Title: Telecommunications Manager
Employer: Brooklyn Public Library
Nickname/Alias: Angus –I was a big fan of SNL (original cast) and back in high school on Monday mornings my buddies and I used to rehash the bits. Dan Ackroyd once (and only once) did a bit about a Scottish cooking show hosted by a character by the name of “Angus Crock”. He whipped up a main course of haggis followed by thistle salad. I was the only one out of my group of friends that found it funny. I was nicknamed “Angus” or “Ang” after that. What I'm Best Known For (in the Telecom World): At a former employer, I was known as the voicemail pirate. Other Primary Areas of Expertise: Cabling standards, combing through CSR’s to build and validate circuit inventories, Vendor relationship management Summary of Professional Background: 6 years active duty US Army Signal Corps; 4 years outsourced at the NY Daily News (voice field tech then as Voice Operations Manager); 4 years as a telecom consultant with Fortune Consulting, West Long Branch NJ; contract employee at BASF Corp, Mt Olive NJ (under a year). Since July 2004 Telecom Mgr w/ Brooklyn Public Library. Prediction on the Future of Telecom & Telecom Managers: As telecom continues to move towards convergence with the data side of the house, I believe you will see fewer hands-on phone guys on staff at a lot of the larger organizations. The telecom manager’s function may well become more of a vendor and carrier management role with more time spent on billing, which is something I’ve seen my data counterparts shun. Providing dial tone will always be an issue but the telecom manager will have to eventually adapt to a data architecture as dial tone and phones become just another service or device hanging off of a LAN or WAN. Some “hands-on” phone guys will no doubt migrate to the vendors that will remain to sell and support TDM telephony for small and mid-size enterprises; at least those for whom convergence isn’t the right fit or are reluctant to change. These guys may also be contracted ad hoc or as part of a service and maintenance contract to tend to the traditional telephony systems retained for fail over and disaster contingencies. Those who don’t somehow adapt may be destined to become the curators of a technology with a dwindling demand. Eventually both may die out or at least remain as a curious rarity. Compare it to a TV repairman. When I was a kid, there were plenty of TV repair shops around. They still exist today, but they are far and few between. As the manufacturing process and trade practices made this commodity more affordable, it became cheaper to toss ‘em out rather than fix ‘em. I wonder if we will ever reach a point where the demand for traditional telephony will be so low that traditional phone services will be too expensive to be offered by carriers. Will POTS lines become a thing of the past? Weirdest Thing People Usually Don't Know about Me: I used to “dip” smokeless tobacco on and off for about 15 years. Bad habit I picked up in college. I was pretty discreet about it and yeah I still have all my teeth. No gums, but my teeth still look good. I’ve been spittoon free for about 10 years. When I'm not talking or doing something in relation to telecom, I'm usually... Watching the History Channel or whipping up a meal. I like to get creative when I cook. Book and author I'm currently reading: “What Does Everyone Else Know That I Don’t?” by Michelle Novatni CD currently or most recently in my car stereo: A Bigger Bang – The Rolling Stones latest The stupidest thing I've ever seen anyone do or say in relation to a phone: Second hand story here. One of the guys I worked with at the Daily News during a lunch time stroll through Manhattan had convinced his non-techie acquaintance that the Bell Atlantic crew was working in a manhole in the middle of the road, (picture hard-hatted guys climbing in an out of a steamy manhole fitted with a big bright yellow hose and fan for ventilation ) were “pumping” dial tone into the street so that everyone’s phone could work. | 
