250 Years of American Independence & 150 Years of American Telecommunications
A 3-Part Webcast on June 17, June 24 and July 1, each at 12 Noon ET
Interested in the Oct. 1 In-person Event?About the series
This three-part live online series traces that 150-year arc, from Alexander Graham Bell's telephone call on March 7, 1876, through Herbert Hoover's radio conferences to the age of artificial intelligence. Each session brings together historians, technologists, and practitioners to examine a distinct 50-year period of American communications history.
June 17, 2026 – 1876-1926: The Telephone and the Transatlantic Cable
The first session covers the half-century from Alexander Graham Bell's patent and the founding of Bell Telephone through the rise of AT&T, the buildout of nationwide copper networks, and the completion of the first transcontinental telephone line in 1914. Submarine and overland cables connected commerce, government, and family life at unprecedented speed, laying the physical and regulatory groundwork for everything that followed.
Moderated by Drew Clark, CEO, Broadband Breakfast
June 24, 2026 - 1927-1976: Broadcasting, Cable and the Creation of the Media
The second session opens with the founding of NBC in 1926 and the creation of the Federal Radio Commission in 1927, then traces the passage of the Communications Act of 1934, the postwar television boom, the landmark 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates, and the emergence of cable systems that began challenging the big three broadcast networks. Along the way, regulators wrestled with spectrum allocation, public interest obligations, the Fairness Doctrine, and the tension between broadcast scarcity and the First Amendment.
Moderated by Ted Hearn, Managing Editor, Broadband Breakfast
July 1, 2026 - 1977-2026: Computing, the Internet and Artificial Intelligence
The third session opens with the breakup of Ma Bell and traces the transition from ARPANET to the commercial internet, the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the dot-com era, net neutrality battles, the smartphone revolution, and the explosion of large language models in the ChatGPT era. The panel will examine what this fast-paced half-century tells us about innovation cycles, regulatory lag, and the next 150 years of American telecommunications.
Moderated by Drew Clark, CEO, Broadband Breakfast
Partner with us
This series brings together historians, technologists, and policymakers for a conversation that only happens once every 150 years. Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations that want to be part of that story and reach Broadband Breakfast's audience of broadband professionals, policymakers, and industry leaders.
Want to learn more about partnering with Broadband Breakfast on "250 Years of American Independence & 150 Years of American Telecommunications?" Fill out the form to receive the Media Kit, or email Sales & Marketing Director Quinn Nghiem at quinn@breakfast.media or Development Associate Akul Saxena at akul@breakfast.media
