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Broadband Breakfast on October 26, 2022 – Challenging the Broadband Fabric
Amid rising discontent about the FCC’s use of the “broadband fabric” to measure broadband availability, what are the alternatives?
See States Could Face Legal Jeopardy From Challenging the Fabric: Chief Data Officer of Montana, Broadband Breakfast, October 26, 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, October 26, 2022, 12 Noon ET – Challenging the Broadband Fabric
Discontent is rising about the Federal Communications Commission’s use of the so-called “broadband fabric” to measure the availability of broadband on an address-by-address basis. Many are concerned that the FCC is dismissing or minimizing the ability of consumers to bring speed test challenges to fabric data. Additionally, the private nature of the fabric is a concern to those who say publicly-available information is needed for building out broadband. What are the alternatives to the fabric, and how might the fabric be challenged at the FCC, the NTIA, state broadband offices, or in court?
Panelists:
- Sascha Meinrath, Director, X-Lab and Palmer Chair in Telecommunications, Penn State University
- Michael Kleeman, Professor, George Mason University
- Scott D. Woods, Vice President for Community Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, Ready.net
- Adam Carpenter, Chief Data Officer, Montana Department of Administration
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources:
- NTIA Plans to Award $50 Million Contract to CostQuest, but Considers Competitive Procurement, Broadband Breakfast, October 24, 2022
- Communities Must Be Accurate in Fabric-Challenge Submissions, says Mapping Non-profit, Broadband Breakfast, October 21, 2022
- After Controversial Panel on Mapping, FCC Confirms No Charges for Access to Fabric, Broadband Breakfast, October 13, 2022
- FCC’s Fabric Challenge Process Important Part of Getting Map Right, Agency Says, Broadband Breakfast, September 8, 2022
- Montana Mapping Official: Treasury Deadline for ARPA Fund Disbursement Probably Too Soon, Broadband Breakfast, April 13, 2022
Sascha Meinrath is the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications at Penn State University and director of X-Lab, an innovative think tank focusing on the intersection of vanguard technologies and public policy. Prior to creating the X-Lab, Meinrath was vice president of the New America Foundation, where he founded the Open Technology Institute in 2008 and built it into one of the largest public interest tech policy organizations in Washington, D.C. He also founded the Commotion Wireless Project, which works around the globe to strengthen communities by providing tools to build their own local communications infrastructures, and co-founded Measurement Lab, a global online platform for researchers to deploy Internet measurement tools that empower the public and key decision-makers with useful information about broadband connectivity.
Michael Kleeman is a serial CTO and has worked in networks across five continents and deployed fiber, long haul, local, middle mile and even submarine systems, since the mid 1980s. Kleeman has a deep understanding of network economics, both capital and operating, across a wide array of local, long distance and international geographies utilizing current and emerging technologies for transmission and network deployment. He is a professor of practice at George Mason University.
Scott D. Woods is the Vice President for Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships for Ready.net, where he facilitates and develops key public-private partnerships formed via the Broadband.Money platform. He also focuses on providing a platform for local communities to express their needs for broadband access and digital equity investments, as well as developing industry partnerships, and fostering alliances with key stakeholders to advance and support community-based broadband education and advocacy initiatives.
With a background software engineering and data analysis, Adam Carpenter discovered Machine Learning (AI) when it was still in its infancy and found his passion. Impressed by the transformational power of AI early on, it quickly became clear that it is the last step in a long data maturity journey. Adam has since spent a career helping organizations through that journey so they can better use their data to serve their customers. After receiving the call to public service, Adam is now facilitating this journey for the state of Montana through this same journey.
Drew Clark (moderator) is CEO of Breakfast Media LLC, the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of the State Broadband Initiative in Illinois. Now, in light of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, attorney Clark helps fiber-based and wireless clients secure funding, identify markets, broker infrastructure and operate in the public right of way.
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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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.
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Broadband Breakfast on October 11, 2023 – Spectrum Sharing: How Promising and How Real Is It?
Some see potential in advancing 5G technology while others worry about connectivity performance

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 11 – Spectrum Sharing: How Promising and How Real Is It?
The practice of spectrum sharing, where multiple operators coexist within the same bandwidth, is often lauded as a solution to the limited availability of spectrum. Some view it as a promising avenue for advancing 5G technology and beyond, potentially with the aid of artificial intelligence. However, critics contend that crowding may hinder and degrade connectivity performance. In light of the FCC’s recent plans to open up more spectrum for commercial use, what lies ahead for spectrum management and licensing? How can regulators strike a balance between expanding sharing opportunities and ensuring optimal connectivity?
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.
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Evan Feinman Tapped as Keynote Speaker for BEAD Implementation Summit
Panel discussions will explore precursors to BEAD, private match funding, state broadband planning and more

WASHINGTON, August 29, 2023 – Evan Feinman, deputy associate administrator for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, will be a keynote speaker at the BEAD Implementation Summit on Thursday, September 21.
The event, hosted by the Broadband Breakfast community and featuring an in-person and online streaming component, will feature four panels on the most relevant and topical issues regarding BEAD Implementation. Among the panelists who have confirmed include state broadband leaders like Virginia’s Dr. Tamarah Holmes, Maine’s Andrew Butcher, Illinois’ Matt Schmit and Earnie Holtrey from Indiana.
They will discuss state initial proposals, state goals and priorities and high-cost thresholds.
Laurel Leverrier, assistant administrator of the telecommunications program in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, will address the administration’s commitment to the ReConnect broadband program.
Experts in matching funds, private sector investment and public-private partnerships like Blair Levin from New Street Research – the former architect of the nation’s first National Broadband Plan – and Brian Vo, chief investment officer from Connect Humanity, will also join the discussion to talk about how the private sector is poised to supplement the federal funds being deployed for the BEAD program.
Scott Woods, president of public-private partnerships for Ready.net will address how Build America, Buy America requirements in BEAD will affect deployment. The discussion will also delve into letter of credit requirements, workforce development, supplier diversity and other regulatory requirements.
“The BEAD Implementation Summit will drill into the particulars of BEAD implementation as states are looking at the largest-to-date federal investment in high-speed internet infrastructure, said Drew Clark, editor and publisher of Broadband Breakfast.
More panelists are still being confirmed. The event will take place at Clyde’s of Gallery Place at 707 7th Street NW, Washington. Registration is available at the Early Bird rate of $145 until Friday, September 1. BEAD Implementation Summit registration will available at $245 until September 21.
Register now to hear what federal and state government officials, plus industry and non-profit groups, have to say about the next steps in this historic broadband funding. In addition to discounts on events and access to premium videos, Broadband Breakfast Club members have access to comprehensive monthly exclusive reports that delve into key topics pertaining to Better Broadband, Better Lives.
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