About Us
Company Overview
On Feb. 8, 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The stated purpose of this act was to “provide for a pro-competitive, de-regulatory national policy framework designed to accelerate rapidly private sector deployment of advanced telecommunications and information technologies and services to all Americans by opening all telecommunications markets to competition, and for other purposes.” Effectively this law put an end to the monopolies of the regional Bell companies (i.e. BellSouth) and allowed for other competitors to enter the market.
Bell operating companies were required by the Act to allow Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC’s) use of their facilities to offer telephone service to businesses and homes. Congress worked with state regulatory authorities to set prices for services which reflected the actual costs of the Bells.
Under this backdrop, in November of 1998 Tennessee Telephone Service, LLC was approved by the TN Regulatory Authority as a CLEC. At this point, we signed a resell agreement with BellSouth, now AT&T, which allows us to resell their service in the nine states serviced by BellSouth. In July 2000, we signed up our first customer. We have since received regulatory approval in the following states: AL, AR, FL, GA, KS, KY, IL, LA, MI, MS, NC, NV, OH, SC, TN, TX, and WI. Upon expansion in to additional states, we added our current d/b/a and operate as Freedom Communications USA, LLC.
We are also seeking regulatory approval as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC). This designation allows us to receive federal funding directly from the Universal Service Administration Company to support the Lifeline and Link Up programs which provide discounts to low income consumers on their phone bills. We have currently received the ETC designation in TN, AL, NC, and SC.
Since our initial offering of bundled local and long distance telephone service, we have expanded our offerings to include wireless/cellular, digital voice, satellite television, home security, and DID forwarding through NumberGarage.
Freedom Communications USA was recently inducted in to the Music City Future 50 Hall of Fame by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. The Future 50 recognizes the 50 fastest growing companies in Middle Tennessee. Companies who receive the recognition five times are retired in to the Hall of Fame.
Executive Profiles
Bart Howard- Owner/President. Mr. Howard has over 30 years experience starting, owning, and operating businesses primarily in the credit and collection business. Notably, Bart started National Check Network, Inc. in 1994 with nine other investors, which is currently the 5 th largest check verification company in the nation and subsequently sold his shares in the company in 2001 to Electronic Clearing House (ECHO-NASDAQ). Mr. Howard founded Tennessee Telephone Service in 1998.
Matt Davis- CEO. Mr. Davis has over ten years experience in the financial services industry during which time he served as an officer with PFIC Securities Corporation. PFIC was purchased during Mr. Davis’s tenure and is now Union Planters Financial Services. In May of 2000, Mr. Davis started EruComp, Inc. which hosts a web-based subscription service that gives 3 rd thru 8 th grade students practice for the year-end tests federally mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act. EruComp recently merged with Executive Learning, Inc. Mr. Davis received his B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
