wide Networks in Bastrop, Smithville and has recently begun work on the CN2 grant for the City of Taylor. In addition, MicroAge currently support 35-40 public libraries in Texas. Approximately 50-60% of our business is in government and education.  Steve graduated from Texas A&M University in 1994.

Patti Clifford,  Conference Coordinator of the 2002 TeleCommunity Bandwidth Conference is the Associate Director of the TeleCommunity Resource Center. Clifford is also Director of the famed "Internet Roadshow" community technology educational programs.  A twenty-year technology industry professional, she was a senior administrator with Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), worked five years with the Texas legislature and remains an active college technology teacher. She serves as coordinator of the 2001 TeleCommunity Bandwidth Conference, 2001 National Community Network Conference, and Texas coordinator of the 2002 Community Technology Center Conference.

John Collins, a lawyer from Dallas, currently services in the capacity of a Board member, the Library Committee Chair, and a member of the Public Information Committee. He also contributes to the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board by attending the Library Working Group. His appointment by Lt. Governor Bob Bullock began on November 7, 1995, and his second term expires on August 31, 2003. Mr. Collins is one of the original members of the Board, serving since the agency's creation.  Mr. Collins is also a Past-President of the North Texas Freenet, a non-profit organization devoted to building community networks. He is a Past-President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Collins has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. Mr. Collins is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of Texas School of Law.

Gene Crick is Executive Director of the TeleCommunity Resource Center (TCRC) a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to develop community Internet tools and networks, especially in underserved areas. TCRC brought free public Internet access to twenty-five Texas towns and cities. TCRC's national program includes resources and outreach to support local CN builders, plus working to bring online network resources to communities throughout Texas. Described as one of the country's leading experts in community uses of Internet technology, he is advisor to the state's strategic plan for information technology, as well as an architect of Texas Community Network grant programs.  Gene is also Executive Director of the Texas Internet Service Providers Association, the country's largest regional ISP association, as well as Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN), one of the country's oldest and most successful online community networks.  Gene works with, and serves on several federal and international boards and commissions, and has won numerous awards for leadership in community networks, including a Presidential Medal in 2001 for Service in the Field of Telecommunications, the Susan B. Hadden Award for Public Service in Telecom (1998), and was named by Texas Monthly as one of Texas's 25 most influential technology leaders.

Salvador (Sal) Cuellar is the Director of Product Marketing for SBC Communications. His current areas of responsibility and expertise are in broadband marketing and product development for SBC subsidiaries including DSL, ADSL, SDSL, IDSL, and 2 way Satellite Internet. His previous career experience with Southwestern Bell Telephone includes Network Operations and Engineering. Additionally, Mr. Cuellar has worked in SBC Corporate Marketing for DSL Marketing & Product Development and SBC International for ATM, DSL Product Marketing & Product Development.

Susan Darr, Southwestern Bell Telephone Director-External Affairs, shares information about state and federal telecommunication discount programs for schools, libraries and non-profit hospitals. Ms. Darr has been writing and speaking about telecommunication issues and opportunities for 20 years. She holds a Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia (1981) and a master's of business administration via Southwestern Bell's distance learning/continuing education partnership with the University of Dallas.

Carl E. Erhart is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Verizon's southwest Region.  He is based in Austin and oversees the Company's Regulatory Programs in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.  Carl is a 18 year veteran of the telecommunications industry having held a number of positions with MCI, Contel, GTE, and now Verizon in the areas of finance, accounting, wireless, regulatory and governmental affairs.  Carl received a B.S. in Accounting from Robert Morris College, an MBA from George Mason University and is a CPA.  He can be reached at carl.erhart@verizon.com

Eddie Esquivel was recently assigned as Director of the Telecommunications Services Division (TSD) at the Department of Information Resources (DIR). TSD is responsible for providing telecommunication services for all of state government and is the second largest government network in the United States. Mr. Esquivel previously was Director of the Enterprise Operations Division at DIR. Mr. Esquivel has 16 years experience in state government - specializing in telecommunications technology and issues involving telecommunications in government. Mr. Esquivel has previously served on the Board of Directors of the national Smart Card Forum and was the Vice-chair of the Forum's Interoperability Committee. Mr. Esquivel has also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Southwest Center for the Advancement of Technical Education (SCATE), chaired the TEX-AN Users Group for three years and served on the State of Texas Telecommunications Planning Group.

