#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 — RDOF and Other Rural Broadband Deployments
See “Broadband Breakfast Panelists Discuss How Rural Fund Recipients Can Prepare For Efficient Network Builds,” Broadband Breakfast, December 22, 2020
Tools for Broadband Deployment: This series explores the way that geospatial data and asset management is shaping the future of rural network delivery and performance. This series explores how market-leading fiber builders are using digital tools to map, analyze, manage and deploy new networks – with a focus on rural success stories.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband: RDOF and Other Rural Broadband Deployments”
- The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the Connect America Fund and other rural deployments: How new awardees are laying the future for managing their deployments. Think managing your budget.
WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
This event is part of a five-part event series, “Tools for Broadband: Preparing for Success,” on Broadband Breakfast Live Online.
Panelists include:
- Lori Sherwood, Director, Commercial and Market Development, Render Networks
- Ryan McCowan, Director, Customer Engagement & Solutions, ADTRAN
- Ed Barrett, Vice President and Practice Leader, HR Green’s Fiber and Broadband Practice
- Greg Santoro, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, NRTC
- Drew Clark (Moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Ed Barrett, Lori Sherwood, Ryan McCowan, Greg Santoro
Lori Sherwood is a strategic industry leader with decades of broadband experience, more recently focused on uncovering solutions for rural communities. As the Director of Commercial and Market Development for Render Networks, she has a background in contract development, community broadband networks, and issues facing municipalities. Lori has successfully led programs awarding federal stimulus grant processes with hundred-million-dollar investments. Lori is currently a Member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).
A veteran telecom professional with over 18 years in the industry, Ryan McCowan leads the team defining and driving ADTRAN’s vision for the fiber-based access networks of today and tomorrow. Previously at ADTRAN he served in a range of product management capacities for its market-leading fiber and copper-based product lines. Prior to joining ADTRAN in 2010, he served in engineering and technology management roles with Paradyne and AMD. Ryan holds a Master’s degree from Georgia Tech and a Bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech, both in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Ed Barrett is Vice President and Practice Leader for HR Green’s Fiber and Broadband Practice. During his tenure at HR Green, he has led the analysis and strategic planning efforts for clients including counties, municipalities and special districts. His experience includes work in the telecommunications sector, where he brings more than 15 years of telecom and broadband services experience working with both carriers and local communities. His work has focused on the study of municipal broadband feasibility, deployment of large fiber to the home networks, and the creation of innovative partnerships that link community and private sector 5G deployments.
Greg Santoro is chief marketing and strategy officer for NRTC, originally the National Rural Telephone Cooperative, where he is responsible for strategy, marketing, business development, and IT. He joined NRTC from NII Holdings where he was responsible for corporate marketing and branding, product and device development, and strategic planning for a Latin American wireless company.
Panelist Resources
- Broadband Web Page from Company Site: https://www.hrgreen.com/markets-projects/governmental-services/community-broadband/
- 5G/Smart City Page from Company Site: https://www.hrgreen.com/articles/building-smart-cities-5g-technology/
- Broadband Consulting Sell Sheet: https://www.hrgreen.com/app/uploads/2017/07/HRG_GS_Broadband-092017-web.pdf
- Community Fiber Sell Sheet: https://www.hrgreen.com/app/uploads/2018/03/bro_GS_CommunityFiber-web.pdf
- NRTC’s Broadband Benchmark: https://www.nrtc.coop/news/rec-broadband-benchmark-report
Events in “Tools for Broadband Deployment” series, which is sponsored by ADTRAN and Render Networks, include:
- Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband Deployment: Preparing for Success”
- Are you ready for rural deployment? The United States is currently in the midst of multiple, significant efforts pushing for Better Broadband for Rural America. Think of the big picture opportunity.
- Wednesday, November 25, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband Deployment: Connecting Providers and Customers Faster”
- Case studies of network-building with an all-digital workflow. How fiber-builders are finding success in construction management, workflow processes and on-the-fly changes. In a phrase: Think workflow and business systems.
- Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband Deployment: RDOF and Other Rural Broadband Deployments”
- The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, the Connect America Fund and other rural deployments: How new awardees are laying the future for managing their deployments. Think managing your budget.
- Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband Deployment: Mapping the Rural Broadband Buildout”
- Mapping broadband assets is only the first step. This session will explore how end-to-end data is showing that successful rural fiber networks begin with the end in the mind. Think broadband mapping.
- Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 12 Noon ET — “Tools for Broadband: Fueling the Fire of Rural Innovation”
- We’ll showcase how broadband deployment is accelerating the digital future for rural America at a time of COVID-19. Think success.
“Tools for Broadband Deployment” is sponsored by:
Render Networks
ADTRAN
SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.
#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast on June 1, 2022 — The Supreme Court, Social Media and the Culture Wars
The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law banning social media companies from removing posts based on views expressed.

