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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release:  News  Media  Contact:  May  21,  2004  Rosemary  Kimball  at  (202)  418-  0511 
 e-  mail:  rosemary.  kimball@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL,  FCC  COMMSSIONER  JONATHAN  ADELSTEIN,  AND  SOUTH  DAKOTA  GOVERNOR  MICHAEL  ROUNDS  TO  HEADLINE 
 PRESENTATION  OF  WISP  TECHNOLOGIES,  MAY  25,  3:  30  –  5:  30  PM  Presentation  to  be  Held  at  South  Dakota  School  of  Mines,  Rapid  City 


 Washington,  DC  --  FCC  Chairman  Powell,  FCC  Commissioner  Jonathan  Adelstein,  South  Dakota  Governor  Michael  Rounds,  and  several  representatives  of  wireless  Internet  service 
 providers  (WISP)  will  demonstrate  how  small,  entrepreneurial  WISPs  are  serving  rural  communities  and  using  wireless  broadband  services  to  bring  opportunities  for  greater  economic 
 development.  There  will  also  be  discussions  of  how  the  challenges  in  serving  rural  communities  can  be  overcome. 


 In  addition  to  Governor  Rounds,  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioner  Adelstein  and  WISP  providers,  the  presentation  will  also  be  attended  by  representatives  of  the  Public  Utilities 
 Commission,  local  government,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  tech  sector  and  other  Internet  service  providers,  including  cable  and  DSL  services  providers,  and  FCC  staff. 


 The  event  will  be  held  at  the  South  Dakota  School  of  Mines  and  Technology,  501  E.  St.  Joseph  Street,  Rapid  City,  SD  57701,  room  204  in  the  Classroom  Building,  and  begin  at  3:  30 
 pm. 
 (Note:  Earlier  in  the  afternoon,  also  at  the  School  of  Mines,  Chairman  Powell  and  Commissioner  Adelstein  will  meet  with  representatives  of  the  Upper  Midwest  Aerospace 
 Consortium  (UMAC)  to  discuss  and  demonstrate  satellite  programs.  See  details  below.) 
 The  schedule  for  the  WISP  event  is  as  follows: 
 3:  30  pm  –  4:  15  pm  --  Remarks  by  FCC  and  State  and  local  officials  including  Chairman  Powell,  Governor  Rounds,  Commissioner  Adelstein,  &  South  Dakota  PUC  Chairman  Bob  Sahr. 


 4:  15  pm  –  5:  00  pm  --  Presentations  by  WISP  representatives. 
 5:  00  pm  –  5:  30  pm  --  Forum  discussion  on  facilitating  the  dialog  on  wireless  broadband  access  in  rural  areas. 


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 UPPER  MIDWEST  AEROSPACE  CONSORTIUM  (UMAC)  EVENT,  1:  45  PM 
 In  addition  to  the  WISP  event,  Chairman  Powell  and  Commissioner  Adelstein  will  earlier  in  the  afternoon  at  the  School  of  Mines  visit  with  the  Upper  Midwest  Aerospace  Consortium 
 (UMAC).  UMAC  is  a  consortium  of  educational  institutions  in  the  Midwest  that  use  several  types  of  satellite  technology  for  public  and  business  benefits.  As  a  consortium,  UMAC,  founded 
 at  the  University  of  North  Dakota,  includes  partners  from  academia,  industry,  and  government  located  throughout  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Montana,  Wyoming,  and  Idaho. 


 The  satellite  event  will  begin  at  1:  45  pm  in  room  110  in  the  Classroom  Building  at  the  School  of  Mines  with  local  educator  Lee  Vierling  and  twenty  local  3  rd  grade  students, 
 demonstrating  the  use  of  an  online  satellite  curriculum  in  elementary  school  classrooms.  Mr.  Vierling  will  lead  an  interactive  session  where  the  children  will  share  their  knowledge  of 
 satellite  technology  and  their  understanding  of  its  uses.  In  addition  to  the  discussion,  the  students  will  have  an  opportunity  display  satellite  models  they  created  in  their  classroom  prior 
 to  the  event  as  part  of  the  training  curriculum. 
 In  addition,  UMAC  officials  will  demonstrate  how  they  use  several  types  of  satellite  technology  to  gather  and  analyze  data  that  they  then  provide  to  farmers,  ranchers,  foresters, 
 educators  and  classrooms  at  no  cost.  In  the  Midwest  region,  families,  businesses  and  educators  enjoy  the  benefits  of  satellite  technology  in  a  variety  of  ways,  including  satellite-  television  and 
 satellite  broadband  internet  connectivity.  UMAC’s  application  of  satellite  technology  reaches  beyond  basic  communication  and  entertainment  services,  providing  services  to  local  farmers, 
 ranchers,  pubic  safety  organizations  and  educators  in  an  effort  to  support  and  enhance  the  health,  safety  and  welfare  of  local  communities. 


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