Speaker Bios A-C  | Speaker Bios D-K  | Speaker Bios L-Z

Jonathan Adelstein
Administrator, USDA Rural Utilities Service
Jonathan S. Adelstein was nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July, 2009, to serve as the 17th Administrator of USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. Mr. Adelstein previously served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission from 2002 to 2009. A life-long public servant, Adelstein has dedicated his career to fighting for the public interest. As a Commissioner, he sought to secure access to communications for everyone, including those left behind by the market.  He is a strong advocate to improve rural telecommunications and broadband. To ensure that all consumers have access to the latest telecommunications services no matter where they live, he worked at the FCC to improve universal service. He advocated for a substantive national broadband strategy with aggressive goals and specific policy recommendations. He also actively promoted new policies that improve access to spectrum by both large and small companies so consumers can continue to maintain those connections in this increasingly mobile world. He was a key staff architect of expanding the Rural Utilities Service’s authority to finance broadband services in the 2002 Farm Bill. Adelstein was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. He currently lives with his wife Karen and two children, Adam and Lexi, in the Washington, D.C. area.

Elizabeth "Susie" Allen
Council Member, Colville Business Council
Elizabeth "Susie" Allen, is an elected member of the Colville Business Council, the governing body of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, representing the Inchelium District. She was elected to this position in July 2007 and re-elected in 2009 and now is serving her second two- year term through 2011. Council member Allen also serves as a Co-Chair of the Energy/Telecommunications Committee for the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians (ATNI). In addition she served as the alternate to the Federal Communications Commission Intergovernmental Advisory Committee 2008-2009.
Prior to being elected to the Colville Confederated Tribes Business Council Mrs. Allen served her tribe as the Information Technology (IT) Telecommunications Manager for 10 years. Council member Allen serves to advise a number of tribal and other governmental entities, as well as to participate in consultations with tribal, federal and state governmental entities. She helps the entities increase their understanding of the issues faced in Indian Country related to the lack of technology infrastructure, particularly the lack of broadband infrastructure on remote and isolated reservations. She assists in developing awareness of the barriers faced by Indian people who are not served by adequate IT communications systems currently, and to identify the future technological needs on reservations so that antiquated technology systems may be sufficiently upgraded to meet the 21st Century communications needs of all Tribal Nations.

Irshad Ansari
Principal-In-Charge, NI Solutions, Inc.
Mr. Ansari is the president & CEO of NI Solutions, Inc. with over thirty years (30) experience in the utility and Telecommunications industry. Mr. Ansari has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration with a major in management Information Systems. His understanding of the telecommunications systems and networks has resulted in helping towns, cities, counties and large hospitals, achieve their telecommunications goals. Mr. Ansari’s understanding of the municipal telecommunications markets and networks will make a significant contribution to the evaluation and final recommendation elements of the project. As Project Principal Mr. Ansari will be responsible for the overall success of the project and will be the primary contact person.

Charlie Auvermann
Executive Director, Development Authority of Dawson Co. GA
Charlie Auvermann retired from Chevron Corporation after 25 years of international operations work and 30 years devoted to the oil industry. He started his career in research & development advancing with San Francisco based Chevron, through various management levels in international planning, operational management and government relations on numerous worldwide projects. During his career Charlie lived and worked in 2 dozen different locations including the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Surinam, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Cabinda, Angola, Turkey and spent a number of years working in Russia just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. His wife Bindy, first came to Atlanta from Los Angeles in 1970 and introduced Charlie to Dawson County in 1980. They purchased a summer lake home there in 1984 and retired to the county full time in 2003. He currently is the Executive Director of the Development Authority of Dawson County and an adjunct professor at North Georgia College and State University where he teaches international business, economics and operational management. Charlie received his BS degree in Oceanography from Lamar University and received an MBA in International Business from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

William Bates
National Broadband Specialist, Michael Baker Jr., Inc.
Mr. Bates has over 21 years of experience in the technology sector, including 9 years of GIS and related data experience working with GIS in government organizations. Mr. Bates serves as Baker’s Client Services Manager to the FCC and as a broadband specialist in Baker’s State Broadband Program to coordinate Provider outreach activity in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Louisiana. Broadband project activities included Provider data review and qualification, Awardee reporting, Provider communication, ARRA reporting, outreach activity with industry organizations, and all related activity associated with Awardee and Provider relations.

