BroadbandBreakfast.com Hosts Broadband Breakfast Club Event ‘Better Broadband Adoption: How to Maximize its Impact and Use’ Tuesday, April 19th 2011, Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Friday, April 15, 2011 – The internet and intellectual property policy news and events service BroadbandBreakfast.com will hold its April 2011 Broadband Breakfast Club event, “Better Broadband Adoption: How to Maximize its Impact and Use” on Tuesday, April 19^th, 2011 in downtown Washington, DC.

The President has set a national goal of extending broadband coverage to 98 percent of Americans, but only 68 percent of people who have access to broadband use it.  What good are fast networks if they don’t attract users?  And what can we do to encourage more people to use high-speed internet? April’s Broadband Breakfast Club expert panel will explore the economic implications of wider broadband adoption and how to best encourage it in demographics that have been reluctant to do so.  Join the Conversation!

Telecommunications advocates, policy-makers, journalists, top officials and the general public, all seeking to trade insights on these important issues, are invited to attend this event of the Broadband Breakfast Club, which includes full American and Continental breakfasts, for as little as $45.00, plus a modest registration fee. This event is on the record and open to the public.

Keynote Speaker:

Anna Gomez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Deputy Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce

Anna Gomez joined the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in February 2009. Previously, Ms. Gomez was Vice President, Government Affairs at Sprint Nextel. Prior to her work in private industry, Ms. Gomez served for 12 years in various management positions at the FCC, including Deputy Chief of the International Bureau and Chief of the Network Services Division in the Common Carrier (now Wireline) Bureau. Ms. Gomez also served as the Senior Legal Advisor to former FCC Chairman William Kennard. In addition, Ms. Gomez was Deputy Chief of Staff in the National Economic Council during the Clinton Administration; Staff Counsel in the U.S. Senate for the Subcommittee on Communication, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and an associate at the law firm of Arnold & Porter. Ms. Gomez is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and earned her J.D. from George Washington University. She is a member of the District of Columbia’s Hispanic Bar Association and the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Panelists:

Debra Berlyn, Executive Director, Project to Get Older Adults onLine

Debra Berlyn serves as the Executive Director of the Project to Get Older Adults onLine (Project GOAL), and she is also the President of Consumer Policy Solutions.  Ms. Berlyn is a seasoned veteran of telecommunications and consumer policy issues and an advocate for consumers of technology services. She represented AARP on the digital television transition and has worked closely with national aging organizations on several Internet issues, including online safety and privacy concerns.  Ms. Berlyn served as chair of the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee and currently is on the Board of Director’s for the National Consumers League and SeniorNet.

Sascha Meinrath, Director, Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation

Sascha Meinrath is a well-known expert on community wireless networks, municipal broadband, and telecommunications policy. In 2009 he was named one of Ars Technica’s Tech Policy “People to Watch” and is also the 2009 recipient of the Public Knowledge IP3 Award for excellence in public interest advocacy. Sascha is a co-founder of Measurement Lab, a distributed server platform for researchers around the world to deploy Internet measurement tools, advance network research, and empower the public with useful information about their broadband connections. He also coordinates the Open Source Wireless Coalition, a global partnership of open source wireless integrators, researchers, implementors and companies dedicated to the development of open source, interoperable, low-cost wireless technologies. He is a regular contributor to Government Technology’s Digital Communities, the online portal and comprehensive information resource for the public sector. Sascha has worked with Free Press, the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), the Acorn Active Media Foundation, the Ethos Group, and the CUWiN Foundation. Sascha serves on the Leadership Committee of the CompTIA Education Foundation as well as the Advisory Council for the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. Sascha blogs regularly at

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Steve Pastorkovich, Business Development Director and Senior Policy Analyst, Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO)

At OPASTCO Steve Pastorkovich works with other groups to explore technologies and applications that can diversify revenues and reduce costs for rural telecommunications carriers, and serves as the secondary staff liaison to OPASTCO’s Technical committee. In his role as Senior Policy Analyst, Steve leads OPASTCO’s advocacy efforts on broadband and video issues, and assists with a variety of other topics at both the FCC and on Capitol Hill. His Washington, D.C. career began as a staff member of a national presidential campaign.  He later conducted political research for a national party organization, and has served as a producer of a leading weekly national television program covering politics and public policy.

Raquel Noriega, Director of Public Policy, Connected Nation

As the Director of Strategic Partnerships, Raquel serves as the liaison between Connected Nation and its domestic and international partners. In addition to managing existing partner relationships, she identifies potential new partners and innovative business opportunities in line with Connected Nation’s mission. She also supports the development and communication of public policy that furthers the mission of Connected Nation. Prior to joining Connected Nation, Raquel was an economic consultant in Washington, Madrid and London providing consulting services to telecommunications and media firms. Raquel received her Masters in Arts and Sciences for Economics from Northwestern. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a degree economics.

BMaynard Scarborough, Vice President, Government Relations and National Engagement, One Economy Corporation

BMaynard Scarborough is the Vice President of Government Affairs & National Engagement at One Economy Corporation. In his role he manages the organization’s government relationships at the municipal, state and federal levels. Earlier this year, BMaynard helped launch One Economy’s National Technology Adoption Advisory Council (NTAAC), an 80-member, bi-partisan leadership coalition of city and state elected officials who have made increasing the levels of broadband adoption in underserved communities a leading part of their civic platforms. Additionally, Maynard is responsible for overseeing community engagement efforts and fostering One Economy partnerships across the nation. Prior to joining One Economy, BMaynard served as the Executive Director of a consumer advocacy start-up and previously he was the Director of Public Affairs for the Boston Globe. BMaynard has a BA from Morehouse College in English and Broadcast Communications.

The event will be moderated by Jonathan Charnitski, Managing Editor at BroadbandBreakfast.com. Jonathan began his career as a journalist before turning his focus to law and policy. He is an attorney licensed in Texas and the District of Columbia and has worked previously as a political reporter, in political campaign communications and on Capitol Hill. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Washington and a J.D. from Villanova Law School, where he focused his studies on Internet and intellectual property law and policy.

The event will take place at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, 707 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. American and Continental breakfasts are included. The program begins shortly after 8:30 a.m.

Tickets to the event are $45.00 plus a small online fee. Registration is available at

The Broadband Breakfast Club is sponsored by ICF International (ICFI), The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and US Telecom.

The Broadband Breakfast Club series meets on the third Tuesday of each month (except for August and December). Registration for this event can be found at

The Broadband Breakfast Club schedule can be viewed at http://broadbandbreakfastseries.eventbrite.com

For More Information Contact:
Sylvia Syracuse
Director of Marketing and Events
BroadbandBreakfast.com
Sylvia@broadbandcensus.com
646-262-4630