Qwest Communications has rejoined The United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) after an absence of about eight years.

Steve Davis, senior vice president of Qwest public policy and government relations, will serve on USTelecom’s board of directors.

It remains unclear why Qwest withdrew from the trade group in 2001. The company claimed a divergence in interests and goals from the trade association. An article from The Washington Post at the time said Qwest may have been suspended for non-payment of dues. Qwest in 2001 was experiencing financial difficulties.

The trade association has long represented the telecom industry. Its membership includes major North American carriers including Verizon, AT&T, BellSouth, Windstream, CenturyTel, NTT, Bell Canada and hundreds more. Partner supplier members include ADC, Adtran, Bechtel, Deloitte, Cisco, Fujitsu Network Services, J.D. Power and Associates, Microsoft, Siemens, Starz and VeriSign, among others.