Fifty years ago - before divestiture, before competitive telephone service, even before the Internet - independent telephone companies operated in the financial shadow of the AT&T monopoly.  Their financial status regularly hinged on Ma Bell's mood on that particular day.  Sparked by his belief that community based, independent telephone companies and cooperatives deserved the right and opportunity to stand on their own financial feet, John Staurulakis resigned his position as director of settlements for the United States Independent Telephone Association to address what he saw as a basic, fundamental need.  He embarked on a path of his own making to enable telephone co-ops and family-owned companies bringing communication service to rural towns and communities to stand on their own and demand a stronger bargaining position in the settlements process.  As part of that process, he prepared and negotiated the first separations (cost) studies ever conducted by independent telcos in Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.

Establishing an equitable, industry-wide settlements process was a difficult task.  The Bell System was not used to dealing with their independent "partners" that way, and rural service providers had little experience in asserting themselves.  Consequently, John Staurulakis often found himself waging a lonely battle for small and rural independents.  But he was persistent - and seldom reluctant to make his case to AT&T, small telcos, policymakers, regulators, and most anyone who would listen.  Eventually, his ideas and conviction paid off, and a more representative settlements process took root, to the benefit of community based providers across the nation.

Fifty years later, the company John Staurulakis founded serves hundreds of companies in more than 40 states - with the same degree of commitment as demonstrated to his first client.  JSI maintains its position as an unparalleled provider of financial, management, regulatory, and strategic services, ready to address any issue that affects the viability and success of independent telecom providers.

Today, as we have across our history, JSI strives to offer a full complement of essential services.  The dawning of the broadband era has led to a bewildering reshuffling of the traditional telecom business model, a paradigm shift for which our record of responding to industry change will serve clients well.  JSI has the expertise and experience to assist owners, management, and boards of directors of community based providers not only to continue offering voice services, but also to succeed as they venture onto the IP network of tomorrow's broadband arena.  This means both "old-school" requirements such as cost studies and settlements, regulatory compliance, strategic planning, and business management, but also such "now" services as competitive pricing, IPTV and OTT video cases, high-speed ISP and VoIP services, IP network and technology assessments, interconnection and subsidiary agreements, image and branding, and education (both seminars and webinars).  In addition, in another section of this website, JSI clients will find the additional resources, information, and online services offered only through our secure MyJSI site. 

To better serve clients, JSI has five offices: The Greenbelt, Md.-headquarters, just outside Washington, D.C., brings telecom providers within reach of the FCC and Capitol Hill; while our regional offices in Atlanta, Ga., Minneapolis, Minn., Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, bring us closer to clients, enabling timely response no matter company location.  It may well be true that today's telecom is unrecognizable from the telephone industry of 1962.  Yet, JSI remains as firmly dedicated to community based service providers as it was the day 50 years ago when John Staurulakis first set out to establish and fight for the financial interests of small and rural telephone companies.  At JSI, the mission remains: to serve as an advocate for, an advisor to, and a partner with the companies on which rural communities depend for access to the telecom network and the essential services it provides.