See “Experts Reflect on Supreme Court Decision to Block Texas Social Media Bill,” Broadband Breakfast, June 2, 2022.
Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.
Wednesday, June 1, 2022, 12 Noon ET – BREAKING NEWS EVENT! – The Supreme Court, Social Media and the Culture Wars
The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law that would ban large social media companies from removing posts based on the views they express. Join us for this breaking news event of Broadband Breakfast Live Online in which we discuss the Supreme Court, social media and the culture wars.
Panelists:
- Scott McCollough, Attorney, McCollough Law Firm
- Amy Peikoff, Chief Policy Officer, Parler
- Ari Cohn, Free Speech Counsel, TechFreedom
- Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights at Free Press
- Drew Clark (presenter and host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources:
- Supreme Court decision on HB 20, May 31, 2022
- Narrow Majority of Supreme Court Blocks Texas Law Regulating Social Media Platforms, Broadband Breakfast, May 31, 2022
- Explainer: With Florida Social Media Law, Section 230 Now Positioned In Legal Spotlight, Broadband Breakfast, May 25, 2021
- Parler Policy Exec Hopes ‘Sustainable’ Free Speech Change on Twitter if Musk Buys Platform, Broadband Breakfast, May 16, 2022
- Experts Warn Against Total Repeal of Section 230, Broadband Breakfast, November 22, 2021
- Broadband Breakfast Hosts Section 230 Debate, Broadband Breakfast, June 1, 2021
W. Scott McCollough has practiced communications and Internet law for 38 years, with a specialization in regulatory issues confronting the industry. Clients include competitive communications companies, Internet service and application providers, public interest organizations and consumers.
Amy Peikoff is the Chief Policy Officer of Parler. After completing her Ph.D., she taught at universities (University of Texas, Austin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States Air Force Academy) and law schools (Chapman, Southwestern), publishing frequently cited academic articles on privacy law, as well as op-eds in leading newspapers across the country on a range of issues. Just prior to joining Parler, she founded and was President of the Center for the Legalization of Privacy, which submitted an amicus brief in United States v. Facebook in 2019.
Ari Cohn is Free Speech Counsel at TechFreedom. A nationally recognized expert in First Amendment law, he was previously the Director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and has worked in private practice at Mayer Brown LLP and as a solo practitioner, and was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Ari graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Nora Benavidez manages Free Press’s efforts around platform and media accountability to defend against digital threats to democracy. She previously served as the director of PEN America’s U.S. Free Expression Programs, where she guided the organization’s national advocacy agenda on First Amendment and free-expression issues, including press freedom, disinformation defense and protest rights. Nora launched and led PEN America’s media-literacy and disinformation-defense program. She also led the organization’s groundbreaking First Amendment lawsuit, PEN America v. Donald Trump, to hold the former president accountable for his retaliation against and censorship of journalists he disliked.
Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Drew brings experts and practitioners together to advance the benefits provided by broadband. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of a State Broadband Initiative, the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He is also the President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress.

Photo of the Supreme Court from September 2020 by Aiva.
WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.
SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.
#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast on June 29, 2022 — Broadband Mapping and Data
Broadband Breakfast returns to one of the subjects that it knows best: Broadband mapping and data.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 12 Noon ET –Broadband Mapping and Data
Now that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice of Funding Opportunity has been released, attention turns to a core activity that must take place before broadband infrastructure funds are distributed: The Federal Communications Commission’s updated broadband maps. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as implemented by the NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, these address-level maps from the FCC will determine the allocation of funds among states and serve as a key source of truth. Our panelists will also consider the role of state-level maps, the NTIA challenge process and other topics. Join Broadband Breakfast as we return to one of the subjects that we know best: Broadband data and mapping.
Panelists:
- Guests have been invited.
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources:
- Broadband Breakfast on April 20, 2022 — Broadband Mapping and Data: In-Home Connections
- Broadband Breakfast on February 2, 2022 — Groundhog Day Special on Broadband Mapping
- Broadband Breakfast on December 22, 2021 — When Will the Broadband Maps Get Fixed?
Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Drew brings experts and practitioners together to advance the benefits provided by broadband. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of a State Broadband Initiative, the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He is also the President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress.
WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.
SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.
#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast on June 15, 2022 – Broadband Breakfast Live Online from Fiber Connect in Nashville
Join conference attendees in conversation on key connectivity issues.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 12 Noon ET – Broadband Breakfast Live Online from Fiber Connect in Nashville
Join a conversation with attendees at the annual Fiber Connect conference in Nashville, Tennessee:
The purpose of this special session of Broadband Breakfast Live Online is to highlight some of the concerns that have been expressed by municipalities about the notice of funding opportunity recently issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. In this special session from Fiber Connect in Nashville, panelists will analyze what the NTIA got right and where it has blind spots. Equally importantly, we will discuss what can be done next so that cities have the opportunity to expand fiber to every corner of their communities when they seek to do so.
Panelists:
- Gary Bolton, President and CEO, the Fiber Broadband Association
-
Scott Menhart, Chief Information Technology Office, Traverse City, Michigan
- Kim McKinley, Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber
- Bob Knight, executive board of the American Association of Public Broadband
- Drew Clark (presenter and host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Bob Knight is a broadband industry professional and public official. He serves on the executive board of the American Association of Public Broadband and is in his seventh term as a commissioner of economic and community development for Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Gary Bolton serves as president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association — the largest trade association in the Americas dedicated to all-fiber-optic broadband. With more than three decades in the telecom industry, Bolton joined the Fiber Broadband Association as president and CEO in 2020 after serving on the association’s board as vice chairman, treasurer and vice chairs of public policy and marketing committees. Prior to taking the leadership role at the Fiber Broadband Association, he spent 11 years at ADTRAN serving as vice president of global marketing and government affairs.
Scott Menhart, the chief information technology officer for Traverse City Light & Power (TCLP), has more than 20 years of experience in technology and broadband industries. He has been actively involved with multiple fiber to the premise deployments and recently launched TCLPfiber, a full municipal community network. TCLP currently serves nearly 13,000 electric customers and is currently working to expand TCLPfiber services to these customers.
Kim McKinley helps lead UTOPIA Fiber as its Deputy Director and Chief Marketing Officer. In 2010, she joined the network as a member of its turnaround team, and has helped cement today’s UTOPIA Fiber as the fastest-growing, highest-rated, and most-successful Open Access network in the United States.
Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Drew brings experts and practitioners together to advance the benefits provided by broadband. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of a State Broadband Initiative, the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He is also the President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress.

Photo of Gaylord Opryland, home of Fiber Connect, by Ken Lund used with permission
WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.
SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.
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