In 2012 the USTTI will celebrate 30 years of tuition-free training for the women and men who are making modern communications a reality throughout the developing world. To-date, through the relentless volunteer efforts of ICT experts from the US private sector as well as the federal government, the USTTI has graduated 8,554 ICT officials and entrepreneurs from 170 developing countries.

Each year, hundreds of the USTTI’s volunteer professors make possible the training and mentoring that is so critical to increasing access to modern communications technologies - technologies that are essential to improving the quality of life in developing countries around the world. As we begin our 30th year of aggressive outreach, the industry and government leaders on the USTTI Board have enthusiastically expanded their commitment to the USTTI. In 2012, we will increase our cybersecurity course offerings and our wireless communications courses. We will also introduce a course addressing mobile banking as well as training focused on the transformative role that universal service funds can play in deploying modern communications technology for the most hard to reach consumers.

Additionally, we are excited to announce the addition of a new course entitled, “The Rule of Law and Best Practices in Telecommunication Regulation,” sponsored by the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.

To make the USTTI’s training available to more women and men in 2012, we have launched USTTI 2.0 - an Internet-based training platform. Working with Florida State College at Jacksonville, the USTTI’s web platform provides developing country officials tuition-free access to the USTTI’s inaugural online course offering “Understanding Cyber Threats and the Need for Cybersecurity.” In addition, USTTI 2.0 will promote increased dialogue between USTTI scholars, alumni and trainers.

I and my fellow members of the USTTI Board of Directors sincerely thank all the women and men throughout the United States who continue to make the USTTI a robust source of empowerment for our colleagues throughout the developing world. We also applaud the enlightened efforts of our 8,554 graduates working in 170 developing countries to make modern communications accessible to their fellow countrymen.

Michael R. Gardner
Chairman, USTTI