Mark Pranger, instructor in the Department of Applied Technology at Rogers State University, recently was named to the Federal Communication Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee.
Pranger was selected to represent the interests of academia and consumers concerned with telecommunication service in rural America. His two-year appointment to the 35-member panel was announced March 25 by FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell.
The committee was created to address topics including:
- consumer protection and education (e.g., cramming, slamming, consumer friendly billing, detariffing, bundling of services, Lifeline/Linkup programs, customer service, privacy, telemarketing abuses, and outreach to under served populations, such as American Indians and persons living in rural areas);
- access by people with disabilities (e.g., telecommunications relay services, closed captioning, accessible billing, and access to telecommunications products and services);
- impact upon consumers of new and emerging technologies (e.g., availability of broadband, digital television, cable, satellite, low power FM, and the convergence of these and emerging technologies); and
- implementation of FCC rules and consumer participation in the rule making process.
The committee’s first meeting is scheduled to take place on April 25 at the FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C. The committee is expected to meet twice more this year.
Pranger received a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in computing and information sciences from Oklahoma State University. He is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in telecommunications management at OSU. His research interests include artificial intelligence and issues in telecommunications. Prior to teaching at RSU, Pranger worked as a computer programmer and software engineer for nine years at OSU and TMSSequoia in Stillwater and Worldcom Inc. in Tulsa.