USTTI's tuition-free training curriculum for 2005

We are pleased to announce the United States Telecommunications Training Institute’s tuition-free training curriculum for 2005. For those not familiar with the USTTI, it is a non-profit partnership between leaders of the U.S. IT, telecommunications, and broadcast industries and senior officials from the federal government. The goal of this collaborative effort is to share the United States’ technological and managerial communications advances on a global basis by providing a comprehensive array of tuition-free training courses for qualified women and men throughout the developing world who are working to make modern, affordable, and reliable communications a reality for their fellow citizens. Since its founding in 1982, the USTTI has graduated 6,741 communications officials and entrepreneurs from 164 developing countries, including most OAS member states.

To increase global knowledge about the latest developments in the telecommunications/IT arena, the USTTI is offering 75 tuition-free courses in 2005 emphasizing training in regulatory policy, spectrum management, wireless, Internet, telehealth, broadband, satellite, and broadcasting applications. Through its diverse curriculum, which is taught by leaders in technology and policy innovation in the United States, the USTTI provides training on the technologies and services that encompass all aspects of communications.

The USTTI and CITEL have had a longstanding partnership to ensure that the most qualified communications leaders from the Americas are able to benefit from USTTI training. In 2004, USTTI welcomed four CITEL Fellows who participated in broadcast training with Voice of America, successfully held a VoIP videoconference during the PCC.II meeting in Asuncion, and continued to give priority acceptance considerations to applicants from OAS states. In 2005 this collaboration continues with the possibility of additional fellowships being considered for training in broadcasting, regulatory policy, and wireless rural communications technologies, as well as the announcement of a second videoconference on wireless broadband issues, to coincide with the April PCC.II meeting in Guatemala. With these new initiatives, the USTTI hopes to greatly augment its partnership with CITEL and OAS member states.

The USTTI courses for which fellowships may be available from OAS/CITEL in 2005 are:

• M5-122, “New Technologies in Broadcasting,” sponsored by Broadcasting Board of Governors, US International Broadcasting/Voice of America (VOA) in cooperation with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Broadcast Technology Society (IEEE/BTS); June 1 – 17, 2005

• M5-207, “Regulatory and Privatization Issues in Telecommunications,” sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission and USTTI Board Member Corporations; July 22 – August 5, 2005

• M5-219, “Wireless Rural Telecommunications System Planning Including Infrastructure Development and ICT Programs for Developing Regions and LDCs,” sponsored by Telemobile, Inc. – Wireless Communications Solutions; September 6 – 9, 2005

Applicants from both the public and private sector are strongly encouraged to apply for these courses, as well as for the other offerings in the curriculum. For further information on the USTTI, please visit www.ustti.org. There you can also submit an online application, which is required to be considered for a CITEL fellowship. Inquiries about the USTTI can also be directed to USTTI Curriculum Coordinator Matthew Gebert ([email protected]).

Ambassador Michael R. Gardner
Chairman - USTTI