#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 — Spectrum Policies to Advance Better Broadband Through 5G
Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place every Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. You can watch the February 10, 2021, event on this page. You can also PARTICIPATE in the current Broadband Breakfast Live Online event. REGISTER HERE.
Our newest series is “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G,” which will explore the policy, technology and practical questions about 5G. They include what’s real and what’s hype, trusted partners, transformative apps in the enterprise, wireless infrastructure facilities, and continued modernization of the nation’s spectrum policies.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: Spectrum Policies to Advance Better Broadband”
- More than simply the next generation of wireless technology, 5G deployments make use of radio frequencies from an extremely wide range. For example, some 5G deployment are using mid-band spectrum between 3.4 GigaHertz (GHz) and 6 GHz. But 5G networks also promise tap into spectrum between 24 GHz and 100 GHz. It deploys these millimeter bands using network slicing and other advanced wireless tools. What new spectrum policies are necessary for 5G to flourish?
Panelists:
- Dr. Robert Kubik, Senior Director of Public Policy at Samsung Electronics America
- Patrick Welsh, Vice President of Federal Regulatory and Legal Affairs at Verizon
- Dr. J. Nicholas Laneman, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Dr. Robert Kubik is Senior Director of Public Policy for Samsung Electronics America. He leads Samsung’s technical public policy formulation and engagement with government and industry, focusing on communications policy, wireless spectrum, broadband, accessibility and other areas. Kubik co-chaired the Federal Communications Commission’s Technology Advisory Council phone theft working group in 2014-2017. He was also a member of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee from 2014-2016 and co-chaired the 5G subcommittee.
Patrick Welsh is Vice President of Federal Regulatory and Legal Affairs at Verizon where he focuses on spectrum and technology policy. He has worked at Verizon since January 2012. Before joining Verizon, Mr. Welsh spent nine years with T-Mobile USA, working in various capacities on their federal regulatory and legislative-affairs teams. He has served as an adjunct professor at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
Dr. J. Nicholas Laneman is a Professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Wireless Institute. His research centers on wireless communications system engineering, including the fundamental limits and tradeoffs from information theory, practical algorithms from coding and signal processing, and prototyping software-defined radios. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from MIT.
This event is part of a six-part event series, “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G,” on Broadband Breakfast Live Online.
A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G’ sponsored by:
Events in “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G” include:
- Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: The Hype and the Reality of 5G”
- This opening panel will set the stage for Broadband Breakfast Live Online’s consideration of the policy, technology and practical questions around the 5G wireless standard. What is 5G, and why is there so much buzz about it? How much of an improvement is it over prior generations of wireless? In other words: What is real, and what is hype? How the issues of trusted partners, rights-of-way deployment, and spectrum policy interact? Where is 5G seeing early successes, and what are the stumbling blocks?”
- Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: National Security and Trusted Partners”
- This panel will consider the global landscape for the 5G equipment ecosystem. It will consider issues in core networks, radio access networks and in handset equipment. How has the global landscape changed? Will 5G benefit from – or suffer because of – a new Cold War with China? How are American companies reacting to federal government initiatives for trusted partners? Where can the U.S. turn for solutions and alternatives to Chinese manufacturers?
- Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: A Case Study of Transformative Apps in the Enterprise”
- 5G is seeing its first real successes in the enterprise marketplace. To glimpse the future more accurately, Broadband Breakfast Live Online will consider case studies of applications in enterprise environments. What technologies and processes bring 5G success to the business marketplace? What needs to happen to bring 5G successes to the consumer marketplace?
- Wednesday, December 9, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: Wireless Infrastructure, Municipal Rights-of-Way and the 5G Rural Fund”
- To realize the promise of 5G, far more base stations — wireless infrastructure facilities — will be necessary. 5G facilities and towers may not be as big as in previous generations of wireless technology. Still, the need for far more facilities has already created tensions with municipalities over rights-of-way. How can these conflicts be minimized? What are smart cities already doing to expedite wireless infrastructure deployment? Can the process be improved?
- Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: The Adoption and Use of 5G Broadband”
- What are some of the likely drivers of 5G equipment and services? How have existing consumer use cases been received? Are there 5G use cases that could help close the digital divide by elevating broadband utilization among communities of color and low-income populations? What can we expect from 5G technology in 2021?
- Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 12 Noon ET — “A No-Nonsense Guide to 5G: Spectrum Policies to Advance Better Broadband”
- More than simply the next generation of wireless technology, 5G deployments make use of radio frequencies from an extremely wide range. For example, some 5G deployment are using mid-band spectrum between 3.4 GigaHertz (GHz) and 6 GHz. But 5G networks also promise tap into spectrum between 24 GHz and 100 GHz. It deploys these millimeter bands using network slicing and other advanced wireless tools. What new spectrum policies are necessary for 5G to flourish?
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
How to Watch the Videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit
The recordings of all the videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit are available to Breakfast Club members.

Watch the videos from the BEAD Implementation Summit on September 21, 2023.
Those who attended the BEAD Implementation Summit or watched the webcast are able to access the videos. Members of the Broadband Breakfast Club also have access to the BEAD Implementation Summit videos, as well as videos of all in-person events.
If you missed BEAD Implementation Summit, sign up for Broadband Breakfast’s BEAD Starter Pack for $35/month (cancel anytime). You’ll get access to each of the Breakfast Club reports for the BEAD Implementation Summit:
- July 2023 – A Deep Dive into Allocations Under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
- August 2023 – Precursors to BEAD Implementation: A Deep Dive Into Prior Broadband Programs
- September 2023 – A Deep Dive into the BEAD Program’s Matching Funds
Questions? Email drew@breakfast.media!
#broadbandlive
State Broadband Heads Address BEAD Implementation Focuses
Broadband leaders touched on letter of credit requirements, subgrant timelines, and speed test data.

WASHINGTON, September 20, 2023 – Three state broadband leaders highlighted at a Broadband Breakfast Live Online event Wednesday key points of focus ahead of their implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
The BEAD program allocates $42.5 billion to states for expanding broadband infrastructure. States are in the process of releasing their initial proposals for administering the program – due to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration by December 27 – and hearing public comments.
The conversation was a preview of some topics up for discussion with state broadband heads, BEAD and other federal grant program officials, and service providers at the Broadband Breakfast BEAD Implementation Summit Thursday. Registration is open for in-person and virtual attendance.
Subgrantee selection timeline
States will have one year from the approval of their initial proposals to award subgrants under the program and submit their final proposals to the NTIA. Those awards have to be allocated via a bidding process.
Getting that done will be difficult, said Jim Stritzinger, the head of South Carolina’s broadband office.
“It’s really, really hard to deploy $551 million in 12 months,” he said. “And other states have much larger allocations than ours, I don’t know how they’re going to do it.”
Brian Newby of the North Dakota Broadband Program, echoed the concern.
“I am concerned that there will be locations that just won’t be bid on,” he said, and a second round of bidding to hit those areas would be difficult to fit in before the deadline.
Stritzinger noted that state offices are permitted under NTIA rules to negotiate directly with providers to BEAD-supported infrastructure in areas missed by the bidding process, rather than open a second round, which could save time, he said.
Letters of credit
BEAD requires grant recipients to get letters of credit from banks for 25 percent of the funds they receive to undertake projects. The requirement has been flagged by the industry as potentially blocking smaller providers from being able to accept grants.
The requirement still applies to publicly owned entities, Vermont broadband director Christine Hallquist noted. That will be a problem in Vermont, she said, where some communications infrastructure is owned by coalitions of towns.
“Municipalities just do not have that kind of money,” she said.
Speed test data
The broadband heads also noted the importance of reliable locations in speed test data. When speed tests are run in computer browsers, as opposed to direct measurements from equipment or from GPS-enabled devices like smartphones, they have less precise locations attached to them.
