Broadband Breakfast on April 22, 2026 – Public Safety and Mission-Critical Broadband

Broadband is increasingly becoming the backbone of modern public safety operations. From natural disasters to everyday 911 calls, first responders depend not only on fast, reliable networks, but also on precise, real-time location data, especially indoors, where GPS often fails. This panel will examine how policymakers, network operators, and public safety officials are navigating the evolving role of broadband in emergency response. 

Panelists

• Ed Mortimer, Vice President of Government Affairs, NextNav
• Brooks Shannon, Director, Emergency Communications Solutions, ESRI 
• Brian F. Nardelli, Chief of Department, Brockton Fire Department
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Ed Mortimer serves as Vice President of Government Affairs at NextNav, where he leads engagement with government officials, agencies, and industry associations. As a principal advocate for developing terrestrial complement and backup systems to GPS, Ed educates policymakers—particularly on Capitol Hill—about the critical importance of resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies using 5G Broadband Spectrum. With over 30 years of experience, Ed has built a distinguished career at the intersection of public and private sectors, demonstrating expertise in government affairs within the technology and infrastructure domains.

Brooks Shannon, ENP, is Director of Emergency Communications Solutions at Esri, where he supports the global emergency communications market, including emergency call taking, dispatching, and first responder situational awareness and coordination. He works with emergency communications professionals and Esri partners to apply mapping and spatial analysis to solve complex problems, advance interoperability, and implement GIS best practices that improve outcomes and make communities safer. Over the course of nearly 20 years, Brooks has also helped advance technical standards and best practices for Next Generation 9-1-1 through NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, APCO International, and other international public safety associations.

Brian Nardelli is the Fire Chief in City of Brockton Massachusetts, he is a 29 year veteran of the department rising up through the ranks from Firefighter. He has been a fire service and Emergency Medical Service educator for over thirty years and is currently an adjunct instructor with the Massachusetts State Firefighting Academy. Brian has been published in Fire Engineering as well as the American College of Surgeons Journal of Trauma. Brian conducts private classes on Incident Command and Strategy and tactics throughout the New England area to local Fire Departments and private industry.

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.