Winter is finally grabbing hold in Chicago this week. I'm not complaining, not with so much of the country buried in snow, whipped by high winds; or bailing floodwater. But I do have a suggestion for independent telephone operators: take lots of pictures.

It may be necessary to flood the FCC and your state senators' and congressmen's offices with visuals to remind them what you're dealing with in keeping their constituents connected to the rest of the world.

It may be necessary because we here at Telephony and The Independent  have spent the last several weeks talking to industry experts about what 2007 may have in store for independent providers, and it sounds like Washington's attention could be elsewhere this year unless someone grabs its leaders by their donkey ears and elephant tails and steers them in the right direction.

You can read the results of our investigations in detail in the latest print copy of The Independent  that comes out Feb. 5 (you can also get it online the same day), but the gist is that the year seems long on regulatory challenges but could be short on meaningful reform; it's long on opportunity but short on expectations; it's long on will but short on return; and it’s long on innovation but short on interoperability.

I'm guessing Adam Sandler movies aren't on the top of your NetFlix queue, but I suggest that if 2007 plays out the way people are fearful it might in terms of regulatory reform, we might as well do what Sandler did in his latest movie "Click" and just fast forward to 2009, because 2008, being an election year, would be more of the same.

So start sending those pictures in now to generate whatever sympathy you can before the year is lost. And that could be by April or May.

On a separate note...thanks for the suggestions last month on where I might spend Christmas in 2007, enjoy the holidays and cover interesting telephone companies. Most of your locales sounded so inviting that I may not be able to wait until Christmas and may be visiting your town soon.

Here's to what's left of 2007.