Steve Farabee is the Vice President of Digital Online Services, Time Warner Cable Austin Division. As Vice President of Digital Online Services for Time Warner Cable's Austin Division, Mr. Farabee launched the online operations in Central Texas and is responsible for the ongoing operations of the Road Runner high-speed online service in Austin, Round Rock, San Marcos and surrounding areas served by Time Warner Cable. Farabee introduced innovative marketing and service programs to appeal and fulfill the needs of Austin's high tech. community. Under Mr. Farabee's direction, Time Warner Cable Austin reached the 10,000 Road Runner subscriber milestones faster than any other Division and was the first Division to install 100 customers in one day! Many of Farabee's marketing and service programs have been implemented nationally in other Time Warner Divisions. Road Runner is now the largest Internet service provider in Central Texas.  Mr. Farabee recently served as the telecommunications cluster leader for the 2001 Greater Austin@Work Summit and is now an active board member for the Austin Community College Downtown Education Center. Mr. Farabee, is a 19-year veteran of the cable industry holding positions in sales, marketing and operations.  Mr. Farabee is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.

Bob Gaines is the Automation Consultant for the Central Texas Library System and leader of the state Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Library Working Group. His commitment and leadership for statewide access to information resource has earned him the 2001 "Librarian of the Year" by the Texas Library Association.

Charles Gowder, General Manager of Grande River Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valley Telephone Cooperative, Raymondville, Texas, is widely considered as one of the most skilled, farsighted and innovative telephone cooperative leaders in the state. He holds a BS Electrical Engineering, Oklahoma State University and MS Instrumental Sciences, Graduate Institute of Technology, University of Arkansas. His career includes 26 years with Southwestern Bell, 2 years with Yelm Telephone, Yelm Washington, and 6 years at Valley Telephone Cooperative where he has been General Manager since November 1997. His wide Telecommunications Industry Experience also includes Network Operations and Outside Plant Installation.

Kathy Grant serves as Vice President for Government Relations for the Texas Cable & Telecommunications Association (TCTA). She joined TCTA in July of 2000, having represented the Association for five years as a contract lobbyist.  Ms. Grant has a long history of legislative involvement and has participated in the process as an advocate for 13 years representing a broad range of interests. For the past nine years she has concentrated on communications issues, first as a consumer advocate with the Office of Public Utility Counsel and then representing competitive telecommunications interests in the transition to deregulation.  Grant has worked extensively on rural deployment policy issues, representing clients such as Texas Rural Communities and local cable operators bringing high-speed Internet services to communities in Texas.  Grant was previously with the law firms of Casey & Gentz, L.L.P. and Bickerstaff, Heath, Smiley, Pollan, Kever, & McDaniel, L.L.P. She served as a legislative liaison for then Comptroller John Sharp and was a key member of the Comptroller's Lottery startup team. Grant was the Executive Director of a statewide advocacy coalition and has worked for various members of the Legislature.  Ms. Grant is a native Texan and has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a 1991 graduate of Leadership Texas.

Darrell Guthrie is a Director in the Policy Development Division of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Prior to this position, he served as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney (Civil Division) for Lubbock County, Texas. Mr. Guthrie served nine years on active duty in the United States Army and continues to serve as a Civil Affairs officer in the Army Reserve. Mr. Guthrie has served as an arbitrator and advisor on federal interconnection disputes resolved by the Texas Commission. He has testified on numerous occasions before the Texas House State Affairs Committee on cable "open access," wireless tower siting regulation, and the deployment of advanced services to rural and under-served areas in Texas. He supervised the development of the Public Utility Commission of Texas' Report to the 77th Texas Legislature on the Availability of Advanced Services in Rural and High Cost Areas. Mr. Guthrie attended the Texas Tech University School of Law, where he was student editor of the Texas Bank Lawyer Newsletter. He holds a B.S. in Business Economics from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a M.S. in Finance from Texas Tech University.

Bob Harvey is currently Product Line Manager-Data Services for Valor Telecom. A telecommunications professional with over 25 years experience in business development, product management, marketing, telecommunications sales management and sales for voice, data, billing and systems services within the telecommunications industry. Bob has extensive work experience with excellent companies ranging from ATT, Indiana Bell, Ameritech, GTE, Contel, ACS and Valor Telecom. Additionally, Bob has directed product groups for Data, Voice, Centrex, DSL, Private Line, Voice Mail, Enhanced Call Features, 911, Billing services, Call Center Services, and Call Management Services (CRM). He also filed and negotiated the first DSL tariff with the FCC.  Bob has a BA from Purdue University, MBA from Indiana University and served in the Military Police of the U.S. Army. Bob is married and has two sons.

