Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services

The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services also known as the Section 706 Joint Conference on Advanced Services was created by the FCC in 1999, pursuant to section 410(b) of the Communications Act of 1934, with endorsement by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). Section 706 refers to the Telecommunications act of 1996. In this section the code states that the FCC is to "encourage the deployment on a reasonable and timely basis of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans." The Joint Conference is intended to serve as a forum for ongoing dialogue among the FCC, state regulators, and local and regional entities about the deployment of advanced telecommunications capabilities, and to identify a set of "Best Practices" that promote rapid deployment, particularly to benefit the underserved. The Joint Conference has held a series of field hearings across the country and has conducted Broadband Summits.
The Joint Conference was originally composed of six commissioners from state public utilities commissions (nominated by NARUC) and five from the FCC. The Joint Conference meets three times a year in closed meetings. In 2003 the FCC raised the number of State Commissioners up to seven, although currently there are just four.