Douglas Bonner
Partner,
SNR Denton US, LLP
Douglas Bonner is a Partner in SNR Denton's Communications, Media and
Technology practice. His practice focuses on regulatory issues relating to all communications services and the Internet. He represents wireline and
wireless carriers, VoIP providers, communications license holders and their
financial investors in federal and state regulatory proceedings and in legislative
matters affecting the communications industry. Douglas is also a recognized
litigator who has represented carrier clients and new entrants deploying new
technologies, particularly involving issues relating to the Telecommunications
Act of 1996 ('96 Act) and federal rules implementing the '96 Act.

Elizabeth Bowles
President, Aristotle, Inc.
Elizabeth Bowles is President and General Counsel of Aristotle Inc., a full-service interactive agency and ISP headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Aristotle offers website design, search engine, online and integrated marketing services as well as Broadband and dial-up connectivity, website hosting and email hosting/filtering. Aristotle’s commitment to providing the highest quality of internet technologies, combined with Elizabeth’s strong anti-spam stance, have made Aristotle a nationally-recognized leader in the fight against spam. Elizabeth has chaired several American Bar Association anti-spam and anti spyware/malware sub-committees.

Phillip Brown
Director of Governmnet Affairs & Advocacy, Connected Nation
Phillip K. Brown serves as Connected Nation’s National Policy Director, a senior management position responsible for leading the major activities associated with government relations and affairs.

Stephen Coran
Partner, Rini Coran, PC
Stephen Coran is an attorney with the Washington, DC firm of Rini Coran, PC. His practice focuses on representing fixed and mobile wireless clients, serving their transactional, policy, licensing and operating needs. Mr. Coran has participated in numerous FCC rulemaking proceedings to advocate for improved spectrum allocation and operating rules.

Christopher Hytry-Derrington
CEO, Rural America
Onshore Outsourcing
Christopher Hytry-Derrington is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rural America OnShore Outsourcing. He is a serial entrepreneur, having served as CEO or interim CEO in 13 companies over the past 18 years.  He launched Rural America after several dismal experiences outsourcing to India; then discovering the untapped talent pool available via broadband Internet in Rural America.

Jerry Dodson
RVP - North America,
Wavion Wireless Networks
Jerry Dodson has spent his entire career in telecommunications. He started his career at GTE of California, left for ROLM Corporation National Accounts, in 1988 he  joined MCI where he  was responsible for the account teams that sold MCI Telecommunication services to GTE and the Bell Operating Company’s. In 2000 Jerry began his career in wireless industry working in the licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Today he is responsible for sales of Wavion Wireless Networks for North America.

Judith Dumont
Director, Massachusetts Broadband Institute
Judith Dumont was appointed Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) in 2009 by Governor Deval Patrick. The MBI, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, is working to bridge the digital divide and deliver affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service to every community in the Commonwealth. Dumont is leading the MBI’s effort to secure federal funding to build a 1300 mile fiber-optic network in the western region of the state where the digital divide is most acute. Dumont has over 20 years of management experience, including more than 17 years in the wireless telecommunications industry. She was President of the Decisioning Solutions business unit at Lightbridge, Inc., a Massachusetts publicly traded software provider for the industry. During her tenure at Lightbridge, Judy held numerous positions at all levels ranging from client support to account management and from product management to business and strategic planning. As President/General Manager for the company’s largest business unit, Dumont worked closely with the Lightbridge CEO and Board of Directors on strategic planning, corporate development, and organizational design, as well as managing the operation.

Charlie Ergen
Co-Founder, CEO, Dish Network
Charlie Ergen started DISH Network Corporation (formerly EchoStarCommunications Corporation) in ‘80, which sold C-band satellite TV dishes to rural homes in Colorado. Under his vision and leadership, DISH Network was launched in ‘96, which has become the fastest growing direct-to-home satellite television company in the United States, currently serving more than 13.815 million customers. In ‘07, Barron’s magazine named Ergen as one of the World’s Best CEOs, and had previously been named to the Forbes Magazine Top Ten CEO’s list and as the Frost & Sullivan ‘01 CEO of the Year of the Satellite Industry. The same year, he was the first person to ever win the Rocky Mountain News’ Business Person of the Year for a second time, being recognized for the same award in ‘96. In ‘00, Aviation Week Magazine named him Space Industry Business Man of the Year. In June ‘91, INC.Magazine named him Master Entrepreneur of the Year for the Rocky Mountain region. In ‘88, he received the Home Satellite TV Association Star Award. Ergen was instrumental in fighting for consumer rights with the passage of the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act in ‘99 which gave American consumers the right to watch local TV channels via satellite. He has also testified before Congress regarding other video competition issues on numerous occasions and was a co-founder of the Satellite Broadcasting Communications Association. He received his B.S. in General Business and Accounting from the University of Tennessee and his M.B.A. from the Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University.

