Broadband Breakfast on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – Railroad Crossing and the Broadband Right-of-Way
Fiber providers are facing challenges in the right-of-way access across public lanes or private properties
See Broadband Trade Group Continues Lobbying on Railroad Crossings, Broadband Breakfast, October 25, 2023
Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – Railroad Crossing and the Broadband Right-of-Way
As states work to distribute federal broadband fundings, providers are facing challenges in fiber build outs, especially with the right-of-way access across public lanes or private properties. The Department of Transportation and the National Telecommunication and Information Administration both have issued guidelines to streamline the process, but some municipalities (and railroad companies) have pushed back, claiming those rules infringe on their authority. There is also debate over fees railway companies charge fiber providers. How might states go forward with these measures to expedite internet deployment?
Panelists
- Gary Wood, Firefly Fiber Broadband
- Caroline Booth Olsen, Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs, INCOMPAS
- Alan Poole, Partner, Troutman Pepper
- Other panelists have been invited
- Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Gary Wood is President and CEO of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative and its wholly owned subsidiary Firefly Fiber Broadband. Firefly began building fiber in August of 2018 and since that time has led a project that built over 5000 miles of fiber, making gigabit speed broadband service available to more than 55,000 rural central Virginia locations. Over 90% f the homes and businesses had no broadband options prior to the project. Expansion continues with plans for an additional 3500 miles of fiber passing another 40,000 locations in the next 24 months.
Caroline Boothe Olsen spent ten years on Capitol Hill working for conservative Members of Congress. During her time on the Rules Committee under Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, she learned the inner workings of the House and parliamentary procedure and during her time working for Congresswoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, at the House Republican Conference she served as a direct liaison to the entire House Conference giving her a unique viewpoint of the legislative issues that impact members from all corners of the country. Her decade of experience in political communications, leadership positions, and campaign finance has culminated into her position at INCOMPAS as the Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs.
Alan Poole, a partner at national full-service law firm Troutman Pepper, has spent his entire career solving his clients’ toughest problem in infrastructure. Alan specializes in fiber optic and other linear networks, and has a broader experience covering electric utilities, broadband, local government, real estate, corporate and transactional law. By focusing on the most critical issues facing his clients, Alan has developed a deep knowledge base in the myriad state and federal of legal issue facing companies that deploy communications networks all around the country.
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 campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company 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.
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