One outcome of the FCC's National Broadband Plan has been the uniting of the national associations in Washington that represent independent telcos. In this brief interview with Derrick Owens, Director of Government Affairs for the Western Telecom Alliance, discusses the importance of having a unified front as far as representing the viewpoints of the carriers that server rural America.  Owens was on an insightful panel that discussed the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. Unfortunately, Chairman Julius Genachowski did not stay to listen to that panel.