Scott French
MSSI Vice President, Wireless Mobility Solutions North America Government and Commercial Markets,
Motorola Solutions
Scott French is Vice President & Senior Director with Motorola Solutions business. He is responsible for the North American sales and distribution of Motorola's wireless broadband and mobility portfolio that extends across commercial, service provider, public safety and public service markets. In his current role, Scott leads an organization that is focused on providing customers with reliable, secure wireless broadband and mobility solutions to improve business efficiencies, revenue capture, and cost reductions. Prior to his current role, Scott has led a variety of organizations within Motorola to include a national business development, regional sales, strategic sales, and regional systems engineering. Prior to joining Motorola, Scott led a team of industrial engineers for the Department of the Army focused on increasing efficiencies and productivity of the Army mission. Scott also serves on TechAmerica's State and Local board of directors on behalf of Motorola and works with other technology companies to best meet the solution needs of government. Scott holds a Bachelor's of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

Josh Garza
Chief Executive Officer,
GAW High-Speed Internet
Josh Garza is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GAW High-Speed Internet Inc. Through the dedicated effort of Josh and his colleagues, GAW High-Speed Internet has grown to become the largest WISP in New England. Josh continues to plan for the continued development of the GAW family of services within New England. He is credited with the current pending patents the company has submitted for review at this time. Josh is continually looking for ways to use technology to enhance the quality of life for New Englanders, helping to harness the power of technology while maintaining the integrity of the area's natural resources and assets.

Mark Gibson
Director, Business Development
ComSearch
With over 27 years of spectrum management experience, Mr. Gibson is responsible for developing domestic and international business opportunities for Comsearch.  He has also held a variety of technical and managerial positions within the organization.  In addition to leading Comsearch's business development efforts for AWS, 700 MHz and TV Whitespace products and services, he has led efforts to address spectrum sharing between Federal government and commercial users.  He also led Comsearch's 1.9 GHz PCS spectrum management efforts including the development of spectrum sharing analysis protocols and sharing criteria, as well as development of Comsearch's engineering services and software products.  He has led Comsearch's efforts in working with the American Society for Healthcare Engineering as their technical partner for WMTS frequency coordination.  He has authored several papers on spectrum sharing and relocation and has advised numerous wireless participants in their system design.  Mark has spoken worldwide on Spectrum Management and related issues, and is currently responsible for identifying and developing opportunities for Comsearch in several areas including government, wireless telecom, and healthcare.

Brian Gilbert
Director of Business Development, Commnet Wireless, LLC
Mr. Gilbert currently serves as a Director of Business Development for Commnet Wireless within its four corners market and since 2008 has been responsible for identifying and developing wireless projects on tribal lands. Mr. Gilbert was instrumental in establishing Commnet Wireless as a wireless collocation tenant and business partner with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and its participation in a successful BTOP broadband grant awarded in 2010. Previously, Mr. Gilbert was employed by Smith Bagley, Inc. dba Cellular One, serving as the Director of Network Services since 2000, where he managed all site acquisition and regulatory work for its microwave and cellular build out on Navajo and Hopi lands as a wireless ETC provider. Mr. Gilbert has also served as a tribal government liaison working to reform tribal regulatory issues, lobbying for collocation procedures, and negotiating lease agreements on federal trust lands in coordination with tribal agencies and the BIA.
Prior to joining CellularOne, Mr. Gilbert was employed for 12 years in a variety of professional land and community development positions for private and public agencies in Georgia, Florida and Arizona. Mr. Gilbert has extensive experience in planning and managing infrastructure development projects based on private-public partnerships and participating in local business support groups and government boards. Mr. Gilbert earned a Master of Science in Regional Planning from the University of Arizona in 1990 and has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 1995.

