WTA Awards “Jack H. Rhyner Award” to Jack W. Keen

HELENA, MONTANA – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009 – Western Telecommunications Alliance (WTA) announced at its recent fall annual meeting that Jack W. Keen of Western New Mexico Telephone Company, Silver City, New Mexico was awarded the Jack H Rhyner Award by the association’s President David Arvig of Arvig Communications in Minnesota. The Jack H Rhyner Award is given to a member of the association who has demonstrated great leadership and extraordinary commitment and dedication to WTA, its membership, and the industry as a whole. The award is named after the late Jack H Rhyner who was a nationally recognized leader within the industry and a strong advocate for rural ILECs regardless of whether they were east or west of the Mississippi River.

“Jack Keen has been committed to ensuring that consumers living in rural and high cost areas of the country have access to telecommunications services at levels comparable to those consumers living in urban areas”, said Arvig. “His tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed and it was a pleasure for me to present him with the Jack H Rhyner Award on behalf of WTA.”

David Arvig also presented Dana Baker of GVNW, Inc. with the association’s Associate Member Award.  Outgoing Board Members Rob Stephens, Range Telephone Cooperative (MT); Gerald Washburn, Golden Belt Telephone Assn. (KS); and John Christian, Lincoln County Telephone Systems (NV) were also honored and recognized for their exemplary service to WTA.