Broadband Breakfast on October 1, 2025 - Looking Toward World Radio Congress 2027

Highlights Reel:

Full Event Video:

Every three to four years, the International Telecommunication Union holds a World Radiocommunication Conference to review and – if necessary – revise the international treaty governing the use of radio frequency spectrum. The next conference is scheduled for 2027, and space communications is expected to be on the agenda. While the location of the 2027 Conference is still unconfirmed by the ITU, the American broadband community widely believes it will be held in Shanghai, China. Hence, the competition between American and Chinese technologies forms the backdrop for the conference. How will the United States react?

Security Risks and Spectrum Battles in Space Expected at World Radiocommunication Conference

ITU’s choice to hold the conference in Shanghai has raised some fears about security.

Broadband BreakfastBroadband Breakfast

Panelists

• Mary Brown, Executive Director, WifiForward
• Madeleine Chang, Director of Policy, SIA
• Sal Austin, CEO, DGX Security
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Mary Brown is the Executive Director of WifiForward, an organization of entities seeking to promote and advance public policies that enable Wi-Fi technologies. Mary is a spectrum and technology policy expert with decades of experience in Wi-Fi.. Her expertise includes a stint on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Commercial Spectrum Management Advisory Council, providing testimony at multiple Congressional hearings, and advocating on spectrum issues before the Federal Communications Commission.

Madeleine Chang is the Director of Policy at the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), a nonprofit trade group building consensus within the commercial satellite industry and working closely with the U.S. government on space policy issues. Previously, she was a visiting fellow on the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a software engineer at Lockheed Martin within the National Security Space division. she hopes to empower space technology for the benefit of the public and set positive norms for a safe and secure future in space.

Sal Austin — The WI-FI Guy — is the CEO of DGX Security, a GSA-approved, minority-owned tech firm helping communities nationwide bridge the digital divide. From upgrading Wi-Fi in New Jersey parks to partnering with T-Mobile to connect students during COVID, Sal brings real-world solutions to national broadband challenges.

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.