Brett Glass
Founder,
Lariat Fast Wireless Internet
Brett Glass is an electrical engineer, consultant, author, inventor, musician, and wireless broadband provider residing in Laramie, Wyoming. He has been involved in the design of numerous integrated circuits, software applications and embedded systems. He has authored more than 2,000 technology-related articles for computer-oriented and general interest publications, including InfoWorld, PC World, BYTE, Embedded Systems Programming, Boardwatch, PC/Computing, PC Magazine, ExtremeTech, and Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics and Orthodontia (now "Dr. Dobb's Journal"). Brett holds a BSEE from the Case Institute of Technology and an MSEE from Stanford University, where he independently invented what is now called "Trellis Coding" as part of an early digital radio project. He established LARIAT, the world's first WISP, in 1992 as a 501(c)(12) nonprofit rural telecommunications cooperative; he and his wife Isobel took it private a decade later at the request of the membership. LARIAT continues to expand its coverage of rural areas each year without government subsidy. A frequent commenter in FCC proceedings, Brett has been an advocate for small, independent, and wireless ISPs in many public forums.

Raja Gopal
Senior Director of Product Marketing, Alvarion Inc.
Raja is a Senior Director of Product Marketing at Alvarion Inc., the worldwide leader in 4G WiMAX solutions. Raja is responsible for marketing and product strategy for the North American market, with focus on rural 4G solutions and smart grid applications. Previously, Raja has held senior level marketing and product management positions in telecom companies including Sylantro Systems and Motorola - launching various 3G solutions and VoIP-based products to customers such as AT&T, Qwest, Verizon, KDDI, France Telecom, and many others around the world. Raja has a Masters degree in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Jim Haguewood
Senior Partner, Vital Economy Alliance
Jim Haguewood is the Senior Partner for Vital Economy Alliance. Currently the Alliance is assisting regional clients in Southern Illinois and in Northern New England with economic and community development projects. He established the Olympic Network Executives Group in 2005 (which later joined with Vital Economy Alliance) that developed a proven record of formation and execution of comprehensive economic, community and business development strategies with particular expertise with industry clusters, business incubation and community branding and marketing.

T. Lauriston Hardin, P.E.
President,
Hardin & Associates, Inc.
Mr. Hardin is a recognized leader in the wireless broadband communications industry, providing engineering, market planning and strategic consulting services to the broadband wireless industry. He has been intimately involved in the wireless ad wireline industries since 1984 with both GE and Hardin & Associates.

Rick Harnish
Executive Director, WISPA
Mr. Harnish has been an entrepreneur throughout his career of 28 years. He has owned and managed a large farming enterprise in Northern Indiana. He was an “early adopter” often taking advantage of new technologies to advance his farming operation. He sold the farming business in November, 2003 to devote all of his energies to his broadband venture, OnlyInternet Broadband & Wireless, Inc.  In 1995, Mr. Harnish invested in Supernova Systems, Inc. and this company launched a local dialup ISP service in Bluffton, Indiana.
Supernova began experimenting with wireless broadband in 1997 connecting the county library and several retail businesses through to Broadband using RF. This early deployment established OnlyInternet as one of the first Wireless ISP’s in the nation. Since that time, OnlyInternet Broadband and Wireless, Inc. has installed over 200 base stations and a coverage area that spans 17 counties in Indiana and 2 counties in Ohio.  Mr. Harnish developed and coined a vWISP program in 2005 in efforts to assist an adjacent operator begin their WISP operation. Since that time he has assisted seven other WISPs begin operations and continue to operate through the SNT Virtual WISP program. These vWISP operations are supported at different levels depending on individual needs including CRM, billing, sales, technical support, network design, monitoring and installation. Mr. Harnish was a Founding Board Member of the Wireless Internet Service Provider’s Association. WISPA became a legal Not-for-Profit 501c3 corporation on April 13th, 2005. Mr. Harnish is the current President. He has also held offices of Secretary and Vice President. The trade association has nearly 300 WISP and Vendor members from all over the United States as well as some from other countries. WISPA is a grassroots effort which aggregates the common interests of the fixed wireless broadband industry to efficiently and effectively lobby the FCC, Congress and other agencies. He has also worked with the Indiana Department of Commerce in the formation of a State Broadband Plan and has held the co-chairman position for the Indiana High-Speed Broadband Technology Committee.  He initiated 50 state WISP’s mailing lists so that WISP’s in each state can monitor and discuss the legislative environment of their particular states.  Mr. Harnish has organized a several meetings, where Indiana WISP’s could interface with state government officials and each other, to enhance their business models by peering together. In the fall of 2005, Mr. Harnish led a team to Waveland, Mississippi to help rebuild wireless communication backbones in some of the worst hit areas of Hurricane Katrina.  He has spoken at WISPNOG, ISPCON, FISPA, Mikrotik Mum, WINOG, Wireless Without Limits and has participated in the Software Defined Radio Forum, Progress Freedom Foundation, Digital Cities Convention, and most recently the US Broadband Coalition Effort which published its National Broadband Plan in Sept. 2009.

