Broadband Breakfast on May 6, 2026 – Behind the Scenes at Broadband Breakfast
What does Broadband Breakfast have in store for the coming months? What are our partners doing? How can each of us be more involved in the broadband community?
Full Video:
Get an inside look at how each of us in the community for Better Broadband, Better Lives is shaping the future of connectivity in our country and in the world! Broadband Breakfast hosts this “behind the scenes” Live Online session to show more about what we do, to highlight some of the activities by our partners, and to take questions from each of you about how to get the most from your Broadband Breakfast Club Membership – free or paid! We’ll pull back the curtain on the Broadband Breakfast team’s coverage of policy debates, regulatory battles, and industry shifts shaping the future. Whether you're a longtime reader, a first-time listener, or someone curious about the editorial decisions and programming on CHAT.BroadbandBreakfast.com, you'll come away with a sharper understanding of what makes this community tick.
Host and panelists
- Pat Cassella, Executive Director, USDLA
- Elle Thompson, Membership Engagement & Program Coordinator, SHLB
- Jessica Denson, Communications Director, Connected Nation
- Ari Bertenthal, Community Manager, Broadband Breakfast
- Drew Clark (host), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Pat Cassella has been a presence within the high tech industry for more than 35 years with leadership roles in Sales, Marketing, Product Development and Engineering. He has been involved with the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) for more than 15 years and is the current Executive Director for the association. Pursuing his passion for engineering, he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport and a Master’s of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of New Haven. He has spent the past 25 years within the IP video communications market as a sales, marketing and product architect within the Government, Education, Corporate and Medical markets.
Elle Thompson is passionate about building relationships, organizing spreadsheets, and advocating for good infrastructure policy, which is why she's excited to do all three. As Member Engagement & Program Coordinator at SHLB, Elle works to continue growing SHLB's relationship with members and coordinate some of their many member engagement programs.
Jessica Denson is a results-driven communications executive with 15+ years of experience shaping brand perception, leading national campaigns, and generating over $140M in earned media through executive communications, media mining, and strategic outreach. She has a proven track record in building high-impact content and PR strategies across digital, social, video, podcast, and broadcast channels.
Community Manager Ari Bertenthal attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and studied sociology. He is passionate about the social impact of broadband internet access.
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.