Paul Hudson, a member of Governor Perry's Policy Office since it's inception in January, Paul Hudson's role as policy director for business and regulatory issues requires that he dabble in a wide range of policy arenas. Among his issue areas utilities, housing, workforce/labor, business, economic development and defense tend to absorb the most time. His current tasks include facilitating the establishment of the newly created Office of Rural and Community Affairs and planning certain initiatives for the Governor. Prior to joining the Governor's Policy Office, Mr. Hudson worked at the Public Utility Commission in a variety of roles including ultimately a stint working as an advisor to Commissioner Brett Perlman. In prior lives Mr. Hudson has been a firefighter, high school teacher, policy wonk for the Criminal Justice Policy Council, and worked for the Arizona legislature. Mr. Hudson graduated from the University of Texas and completed a masters degree at Arizona State University.

Dave Hughes is a partner of Old Colorado City Communications, an Internet, wirelessly connected communications company located in the Old Colorado City Historic District of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a West Point graduate who served 27 years in the US Army. Wired Magazine has called Hughes 'the best known online personality in the country.' He has been developing, operating, installing, and supporting online and community systems since 1979.  In 1993 Hughes was awarded the Telecommunications Pioneer Award by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) of Washington, DC for his effective work in electronic democracy and grass roots telecommunications. He has been awarded over $2 million in a series of grants by the National Science Foundation to do field testing of wireless technologies for education, in the 3d world, and for science.  Hughes is most interested in the potential of spread spectrum data radios, in shared frequency space, requiring no end user license, no communications service cost, in direct competition with telephone companies and PTTs, to bring high levels of connectivity at the lowest possible cost to the most remote, rural, small towns, schools, public libraries of the world.

Representative Bob Hunter was elected to serve the people of Abilene and Taylor County in the Texas House of Representatives in a special election on August 9, 1986 and re-elected at the November General Elections from 1986-2000. He currently serves on the House Committee on State Affairs and is the Chairman of the House Committee on State, Federal, and International Relations. This committee, which he has chaired for four sessions, has oversight of historic preservation, the arts, cultural affairs, libraries, state archives, symbols, international affairs, economic development, tourism, and military and veteran affairs for our state.  He was named in 1992 to the Joint Select Committee of the House and Senate to study higher education issues in Texas. In 1994 he was named by the House Speaker to co-chair the Special House Select Committee on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). He was selected Vice-Chairman of the House Veterans Caucus in 1997 and is a member of the House Research Organization. He is Chairman of the Texas House of representatives Veteran and Military Affairs Coalition formed in 1999. He is one of 15 Texans named by Governor George W. Bush to the committee that will select the design for the state quarter to be released in 2004.  Representative Hunter currently serves as Texas' Vice Chairman for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and on their Trade and Transportation Task Force. He serves on the Economic and Cultural Development Committee for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), on the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee for the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), and on the International Committee for the Council of State Governments (CSG).  Bob and his wife Shirley have been residents of Abilene since 1956 where he has taken an active part in civic affairs, including a three-year term on the City Council. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels Plus, the West Texas Rehabilitation Center, and the Rolling Plains Technical Foundation. He is on the Military Affairs Committee and the Education Council of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the Advisory Boards for the Chisholm Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Abilene/Taylor County Child Advocacy Center, the Salvation Army, the Mental Health Association, the Junior League of Abilene, and the Day Nursery of Abilene. He is also a member of the Community Justice Council for Taylor/Callahan/Coleman counties. He and Shirley have three grown children and three grandchildren.  Bob received his bachelors and masters degrees in Business Administration from Abilene Christian University. He was awarded a Doctorate of Laws degree from Pepperdine University in 1974, a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Wesleyan College in 1979, a Doctorate of Letters from the University of St. Thomas in 1983, a Doctorate of Laws from his alma mater, ACU, in 1993, and a Doctorate of Laws from Hardin-Simmons University in 1997.

Mike Intag is an RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) and has been involved in the networking industry for over 13 years. During that time he has been actively involved in various telecommunications organizations including BICSI (the Building Industry Consulting Services International) and the MTA (Midwest Telecommunications Association) where he was Secretary from 1994-97.  Mike has specialized in the wireless networking industry since 1998 and was most recently the National Wireless Program Director for Avnet. He has vast experience with Wireless LAN and Fixed Wireless implementations and has worked with products from all of the leading vendors, including Cisco, Orinoco, Western Multiplex and Symbol. He is currently the Vice President of Intag Communications, a network infrastructure design and implementation services company with regional headquarters in Austin, Texas.

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