Frisby to Leave CompTel/ALTS on Friday

Tomorrow marks CompTel/ALTS CEO H. Russell Frisby Jr.s last day at the association.

Frisby who said in late November he would step down to pursue his first love, law will be replaced by Drew Walker, former president of business services at ITC^DeltaCom, on an interim basis.

Frisbys resume includes private practice and also a career- and philosophy-shaping stint as a staff attorney during the drafting of the second Computer Inquiry. In its Computer I decision (1966-71), the FCC distinguished between communications, computing and hybrid services. It determined that non-Bell telephone companies could enter data communications through a separate subsidiary. BOCs could not engage in data communications. Several years later, in its Computer II Inquiry (1976-81), the FCC distinguished basic and enhanced services, deregulating the latter.

I am very proud of my seven years at CompTel, Frisby said of the organization that recently merged with the Association of Local Telecommunications Carriers, or ALTS. Moreover, Im excited about the prospect of continuing to play a role in the new and ever-changing telecommunications industry. In the short-term, Im planning to spend some time with my family, and then I will make a decision about my next move.

Walker, who retired from ITC^DeltaCom in February 2005, served on the associations board of directors for almost a decade.

The CompTel/ALTS members and the industry have been well served by this organization of outstanding professionals, Walker said. It is an honor and a privilege to serve in this interim capacity.