The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 14 letter word TELECONFERENCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
T
E
L
E
C
O
N
F
E
R
E
N
C
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Discussion among people whose positions may be very far apart" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case discussion among people whose positions may be very far apart = teleconference.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TELECONFERENCE mean?
TELECONFERENCE noun- A telephone conference, an arranged phone call between more than two parties.
- More generally, the live exchange of information among persons and machines remote from one another but linked by a telecommunications system, over telephone, video or other means.
- To take part in a teleconference.