Broadband Breakfast on October 2, 2024 - Cybersecurity: A Broadband Mandate?

In the drive to expand broadband access across America, cybersecurity has become an essential part of the equation. Despite ongoing efforts to combat digital threats, even major companies remain vulnerable to security breaches. As states begin to allocate BEAD funding and accelerate broadband deployment, there's an urgent need to weave robust cybersecurity measures into every facet of this expansion. How will this focus on security shape the future of broadband infrastructure? What innovative practices will arise from balancing connectivity and protection? And ultimately, how will these security mandates affect the online experiences of Americans?

Panelists

• Clete D. Johnson, Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
• Jay Harmon, Managing Director, BorderHawk, LLC
• Chuck Brooks, President, Brooks Consulting International
• Cole McAndrew, Information Security Officer, AIS Network
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Clete Johnson is a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP. His expertise in cybersecurity policy developed through his work as Senator John D. Rockefeller IV’s counsel on the Senate Intelligence Committee, defending against illicit networks of all kinds – financial, terrorist, proliferation, and cyber.  Clete was the primary staff drafter of the legislation that codified the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s collaborative process through which industry developed and updates the Cybersecurity Framework. As the FCC’s first Chief Counsel for Cybersecurity, he focused on creating new legal mechanisms for government collaboration with private sector stakeholders to improve the security of communications infrastructure.  Clete last served in government as Secretary Penny Pritzker’s Senior Adviser for Cybersecurity and Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Jay Harmon is the Managing Director at BorderHawk, specializing in developing information risk management and cybersecurity programs for critical infrastructure. His extensive experience includes serving as a contract CISO for various organizations, overseeing security and compliance efforts in healthcare, managed services, and cyber insurance. Jay is also a certified ISO 27035 Incident Lead Manager and a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) with expertise in cybersecurity regulatory compliance, risk assessments, and strategic planning.

Chuck Brooks serves as President of Brooks Consulting International with over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, emerging technologies, marketing, business development, and government relations. He also as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in the Cyber Risk Management Program, where he teaches graduate courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. He has served on two National Academy of Science Advisory groups, including one on digitalizing the USAF, and another on securing BioTech. He is also the author of two books on cybersecurity. In his career, Chuck has received presidential appointments for executive service by two U.S. presidents and served as the first Director of Legislative Affairs at the DHS Science & Technology Directorate. He served a decade on the Hill for the late Senator Arlen Specter on the Hill on tech and security issues.

Cole McAndrew is AIS Network’s Information Security Officer, providing managed security services to public and private sector clients, including risk assessments and governance, risk management, and compliance projects using NIST cybersecurity standards, as well as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Prior to joining AIS Network, Cole served as a policy analyst in a state broadband office, where he helped develop policy for Digital Equity Act and Broadband Equity Access and Deployment programs.

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.