USCIB co-hosted a June 29 breakfast meeting in Washington, D.C., with Houlin Zhao, director of the Telecommunications Standardization Bureau at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).  USCIB joined the US International Telecommunication Union Association in hosting the event held in Washington at the offices of Shaw Pittman.

Joe Gavin, USCIB’s associate Washington representative, joined Ben Fisher of USITUA to welcome Mr. Zhao. In his remarks, Mr. Gavin referred to USCIB members’ keen interest in the work of the ITU, and he expressed appreciation for the important ITU role in its core mandate on network standards and integrity of the radio frequency.

Zhao spoke about the procedural adjustments his organization has made to meet the changing needs of the business community.  He encouraged companies to think of the ITU as “their” institution that responds to their needs.

Some 35 people attended the breakfast, including U.S. government representatives such as Amb. David Gross, the State Department’s coordinator for international communications and information policy.  Participating USCIB members included representatives from AT&T, ITAA, MCI, Microsoft, Verizon and Vodafone.