“You could very easily see a bunch of speed tests stacking up on a single dot in the center of a zip code,” Stritzinger said. “You have to be careful about that.”
Hallquist emphasized collecting speed data from different points along a network’s infrastructure to pinpoint where speed loss is happening.
“We want to help people address all of the issues that are a part of that stream of data,” she said.
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, September 20, 2023 – Preview of BEAD Implementation Summit
Ahead of the Broadband Breakfast BEAD’s Implementation Summit on September 21, this free live online event will offer a sneak peek into what the summit has in store. It will set the stage for the upcoming panels, including a roundtable with state broadband officers, a discussion of past broadband efforts, the role of public-private partnerships and a town hall session on problems still to tackle. Tune in to see what’s in store at the BEAD Implementation Summit in Washington on Thursday, September 21, 2023.
Panelists
- Brian Newby, Director, North Dakota Broadband Program Director
- Jim Stritzinger, Director, South Carolina Broadband Office
- Christine Hallquist, Executive Director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Register for the BEAD Implementation Summit on September 21, 2023.
Brian Newby leads the North Dakota State Broadband Office, targeting broadband for all in North Dakota by administering more than $175 million in federal grants. Formerly served as the State Election Director at the North Dakota Secretary of State; previously was the Executive Director for U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal government agency, and Election Commissioner for Johnson County, the largest jurisdiction in Kansas and in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Before elections, worked as director of strategy for Sprint’s $10 billion Global Markets Group.
As part of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, Jim Stritzingerserves as Director of the Broadband Office which was formed in July 2021. He manages a full-time team of five and is directly responsible for ensuring the rapid deployment of broadband infrastructure statewide and overseeing $1 billion in state and federal grant investments.
Christine Hallquist is the Executive Director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board. Their mission is to connect every Vermont address to fiber, make it affordable and maximize positive social impact. Christine was the former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative.
Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.
Register for the BEAD Implementation Summit on September 21, 2023.
#broadbandlive
Broadband Breakfast on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – Broadband Deployment from India, Australia, South Africa
What can the United States learn from fascinating broadband deployments in the Global South?

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, October 25 – International Examples of Broadband Deployment – India, Australia, South Africa
As the United States channels unprecedented investments into broadband expansion, the nation’s counterparts worldwide are also ramping up their deployment efforts. In India, nearly 900 million out of its 1.4 billion population have adopted broadband services as of December 2022. Meanwhile, Australia said it’s on track to deliver broadband download speeds of at least 500 megabits per second to 90 percent of its homes and businesses by 2025. Across the ocean, South Africa is also making great strides in broadband buildouts. What lies behind such rapid expansion in those countries? How do they compare to the U.S.’s initiative under the bipartisan infrastructure law?
Panelists
- Panelists have been invited
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
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.
-
Community Broadband3 weeks ago
Rural Broadband Provider Touts Cooperative and Coalition-based Models
-
Broadband Roundup4 weeks ago
5G Fund for Rural America, FCC Disaster Information Reporting System, US Cellular Expands 5G,
-
Digital Inclusion4 weeks ago
FCC and HUD Partner to Promote Internet Subsidies for Housing Assistance Recipients
-
Funding4 weeks ago
Proposed Buy America Waiver Makes BEAD Projects Feasible, Say Fiber Manufacturers
-
Funding3 weeks ago
A Deep Dive into the BEAD Program’s Matching Funds
-
Broadband Roundup3 weeks ago
NTIA Announces Middle Mile Funds, NDIA Director on Closing Digital Divide, More Tribal ACP Outreach Funds
-
Broadband Roundup3 weeks ago
FCC Waives Hurricane Idalia Rules, North Carolina Awards, Fiber Deployment in Kansas
-
Environment4 weeks ago
Transition to Fiber is Essential for Reducing Telecom Emissions: Expert