strong>General Session [
clear filter]
8:35am EDT
Opening Keynote by TIA
Thursday October 10, 2024 8:35am - 8:55am EDT
Speakers 
Chief Executive Officer, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
8:55am EDT
9:20am EDT
State Roundtable - Funding Update & Roll-Out Plans and Strategy
Thursday October 10, 2024 9:20am - 10:00am EDT
Moderators 
Vice President of Broadband Advocacy and Partnerships, Bonfire Infrastructure Group
Senior Vice President, ConnectALL Office, Empire State Development
Joshua Breitbart is the Senior Vice President, ConnectALL, at Empire State Development. In that role, he serves as Director of the Division of Broadband Access, overseeing the statewide digital equity plan and administering over $1 billion in public investments across the state. Joshua...
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Director & General Counsel, Massachusetts Broadband Institute
Michael Baldino was named Director and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Mass Tech Collaborative in January 2019. Michael comes to MBI with a wealth of public sector policy experience. He served in Mass Tech’s Legal Department for over 23...
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Area Vice President, Commercial Development, Calix
With over 25 years in the broadband industry, Greg Bathrick joined Calix in 2014 and is currently the Area Vice President of Broadband Development. He assists broadband service providers and rural communities in finding government grants and private equity. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical...
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State Broadband Program Director, North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT)
Brian Newby, broadband program director for the state of North Dakota, joined the
state's broadband office as it was in the process of being created in early 2023. Since then, his primary focus has been on developing the state's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. North Dakota is to receive $130.16 million through BEAD and, as of this writing, the state is awaiting NT...
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Director of the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT), State of Nevada Broadband Office
Brian Mitchell serves as the Director of the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT), the State of Nevada's Broadband Office, and oversees the planning, mapping and procurement of broadband infrastructure. Brian leads the State's High Speed Nevada Initiative, a $500 million...
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10:00am EDT
Keynote by CommScope
Thursday October 10, 2024 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Speakers 
VP, Technology CCS, CommScope
John Chamberlain is the Vice President of Technology for CommScopes CCS segment and is the technology lead for passive Fiber Cable, Connectivity, Data Center and Enterprise businesses.Mr. Chamberlain has previously served at CommScope in CTO, R&D, Product Line Management and Manufacturing...
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11:20am EDT
Partner Keynote - What's Next? Leveraging Investments in Broadband
Thursday October 10, 2024 11:20am - 11:40am EDT
Speakers 
Senior Vice President, Mass Markets Product Management, AT&T
Erin Scarborough leads the team responsible for managing and innovating AT&T’s product portfolio across broadband and mobility, as well as leading fiber and wireless 5G investment initiatives; through participating in government funding programs and public private partnerships...
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11:40am EDT
12:00pm EDT
Leaders' Roundtable - From Underground Fiber to Satellites - How Tech Will Bridge the Digital Divide
Thursday October 10, 2024 12:00pm - 12:40pm EDT
Moderators 
Founder & CEO, The Besen Group LLC
Alex Besen is the Founder & CEO of The Besen Group LLC. He provides strategic advisory, business development, market research and training services in the mobile data industry.He has over 30 years of hands-on experience in the mobile industry working for operators and vendors in North...
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Solutions Marketing Senior Advisor, Broadband & 5G, Ciena
Vinicius (Vini) Santos is part of Ciena's Global Solutions Marketing team, responsible for business development involving advanced solutions like Next Generation Broadband and Private 5G. He has over 25 years of experience supporting the telecommunication market in Brazil, Italy...
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Senior Sales Engineer, Eutelsat/OneWeb
I am a Senior Sales Engineer for OneWeb based in Anchorage, Alaska. I have spent the last 25 years in the telecommunications industry, with the last decade focused on innovation and deployment of emerging technologies. Since joining OneWeb, I have supported our broadband deployments...
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President, MPORielly Consulting
Vice President, Technology Policy, Product & Standards, Comcast
Jason Livingood serves as Vice President of Technology Policy, Product & Standards at Comcast. He leads Comcast’s efforts in developing & deploying new open standards, supporting applied R&D via collaboration with the research community, engaging with governments, regulators, and...
