Connecting Communities Summit

Event Recap

The purpose of this summit was to bring together key public, private, and non-profit stakeholders for a "deep dive" discussion on the once-in-a-generation opportunity we have to bridge America's digital divide through the BEAD program. We looked holistically at our country's unserved and underserved communities, and discussed how we apply advances in technology, available funding, and timely deployments to achieve our collective goal of universal broadband service for every American family.

Many thanks to those that joined us for this inaugural event. Together we can ensure the BEAD program's success — quickly and cost-effectively closing the digital divide in the United States.

We are also proud to share that we raised $7,000 for Balanced Access — a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on providing fast, dependable internet access to students, teachers, migrant farmworkers and others in the south Santa Clara County and San Benito County areas, regardless of their financial situation.

Session Summary

Opening Keynote Session with Evan Feinman, Director of the BEAD Program at the NTIA and Basil Alwan, CEO at Tarana

Moderator: Landry Doyle Wiese, Director at HR&A Advisors

Panel: BEAD & Beyond
A conversation about state broadband office partnerships and ensuring that BEAD funding will cover every American family.
- Jade Piros, former Kansas State Broadband Officer
- Marina MacLatchie, CA Federal Program Officer at the NTIA
- Tammie Weigl, Director of Information Systems at the County of Santa Cruz
- Moderator: Emilio Perez, Chief Consultant at the California State Assembly

Panel: Meeting Diverse Needs (Rural, Urban, Tribal)
Hear from operators accomplishing various connectivity goals and overcoming unique challenges with ngFWA.
- Mark Peterson, Strategic Projects Manager at Unwired Broadband
- Joshua Edmonds, CEO at Digital C
- Velena Tsosie, General Manager at NTUA/Choice Broadband
- James Hackett, COO at Cruzio Internet
- Moderator: Caroline Brown, Head of Marketing & Business Development at SmartWAVE Technologies

Panel: Technology Tools — Picking the Right Approach
A technical discussion on where to use what tools in the diverse environments inherent in the US divide.
- GS Sickand, VP of Wireless Engineering at Cox Communications
- Sebastian Ivanisky, CTO of VTX1 Companies
- Other Speakers TBA

Insights Into a New Trump Administration with Diane Rinaldo, Former Acting Administrator of the NTIA During the First Trump Administration
Diane will discuss what we might expect from President-Elect Trump with regard to "internet for all" and closing the digital divide in our country.

Closing Keynote Session with Rob Osborn, Director of the Communications Division at the CPUC