The Role of Wireless Frequencies in Widespread Broadband Deployment

Register for this event on Eventbrite  

February Meeting: The Role of Wireless Frequencies in Widespread Broadband Deployment


BroadbandCensus.com presents the February meeting of the Broadband Breakfast Club at Old Ebbitt Grill on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, at 8 a.m.
With broadband-related funding a key
part of discussion about the fiscal stimulus legislation currently
being considered in Congress, four top officials from companies with an
interest in the wireless space will assemble at the Broadband Breakfast
Club to discuss the role that electromagnetic
frequencies can play in forging universal broadband deployment.
The speakers at the breakfast, at the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, will be:

Drew Clark, Executive Director, BroadbandCensus.com (Moderator)

Drew Clark recommends:
Google, the NAB and a Third Way in ‘White Spaces’ Debate, DrewClark.com, May 28, 2008

Back to the Paper Bag, DrewClark.com, July 17, 2007

Inside the 700 MHz Spectrum Land Grab, GigaOm, April 7, 2007

Spectrum Wars, National Journal, February 18, 2005
Generations ago, broadcasters got the right to use the airwaves — now worth billions of dollars — for free. Ever since, they have used heavy lobbying and political friendships to stave off rivals. But as the digital age unfolds, change is in the air.

Donald C. Brittingham, Assistant Vice President, Wireless/Spectrum Policy, Verizon Communications
Tom DeRiggi, Rapid DSL & Wireless (a local wireless internet service provider)
John Kneuer, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 2006-2007; John Kneuer Associates
John Muleta, CEO, M2Z Networks
Steve B. Sharkey, Senior Director, Regulatory and Spectrum Policy, Motorola

Steve Sharkey is Senior Director, Regulatory and Spectrum Policy in Motorola’s global government affairs office in Washington. He has overall responsibility for Motorola’s global regulatory and advocacy efforts, primarily focused on policies related to spectrum management and broadband deployment and use, and on a framework for broadband growth and public safety. Prior to joining Motorola, Mr. Sharkey was the lead technical representative for the Washington office of AirTouch Communications. He also worked in the Office of Engineering and Technology, and the International Bureau, at the Federal Communications Commission. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware.
Telecommunications policy advocates, attorneys, policy-makers and
journalists seeking to obtain insights from top officials in Washington
can attend the Broadband Breakfast Club, which includes a full American
and Continental breakfast, for as little as $45.00, plus a modest
registration fee. The events are on the record and open to the public.

For individuals outside of Washington, or whose schedule doesn't
permit attendance in person, archived webcasts of the Broadband
Breakfast Club are now available on the BroadbandCensus.com channel on TV Mainstream. One full year of online access to each premium webcast is available for $40.00.
Individuals who register to attend the Broadband Breakfast Club will
also receive a full year of complementary online access to the webcast.
Using the airwaves to transmit internet-based communications can
offer a less expensive way to provide universal broadband. Still,
policy-makers frequently find a trade-off between ubiquitity and
mobility on the one hand, versus the speed and stability of some
wire-based connections.
Of the $6 billion in the House Appropriations Committee version of
the fiscal stimulus legislation, $1 billion would be allocated
exclusively for wireless broadband: 75 percent going to providers of
“advanced wireless broadband service” – defined as 3 Megabits per
second (Mbps) for downloads and 1 Mbps for uploads – in underserved
areas. The remaining 25 percent would go to entities providing wireless
voice services in unserved areas.
The 3 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload threshold contrasts with a funding
requirement that recipients from a $1.85 billion pool of wire-based
grants offer broadband at speeds of 45 Mbps for downloads, and 15 Mbps
for uploads, in underserved ares.
The Broadband Breakfast Club event on February 10, 2009, will be
moderated by Drew Clark, Editor and Executive Director of
BroadbandCensus.com.
Clark is a veteran telecom and technology journalist, and he founded
BroadbandCensus.com in January 2008 as a means of providing the public
with a free and objective resource of the wired and wireless broadband
carriers, grouped by ZIP code, by speed, by competition and by consumer
satisfaction.
Besides the role of wireless in the fiscal stimulus package, other
issues to be considered at the breakfast will be: a potential delay in
the transition to digital television, from February 17, 2009, to June
2009; the status of the 700 Megahertz spectrum band; the role of
advanced public safety networks; how the "white spaces" between
television channels may promote greater broadband access; and the
process and method for FCC allocation of other radio frequencies.

 
The Broadband Breakfast Club is Sponsored by:


Webcasts of the Broadband Breakfast Club Produced in Partnership with:





Online Event Registration powered by Eventbrite