SubTel Forum Issue #112 Exordium
May 20, 2020
Welcome to Issue 112, our Global Capacity edition.
If ever there was a need for connectivity, it is today – That is what I wrote for our last issue and given the last eight weeks or so I think it is more true than ever.
When we started putting this edition together, I wondered how our call-out for articles would be received. We were determined to publish SubTel Forum as always, but were worried that many would simply have their minds on other more concerning matters (fair enough), and that we would merely circulate a much smaller version of its former self. But instead what we found was that many had a lot to say, whether a proper article or a considered company statement about their coping. And as the weeks were leading up to our publishing a picture began emerging of how we as an industry are handling these unprecedented days.
I joined this business at the height of the Cold War and in that 35 plus years I think I have never been a more proud member of this industry than today. We are literally keeping the world stitched together in the midst of a nightmarish situation. Through innovation, perseverance and a dash of audacity we are keeping the pipes open and working, allowing an incredibly significant number of our fellow humans to stay home and stay safe, as well as assisting those in their fight on the front lines.
So, how do we pitch in?
Two mornings before things shut down, I marched uninvited into my pastor’s office and announced rather rudely that she would need to rethink things going forward; that seeing and being with people was not going to be happening for a while. Many of us are doing things for our communities or neighbors, whether as a business or an individual. I am not much of a sewer, so making masks is a non-starter. But at SubTel Forum we do have cameras and A/V equipment and so, on every Wednesday and Sunday Kristian and I and four other souls are at our town’s Lutheran church streaming bible study and services for residents both near and far alike; people of all ages and persuasions writing across Facebook Live their comments and fears and hopes. Breaking quarantine week after week, it certainly holds some risk, but for me it also seems like the right thing to do right now. As I said, I do not sew.
Today, some twenty-two industry people joined our staff in putting their inspired, reflected thoughts into this issue and we are profoundly grateful for their generosity of time and talent, especially at this current time. We are also grateful to our friends at Southern Cross who bought an advert in this issue at a time when no one else is spending marketing dollars – Thank you.
We hope to be back in our office next month. We hope to be back to the new ‘normal’ soon after. We will see. In the meantime, if ever there was a need for connectivity, it is today.
Good reading and stay well,
Wayne Nielsen
Publisher.
To read the rest of Issue #112 of SubTel Forum, please click here.