August 12, 2025: BEAD Unplugged: The Controversies, the Questions, and What Comes Next
In this candid and timely webinar, three leading broadband policy experts will dive into a digital 'grab bag' of hot-button BEAD topics.
As we approach the final stretch of the Benefit of the Bargain phase, it’s clear that the BEAD program has been anything but straightforward. From battles over broadband maps and location data to debates about technology eligibility, performance standards, and the wide-ranging approaches taken by individual states, controversy has followed the program from day one.
In this candid and timely webinar, three leading broadband policy experts will dive into a digital "grab bag" of hot-button BEAD topics. No subject is off limits as they unpack the questions, frustrations, and implications behind the headlines. Whether you're a state broadband official, local provider, or simply trying to make sense of BEAD's evolving landscape, this session promises insights, clarity—and a few fireworks.
Grab your popcorn. It’s going to be a wild ride!
Panelists
- Gigi Sohn, Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB)
- Lori Adams, Vice President, Broadband Policy & Funding Strategy, Nokia
- Carol Mattey, Founding Member and Principal, Mattey Consulting LLC
- Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Cameron Marx
Gigi Sohn is the Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate and the Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband (AAPB). She is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. For over thirty-five years, Gigi has worked across the country to defend and preserve the fundamental competition and innovation policies that have made broadband Internet access more ubiquitous, competitive, affordable, open, and protective of user privacy. In recognition of her expertise and dedication to the public interest in communications, President Biden nominated her to serve on the Federal Communications Commission in October 2021.
Lori Adams currently serves as the Vice President of Broadband Policy & Funding Strategy for Nokia and is a key member of the US broadband business development team within the Network Infrastructure business group. In 2023, Adams was a core member of the team that helped Nokia achieve Buy America compliance for the BEAD program. Adams is a highly skilled telecommunications attorney with more than twenty years’ experience and a successful track record in the government and private sector.
Carol Mattey is the Founding Member and Principal of Mattey Consulting LLC, a Washington, D.C. metro area-based firm that advises broadband providers and others active in the telecommunications industry, with a particular focus on government funding for broadband, including NTIA’s $42+ billion BEAD program. With decades of experience as a senior executive in the U.S. government, consultant and lawyer, she advises clients on government funding strategy and execution, public policy advocacy, and regulatory compliance.
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 tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community 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.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
Member discussion