National Press Club Ballroom is Venue for BEAD Implementation Summit on March 18
Broadband Breakfast announces interactive CHAT community spaces for Presenters, for Breakfast Club Members, and for Event Participants
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2026 – Momentum is growing for the BEAD Implementation Summit 2026, which will take place at the National Press Club Ballroom in Washington on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
Hosting the event at the storied National Press Club Ballroom will enable greater audience attendance and participation, and also allow for a dedicated room with vendor event space for Event Sponsors.
BEAD Implementation Summit, which is being hosted by the news and events community Broadband Breakfast, will kick off with a catered luncheon and a Fireside Chat between Assistant Secretary of Commerce Arielle Roth, the administration of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and Drew Clark, CEO of Broadband Breakfast. Broadband Breakfast is the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage.
“Hosting BEAD Implementation 2026 at the National Press Club Ballroom sets the stage for the top caliber of conversation that will flow at the summit, which builds upon capacity-crowd BEAD-related events we hosted in 2023, 2024 and 2025,” said Clark.
The West Room, just off the Ballroom floor, will enable sponsors – including Tarana Wireless and others to be announced shortly – to engage directly with hundreds of stakeholders set to attend the summit.
Sponsors will also have a dedicated venue in the CHAT.BroadbandBreakfast.com community – “Presenting” – to engage with many, many more online stakeholders.
Marquee-level moderators, keynoters
Panels during the BEAD Implementation Summit will be moderated by marquee-level journalists and experts in telecommunications. The moderators will include: Jake Neenan, reporter at Broadband Breakfast; Lynn Stanton, senior editor at TRDaily; Jimm Phillips, associate editor at Communications Daily and independent journalist Nancy Scola.
For keynotes, in addition to Roth, Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee and one of Congress's most active broadband advocates, will also deliver remarks on the legislative and permitting landscape surrounding BEAD.
The afternoon will feature four panels covering the most pressing questions in BEAD execution:
Panel 1: State Broadband Roundtable will bring together state broadband leaders to compare deployment progress, emerging obstacles, and areas where greater flexibility is needed. Confirmed panelists include Andrew Butcher, President of the Maine Connectivity Authority; Christine Hallquist, Executive Director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board; Chandler Vaughan, Associate Director of the Virginia Office of Broadband; and Michael Baldino, Director and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. Neenan will moderate.
Panel 2: Technology Choices in BEAD Deployment will examine how states weigh the tradeoffs between cost, performance, and long-term value as awards push into hard-to-serve areas. Carl Guardino, Vice President of Government Affairs and Policy at Tarana Wireless, is confirmed, with additional panelists to be announced. Stanton will moderate.
Panel 3: Using Remaining BEAD Funds will explore how states are directing planning, workforce, and technical assistance dollars, and what priorities remain for undeployed funds. Kathryn de Wit, Project Director of the Broadband Access Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts, is confirmed, with additional panelists to be announced. Phillips will moderate.
Panel 4: Capital Constraints on Financing BEAD will examine how lenders, investors, and providers are navigating rising construction costs, supply chain pressures, and matching fund requirements. Claude Aiken, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Nextlink Internet, is confirmed, with additional panelists to be announced. Scola will moderate.
New features on CHAT.BroadbandBreakfast.com community
Broadband Breakfast is pleased to announce three new spaces for members of the broadband community: “Presenting,” for BEAD Implementation Summit Sponsors, “Join the Event,” for Breakfast Club Members and event participants, and “Who’s Here,” a member directory for those attending the event, in person or online. (Broadband Breakfast will provide a webinar registration link in March.)
Early Bird registration of $245 for the BEAD Implementation Summit is available until Sunday, March 1, 2026. The cost for the Summit Registration will rise to $295 on March 2.
For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or press passes, please contact Marketing Director Quinn Nghiem at quinn@breakfast.media
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