Broadband Breakfast on February 12, 2025 - The Future of Affordable Broadband

Broader GOP signals suggest major changes ahead for Biden-era connectivity programs.

Broadband Breakfast on February 12, 2025 - The Future of Affordable Broadband

While 2024 saw unprecedented state and local initiatives emerge to keep Americans connected – from New York's landmark low-cost mandate to innovative city-led programs – the landscape is shifting. Though Vice President J.D. Vance has been a rare Republican voice supporting broadband subsidies, broader GOP signals suggest major changes ahead for Biden-era connectivity programs. With one-in-six American households previously dependent on the Affordable Connectivity Program for internet access, critical questions emerge: Can state and private sector initiatives fill the widening gap? Will the Trump administration maintain any federal role in broadband affordability? And how will this reshape America's digital divide?

Keynote

  • Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks

Panelists

  • Justin Faulb, Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor for Wireline and National Security, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks
  • Tasha Boerner, Assemblymember, California's 77th Assembly District
  • Yusuf Nekzad, Legislative Director, Office of Representative Nikki Budzinski
  • Other panelists have been invited
  • Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Geoffrey Starks is an advocate for consumer protection and accountability, particularly in managing the Universal Service Fund. Before he was appointed Commissioner, Starks helped lead the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, handling a wide variety of complex investigations. At the Department of Justice, he served as a senior advisor to the Deputy Attorney General on a variety of domestic and international law enforcement matters and received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service Commissioner. Before he entered federal public service, Commissioner Starks practiced law at Williams & Connolly, clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, served as a legislative staffer in the Illinois State Senate, and worked as a financial analyst.

Justin Faulb is Chief of Staff and Legal Advisor for Wireline and National Security for Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. Previously, Mr. Faulb served as Associate Bureau Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, overseeing implementation of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act and other national security, privacy, numbering, and pricing issues. At the FCC, he has also served as Legal Advisor to the Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau, as the Designated Federal Officer of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, as an Attorney Advisor, and as Special Counsel in the Office of the FCC Chairman. Prior to the FCC he worked for a leading trade association and in private practice focusing on communications and energy law. Mr. Faulb received his law degree from Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, and his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Miami University.

Tasha Boerner was first elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2018 and re-elected for her fourth term in November 2024. She represents the 77th District, encompassing Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, and the coastal communities of La Jolla south to Coronado. Tasha was selected by Speaker Robert Rivas to chair the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee for the 2024-2025 session. She serves on the following policy committees: Higher Education, Public Employment & Retirement, Utilities & Energy, and Water, Parks, & Wildlife.

Yusuf Nekzad currently serves as Legislative Director for Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), handling energy, infrastructure, and labor issues, along with her most recent effort to reauthorize the Affordable Connectivity Program. Prior to his time with the Congresswoman, he led Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Infrastructure, with a particular focus on the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Before that, he served as Senior Policy Advisor to former Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17). He holds a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a M.P.H. in Health Policy from the George Washington University.

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