The 2015 FCC Supplier Diversity Conference for Small, Minority and Women-Owned Businesses

The FCC’s Office of Communications Business Opportunities (OCBO) will host a Supplier Diversity Conference and Workshop focusing on private sector business opportunities for small, minority- and women-owned businesses. This important event will be held at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th Street, Washington, D.C. on Thursday August 20, 2015, from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm in the Commission Meeting Room.

OCBO has invited representatives from private industry, specifically telecommunications and technology firms from across the country, to discuss their organizations’ contracting procedures and to provide insight on how small businesses should navigate the procurement process generally.

The panel discussions will take place from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The panel will consist of supplier executives and diversity officers from Cox Communications, Frontier Communications, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and Microsoft, respectively (Panel). The Panel will also consist of several suppliers to some of those companies, including representatives from A Unity System, The IT Architect, and others. The panelists will talk about their companies’ contracting needs and how small businesses can distinguish themselves in the race for lucrative opportunities. Thomas Reed, Director, OCBO, will moderate. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the Commissioners will be invited to offer remarks.

In the afternoon, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm, OCBO will coordinate one-on-one sessions between our panelists and any small business owner who wishes to participate. In these confidential meetings, small business owners will get individualized advice on supplier strategies and information on current contracting opportunities. If you would like to register for the afternoon meetings, please submit a company profile no later than Friday, August 14, 2015 via email at ocboinfo@fcc.gov or submit a hardcopy, to OCBO at 445 12th Street SW, room 4-A635, Washington D.C. 20554.

All persons interested in attending this informative event in person are asked to register by contacting OCBO at (202) 418-0990 or via e-mail at OCBOinfo@fcc.gov . Persons interested in participating via the Internet may do so by logging on to www.fcc.gov/ocbo. This event will be streamed live. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. The request should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and contact information. Please provide as much advance notice as possible; last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. Send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).

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CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS

• Cox Communications
• Microsoft Corporation
• Sprint
• The IT Architect Corporation
• A Unity System
• Frontier Communications

INVITED PARTICIPANTS

• Apple, Inc.
• Google, Inc.
• Ericson, Inc.

Participate Online

1. To register and join the online event: Go to FCC EVENTS
2. At the Event Information page click on Register
3. At the Register for event page provide the required information and click on Submit
4. Once registered you will receive a confirmation email message containing instructions for joining the event, the password and the link for the meeting.
5. Information for joining the audio portion of the meeting will appear as a popup when you join the meeting.