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Head of BSS Consulting, Comarch
Tomasz is a visionary telecommunications industry leader, spearheading innovative Business Support System (BSS) initiatives as the Head of BSS Solutions at Comarch. With a keen focus on critical modules such as Billing, Product Catalog, Order Management and Customer Relationship Management...
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8:30am EDT
Leader's Roundtable - Building the Broadband Workforce
Friday October 11, 2024 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Moderators 
Editor, Broadband Nation
Tommy Clift is a multi-disciplined writer, musician and creator. Within tech, he has covered topics in telecom, diversity and inclusion, cybersecurity, AI, cloud technologies, and more. Tommy is a graduate of Colorado University Denver with a degree in music business and a minor in...
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Chief, BroadbandOhio, Ohio Department of Development
Peter serves as the Chief of BroadbandOhio, an office within the Department of Development dedicated to bringing high-speed internet service to every resident in Ohio. Created by Governor Mike DeWine, it serves as the access point for industry and the public for coordinating the state’s...
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City Council President, City of Jackson, MS
Pastor and spiritual shepherd, a teacher of teachers, ministerial and business visionary, motivational speaker, political consultant and grassroots organizer Aaron B. Banks is known for his gift to empower and mobilize people to prove what is acceptable unto the Lord. Aaron B. Banks...
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Chief Strategic Officer, Oklahoma Broadband Office
Edyn Rolls is a dynamic leader in the public and private sectors with experience in various roles. She is currently serving as the Director of Broadband Strategy at the Oklahoma Broadband Office, where she is responsible for implementing the State Broadband Plan. In this role, Edyn...
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Director, Workforce Development, Fiber Broadband Association
Todd joined the Fiber Broadband Association as the Director of Workforce Development in July 2023 after working as the Market President and President of Workforce Development for an Internet Service Provider Startup and the City of Westerville, where he served the community as Chief...
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10:00am EDT
Leader's Roundtable - Harnessing the Power of Electrical Co-ops to Deliver Broadband to All
Friday October 11, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Moderators 
Head of Rural Broadband Initiative, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Cliff Johnson is the Director of the NRECA’s Broadband Initiative, where he is responsible for working across the organization to lead the program’s design, development, and operation.Cliff joined the NRECA in January 2024 following six years at Bloomberg, where he led the marketing...
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President & CEO, Choptank Electric Cooperative
Mike Malandro is the President and CEO of Choptank Electric Cooperative and President of Choptank Fiber, a wholly owned subsidiary, located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Mike has worked in the electric utility industry since 1999 and has been with Electric Cooperatives since 2003...
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11:15am EDT
Leader's Roundtable - Building Municipal Networks
Friday October 11, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Moderators 
Director, Community Broadband Networks, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Christopher Mitchell is the Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Minneapolis. Mitchell is a leading national expert on community networks, Internet access, and local broadband policies.Mitchell built MuniNetworks.org...
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Executive Director, Maple Broadband Communications Union District in Vermont
Ellie de Villiers holds a number of positions across the public and private sectors, with a focus on telecommunications and affordable access. Ellie is Executive Director of Maple Broadband Communications Union District in Vermont, USA, and Group Head of Affordable Access Initiatives...
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Solutions Marketing Senior Advisor, Broadband & 5G, Ciena
Vinicius (Vini) Santos is part of Ciena's Global Solutions Marketing team, responsible for business development involving advanced solutions like Next Generation Broadband and Private 5G. He has over 25 years of experience supporting the telecommunication market in Brazil, Italy...
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Community & Regional Partnerships Senior Manager, Maine Connectivity Authority
Executive Director, American Association for Public Broadband
Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. She is the host of the “Tech on the Rocks Podcast.” Gigi sits on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.Gigi is one...
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Vice President of Infrastructure and State Broadband Director, Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)
Sandip Bhowmick currently serves as the Vice President of Infrastructure and State Broadband Director at the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). He is responsible for overseeing the planning, development, and expansion of broadband infrastructure throughout Arizona. Prior to his current...
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