The Telecommunications Association of Michigan (TAM) was founded in 1935, back when the “Tele” had nothing to do with “vision,” and “communications” consisted of little more than tin cans and string. Well, not quite, but telecommunications has come light years from its humble beginnings, and its Lansing-based trade association has as well. Between bringing educational programs to the telephone industry, keeping an eye on legislation, and helping its members wade through the resulting regulations, TAM’s staff of four certainly can’t afford to phone in their work.

Scott Stevenson, who joined the TAM in 1993 as government policy director, and became president in 1998, said that currently TAM serves about 36 phone companies across Michigan from the big boys like AT&T to niche companies such as Westphalia Telephone Company. Big or small, each member provides its customers with a wealth of service, including, in Westphalia’s case, recently beginning delivery of video services over its telecommunication infrastructure.

Stevenson said that every telephone company in Michigan except Verizon belongs to the association, and when you add in the approximately 120 or so manufacturers, consultants and other companies involved in the industry, the membership swells to around 155-160, a number that has remained steady over the past 10 years. He said that cable television providers and telephone companies are increasingly moving into each others’ markets and that regulatory lines have all but been erased. While TAM doesn’t count any cable companies in their membership, they are free to join.

The association offers educational opportunities to its members by bringing in experts that can provide the most up-to-date training available, explained Stevenson. Whether training on a product, to improve customer service, or to keep members updated on one of the many issues facing the industry, Stevenson said that TAM provides a “cost-effective alternative to national training” for Michigan companies.

TAM also keeps tabs on new rules from the federal government, and proposed legislation on the state level affecting the industry. Speaking of which, Stevenson was eager to discuss House Bill 4852, which would put $200 million into the state’s coffers by increasing taxes on each phone line used in Michigan, including cell phones and VOIP service. The kicker, Stevenson said, is that the money collected would be sent to non-telephone related services.

This could explain why there’s “a huge coalition opposing this,” Stevenson said, including most of the state’s law enforcement groups, the AARP, business and consumer groups. According to studies, only 10 organizations will get the money generated by the tax, and they, of course, support it. But “most agree that this is the wrong way to [raise money],” Stevenson opined. And since “not a single penny goes toward 911 service,” a lot of 911 directors are opposing it. Stevenson summed up by calling the bill “a gimmick” and said that new groups are joining in opposition to it every week.

Looking into the future, Stevenson said that there is always something new for his people and him to learn about and assist the telecom industry with, whether it’s telephone landlines, wireless phones or some of the countless other advances in the rapidly growing world of providing Internet service. He said that at his first national telecommunications convention in 1993, “we put the topic of ‘the Internet’ on the agenda [and] people said, ‘What is that? We don’t have time for it.’” The following year, Stevenson said convention goers were clambering for Internet content. Today, it’s possible that the number of e-mails delivered by TAM members each day would fill every mailbox in Michigan several times over.

Perhaps the only thing that hasn’t changed, according to Stevenson, is how much the telecom industry continues to change. “It’s a huge market,” he said, “and [ours is] an industry that’s vital to the rest of Michigan.” He concluded by saying that the telecommunications industry in Michigan is committed to the state and that TAM provides a great base of knowledge for its members.