Business leaders offered advice Friday on how telecommunications can help smaller communities attract companies and jobs.
The audience was about 150 members of the Inland Northwest Partnership, which has been meeting annually since 1986 to promote economic development and bridge the gap between business and communities.
The crowd was diverse, ranging from members of small communities such as Cheney and Colville, to members of large corporations like Washington Water Power Co. and GTE Northwest. More than 80 percent of the members are from rural communities, said Ellie Chambers of WWP.
Wireless technology will allow businesses in rural communities to have more flexibility, said Ross Baker, senior external affairs manager for AT&T; Wireless.
Cellular phones and lap top computers will help businesses to "locate wherever they want," Baker said, adding "even in Idaho" and drawing a laugh from the crowd gathered at Templin's Resort in Post Falls.
One reason smaller communities miss out on telecommunications services is cost, said Sharon Matthews, US West Communications' area manager for external affairs.
US West, she said, is bound by certain legislative and regulatory initiatives to provide certain services, such as 911, she said. Other company decisions, such as a conversion to digital technology, are made to prepare for the future. But cost prevents companies from providing certain specialized services, such as voice messaging or caller ID to rural communities, she said.
"The smaller the community, the longer the payback period."
Echoing a common theme throughout the day-long conference, Matthews encouraged the audience to form partnerships with providers and businesses to figure out a way to expand services.
Jeff Presley, a senior network engineer for CompuTech, said with providing services to small communities, "it comes down to economic justification." Many large corporations "want to control the low-hanging fruit" - meaning the areas where population density ensures a high profit.
For example, Presley said, 90 percent of US West's revenue in Washington state is generated in one square mile in Seattle. Matthews confirmed that figure.
Because of that lack of resources, "not every community will be able to attract a NetCom," Presley said, referring to a large Internet provider.
And they shouldn't want to, said James Beatty, in a keynote speech later in the day. Beatty is president of NCS International Inc., a company that helps communities market their telecommunications resources and helps companies find new sites.
Adding jobs bit by bit helps growth in a community as well, Beatty said. Plenty of smaller companies are being ignored.
"Those are the kind of companies you want to attract," he said. "One hundred thousand jobs at a time is nice, but five, 10, 15 at a time" is more realistic, he said.
Communities also are responsible for promoting themselves and for retaining the businesses they have, Beatty said. People are attracted to the lifestyle offered in the Pacific Northwest, he said, but no one in Chicago or New York City will know about the region unless communities market themselves.
"Who's responsibility is it to go out and tell your community's great story?" Beatty asked.
