Staying Connected

In this first installment of a two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, the Managing Partner of LB3 and the Chairman of TC2, along with TC2 Directors Theresa Knutson and Joe Schmidt, talk about the ever increasing costs imposed by carriers on enterprises in the form of a Universal Service Fund, or USF, surcharge. Until the FCC takes action to reform the program, the USF surcharge will continue to rise, and carriers will continue to pass-through the surcharge onto the enterprise’s bills, causing a budgeting headache for companies.

Listen to this 8 minute podcast to hear why the USF contribution factor continues to march higher and steps you might want to take now to limit this telecom invoice shocker.

In this 5 minute second part of the two-part podcast series, Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director, along with Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt, continue their discussion of how COVID-19 is impacting enterprise network services and related contracts.  In this podcast we look at what ICT service providers might be offering so that companies can gain some short-term contractual relief.  We also highlight how these supplier concessions could have lasting negative long-term effects on the enterprise and provide some guidance on how to prevent your suppliers from removing your contractual flexibility and leverage.

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a profound impact on companies and have forced most to take a close look at their network services and related contracts.  In this two-part podcast series, Larry York, TC2’s Executive Director, along with Directors Tony Mangino and Joe Schmidt, provide some guidance for helping enterprises during these difficult times.

In this 7 minute part one, you’ll hear what enterprises are doing as a result of the pandemic and receive some practical tips on what you need to do now.

In this part two of the two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, LB3’s Managing Partner and TC2 Chairman, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss some of the novel contractual and sourcing issues facing enterprises during the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Force majeure, for example, is a contract provision meant to address events that are never going to happen … like a global pandemic. It’s also doubtful that service providers contemplated “business downturn” might apply to nearly all customers.

In this podcast Andrew and Joe explain the types of provisions you’ll want to look for in your contract and steps you’ll want to take now.

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 is having a major impact on enterprise networks and how employees are using telecom services. Yet, it’s amazing how quickly companies and people have adapted to this situation and been able to transform how they use the available communications services, professionally and personally.

In this part one of the two-part podcast series, Andrew Brown, LB3’s Managing Partner and TC2 Chairman, and TC2’s Joe Schmidt discuss how the global pandemic is impacting telecom usage and highlight some of the steps you’ll want to take to keep costs in check without limiting service performance.

In this 10 minute part two of the two-part podcast series, LB3’s Laura McDonald and TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt, continue their discussion on how enterprises can achieve maximum value from the contracts they negotiate when using a portfolio strategy to buy internet transport. Laura, Mark, and Joe highlight the terms and conditions that are important to include in your internet transport contracts and implications of leaving them out. They also explain how your approach to completing a contract with an incumbent supplier may differ from how you work with a new supplier.

In this two-part podcast series, LB3’s Laura McDonald, along with TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt, explain how enterprises can approach contracting with multiple suppliers to achieve maximum value when buying dedicated internet services.  As Mark and Joe described in the podcast series “Internet First – The Power of the Portfolio”, an enterprise may need to establish relationships with several suppliers to successfully use the portfolio strategy.

In this 9 minute part one of the two-part podcast series, you’ll hear about the steps to take to verify the suppliers’ contract documents reflect the agreed deal.

It’s official, T-Mobile and Sprint have officially received the green light from federal and state agencies to merge.  A lot has happened since the deal was first announced two years ago, including many lawsuits and challenges to the merger.  On April 16, however, the last holdout - the California Public Utilities Commission - gave its approval to the merger.

Listen to this 5 minute podcast as LB3 attorneys Sara Crifasi and Kevin DiLallo, along with TC2’s Joe Schmidt, discuss the merger and what it means for the enterprise.

In this second part of the two-part podcast series, TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt continue their discussion about how enterprises are saving big money by adopting a portfolio strategy when buying internet transport services.  In this episode enterprises will learn what they need to do to implement the portfolio strategy, how to assess what suppliers should include (or exclude), and how to make the portfolio approach a success for the long haul.

Over the last few years, enterprises have been transforming how they architect their networks and have increasingly adopted an internet first strategy.  Companies that have gone down this path have seen a favorable impact on the affordability and performance of their networks.  It’s also changing how they buy their transport and the suppliers that are used.

In this 9 minute part one of the two-part podcast series, TC2’s Mark Sheard and Joe Schmidt describe how adopting a portfolio strategy can save enterprises 30% or more on their Internet transport costs.