Southeast Region Rural Road Tour

Representatives from the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) went on a Rural Tour in the Southeast Region of the country.  They visited several cities in South Carolina and Georgia, hosted consumer informational events and met with local leaders and groups that represent and work with these communities.

The goal of this trip was to expand outreach to consumers in rural areas and underserved communities, to provide consumer information and resources on telecommunications issues that affect their daily lives, as well as provide warnings and alerts on recent scams which have cost consumers millions of dollars. 

The Southeast Region Rural Tour was the third of a series of Rural Tours to build partnerships with local consumer-oriented entities and to establish ways to work together to reach consumers and community members.  For more information on previous efforts, please visit:  Pacific Northwest Consumer Outreach Rural Tour and the Appalachian Region Consumer Outreach Rural Tour.

Topics discussed:

• Robocalls, spoofing, scam alerts
• Slamming, cramming and other telephone bill related items
• Television Broadcast Transition (What consumers need to do to keep watching antenna TV and how to find out which Broadcast TV Stations in your area will be affected)
• Broadband and Digital Inclusion: encouraging everyone to get online
• Telehealth
• Lost and Stolen Mobile Devices – Protecting Mobile Devices
• How to make your views heard at the FCC
• How to file complaints and comments with the FCC

Tour Schedule:

Day 1: Monday, 5/6

• Meetings with local leaders in Conway, SC; Florence, SC; Kingstree, SC; and Sumter, SC – closed to the general public

Day 2: Tuesday, 5/7

• 10:00 am
  Presentation at the Lourie Senior Center
  1650 Park Circle, Columbia, SC 29201

• Meetings with local leaders in Aiken, SC; Columbia, SC; and Lexington, SC  – closed to the general public

Day 3: Wednesday, 5/8

• 11:30 am
  Presentation at the Hancock County Senior Center
  330 Water Works Road, Sparta, GA  31087

• 1:00 pm
  Community Meeting with Putman County Board of Commissioners
  117 Putnam Drive, Eatonton, GA  31024

• 5:30 pm
  Community Meeting at Madison City Hall
  160 N. Main Street, Madison, GA  30650

Day 4: Thursday, 5/9

• 11:00 am
  Community Meeting in Conyers, GA
  JP Carr Community Center, 981 Taylor Street, Conyers, GA  30012  

• 2:00 pm
  Community Meeting in Snellville, GA
  T.W. Briscoe Park, 2500 Sawyer Parkway, SW, Snellville, GA 30078

• 6:00 pm
  Town Hall Meeting in Dunwoody, GA
  4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338

• Meetings with local leaders in Conyers, GA; Covington, GA and Snellville, GA – closed to the general public

Day 5: Friday, 5/10

• Meetings with local leaders in Douglasville, GA; Rockmart, GA and Rome, GA – closed to the general public

Press Coverage of the Tour:

FCC Officials Stop in Florence to Warn About Robocalls, Related Scams