March 9, 2010 Newsletter

Headlines:

- Letter from the Executive Director
- Public Policy Activities

Letter from the Executive Director
2010 got off with fast start in January with SBCA’s second annual Leadership Luncheon at the Wynn Hotel on January 7. 

Over 40 SBCA members and guests attended the lunch with Utz Baldwin, CEO of CEDIA providing some valuable insights into trends affecting the home theater and related channels.  His remarks were followed by a presentation from the SBCA staff on its work program for 2010 focusing on building SBCA as an information resource for the industry.  A copy of the presentation can be found on the SBCA website at http://www.satellite.org/images/silc.ppt.

SBCA continues to work on expanding benefits available to members.  It is doing pilot work on business insurance coverage (workers’ compensation and liability coverage), and discounts on equipment and clothing (we are working with a major work boot manufacturer to provide a discount to all SBCA members). 

The SBCA Board has agreed that beginning this year, SBCA will automatically enroll each SBCA certified technician with a complementary 1 year membership in SBCA.  After the first year, the membership fee will be $25.  Currently, over 30,000 technicians have active certifications with SBCA.  This will make our membership very attractive to vendors who have products and services that may be of value to our members in addition to giving all members access to our benefits.  Membership materials will be sent to all qualified technicians by the end of the first quarter.

In addition we plan to expand the use of webinars and other online methods of providing information and education to our members.  We plan to start a series of blogs beginning March 19th on covering topics on technology, products, licensing and tech tips. In addition members will have the ability to ask our panel of expert bloggers questions on specific topics that are of interest.  We plan to make increased use of our monthly newsletter to provide product information on technology updates from our corporate members and others that may be of interest to you.

Finally, we are planning an expanded 2010 SkyFORUM online trade show and conference. We will have dedicated pavilions for the platform providers and their affiliated manufacturers and distributors, and another pavilion dedicated to consumer electronics and related products that affect our industry.  The event is scheduled for November 18, 2010.

All of this focus on value-added services is meant, in part, to increase to value of membership to companies that directly benefit from their association with our industry, thus increasing membership and non-membership revenue through sponsorships. Expanding our membership rolls with SBCA certified technicians will result in a more dramatic “on the ground” presence for our industry to help in fighting discriminatory tax proposals and other proposals that could harm the industry.

On the public policy front, activity has already heated up since January.  We battled a discriminatory tax in Indiana which is now dead for the rest of this year.  Thank you to Tom Haywood of Applied Instruments, Bob Virden of DSI Systems and Joe Kroll of Multiband for testifying against the tax at a hearing in January.  Multiband also helped pack the audience with a number of installers showing their support for our opposition. A licensing bill cropped up in Arizona supported by the Construction Trades Coalition which would have affected our industry and others.  The group has decided not to go forward with the bill this session but will hold stakeholder meetings to develop a more acceptable bill for next year.  SBCA will monitor and participate in these meetings.  In Minnesota, SBCA is poised to get a satellite licensing bill introduced again this year.  We will embark on a grassroots campaign to garner support for the bill.  If you are in Minnesota, please let us know if you are willing to help in this effort. 

As you can see, SBCA is already actively engaged in continuing our efforts to grow and achieve world class status as a trade and professional development association that serves its members.  Thanks for your support!

Regards,
Joe Widoff
Executive Director, SBCA