Graham Richard, Former Mayor of Fort Wayne, at April Broadband Breakfast Club

Richard Joins Panel Including Officials from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Pennsylvania to Consider States' Experiences With Broadband Spending

Press Release

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2009 - Graham Richard, the former mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has agreed to join the panel discussion for the April meeting of the Broadband Breakfast Club, which takes place on Tuesday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Old Ebbitt Grill.

Richard will join a panel that already includes top city and state officials, and which addresses the question, "Can States' Front-line Experiences Expedite Broadband Deployment?" Other confirmed panelists include Karen Jackson, Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance, Commonwealth of Virginia; Betty Ann Kane, Chairman, D.C. Public Service Commission; and Sue A. Suleski, Technology Investment Specialist and Program Manager for the Pennsylvania Broadband Initiative.

With the fast-moving broadband stimulus package almost certain to stretch the capabilities of federal agencies such as the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, state governments and agencies say they can help expedite the process.

The event marks the kick-off of a new four-part series of the Broadband Breakfast Club: Spending the Broadband Stimulus, by BroadbandCensus.com. For six months now, the Broadband Breakfast Club has brought key stakeholders together to share breakfast and perspectives on broadband technology and internet policy.

Richard, mayor of Fort Wayne from 2000 through 2007, will be able to speak to the way city and state officials can use broadband technology to address their key concerns. As mayor, Richard was responsible for a broadband initiative that brought a $100 million fiber-optic investment in the city.

The event will be moderated by Drew Clark, Editor and Executive Director of BroadbandCensus.com. Clark is a veteran telecom and technology journalist, and he founded BroadbandCensus.com in January 2008 as a means of providing the public with a free and objective resource of the wired and wireless local broadband carriers, grouped by ZIP code, by speed, by competition and by consumer satisfaction.

Telecommunications policy advocates, attorneys, policy-makers and journalists seeking to obtain insights from top officials in Washington can attend the Broadband Breakfast Club, which includes a full American and Continental breakfast, for as little as $45.00, plus a modest registration fee. The events are on the record and open to the public. Register here for the next breakfast event.

For individuals outside of Washington, or whose schedule doesn't permit attendance in person, archived webcasts of the Broadband Breakfast Club are now available on the BroadbandCensus.com channel on TV Mainstream. One full year of online access to each premium webcast is available for $40.00.

On March 23, BroadbandCensus.com launched BroadbandCensus.com Weekly Report, a premium newsletter packed with only the most relevant and actionable news, analysis and insight into the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus. Subscriptions to BroadbandCensus.com Weekly Report are available at the introductory offer of $95.00/month, or $950.00/year. Included within the purchase price is one year of complementary access to each monthly webcast of the Broadband Breakfast Club.

Individuals who register to attend the Broadband Breakfast Club in person will also receive a full year of complementary online access to the webcast, and a $20.00 discount off the subscription price of the BroadbandCensus.com Weekly Report.

The registration page for the event is http://broadbandbreakfast.eventbrite.com.

Beginning at 8 a.m., an American plus Continental breakfast is available downstairs in the Cabinet Room. This is followed by a discussion, beginning shortly after 8:30 a.m. and ending before 10 a.m.

Because of the limited size of the venue, seated attendance will be reserved the first 45 individuals to register.

The Broadband Breakfast Club: Spending the Broadband Stimulus, is sponsored by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and the Benton Foundation.