NARUC, NATOA Go Virtual, Cancel Summer In-Person Events

The main associations of state telecom commissioners and of local cable and telecoms overseers changed annual conference plans due to coronavirus precautions. They join many other events in going virtual this summer.

NARUC will go digital-only for its July 20-22 conference rather than meet in Boston, the state utility regulators’ association said Wednesday. Later that day, NATOA announced its board voted unanimously to virtualize its Aug. 31-Sept. 3 conference rather than have it in Denver.

NARUC decided based on surveys earlier this month of industry stakeholders and commission chairs, said Michelle Malloy, senior director-meetings and member service, in an interview. Respondents raised concerns about safety, budget and travel bans at their organizations with no declared end dates, plus the planned location Boston hasn’t set an end date for its shutdown, she said.