DeWayne Hendricks
CEO, Tetherless Access, Inc.
Dewayne Hendricks is CEO, of Tetherless Access, Inc. (TAI), a Fremont, California based company which does research, product development and deployment of broadband wired and wireless data devices and services. TAI is the new incarnation of Tetherless Access Ltd. (TAL) where he was its CEO and co-founder.  TAL was founded back in 1990 and was one of the first companies to develop and deploy Part 15 unlicensed wireless metropolitan area data networks which used the TCP/IP protocols. TAL eventually went public in 1996. He is also a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Technological Advisory Council. He has participated in the installation of wireless networks in many parts of the world such as Kenya, Tonga, Mexico, Canada and Mongolia. He has been involved with radio since his teens, when he obtained his amateur radio operator's license.  In 2002, Wired Magazine did a profile on him and tagged him the 'Broadband Cowboy'.

Jim Hollis
Executive Director, FISPA
Jim Hollis is the Executive Director of the FISPA, the oldest and largest association serving the needs of ISPs. Jim has been active with FISPA for 5 years, initially as a member, then member with a Board position; and now as Executive Director. Prior to FISPA Jim served as the Business Development Manager and co-owner of Internet Broadband Consulting, Inc. providing business and technical consulting services specializing in licensed and unlicensed fixed broadband wireless applications. Jim also owned, operated and sold 3 ISPs from ‘96 to ‘08.

Chris Horne
CTO, LBA Group
Chris Horne, P.E., Phd., Chief Technical Officer, LBA Group, Inc. has managed RF safety programs, provided radiation safety analysis and testimony, produced MW/backhaul propagation studies/analysis, and written grant proposals.

Rusty Irvin
President, StratusWave Communications 
Mr. Irvin has served as President and CEO of the Company for the past twelve years and has been in the telecommunications industry for more then twenty five years. He was responsible for negotiating the first local interconnection agreement with Verizon of West Virginia; as founder of the company he is responsible for business plan development, raising capital to meet the Companies funding requirements, investor relations, technology selection and negotiating vendor relationships. He also created the Companies subsidiary, Vandalia Telecom, LLC, a Project Management Company providing tower facilities implementation work for Clearwire and Faulk and Foster. Mr. Irvin was elected to the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Telephone Association ("WVTA") in 2002. Mr. Irvin is a Member of the Legislative and FCC Committees of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association.

Kenneth Janc
President, Lorex Inc.
Ken Janc is President of Lorex, Inc., which specializes in providing turnkey direct marketing programs for satellite and broadband companies. Prior to founding Lorex in 1996, Mr. Janc was a partner in a software development company and also held various sales and marketing positions. Mr. Janc and his organization are members of WISPA and the Direct Marketing Association; are partners with the NRTC and a preferred vendor for many of the major video and broadband providers in the United States.

Monroe Keedo
Communications Manager,
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
Monroe Keedo is currently the Communications Manager for the multi-service utility owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, largest Native American tribe in the United States.  Mr. Keedo is responsible for operation and maintenance of NTUA’s vast telecommunications networks which supports the company’s core utilities.   Under his direction, NTUA has developed the best communication system on the Navajo Nation to support the utility. Mr. Keedo is also in charge of the 46 million dollar NTUA Broadband project “The Navajo Nation Middle/Last Mile Project: Quality Broadband for the Navajo People”.   The project will provide access for federal facilities, including police, detention, and fire response centers; health, social service, and emergency care facilities; public, BIE, and schools; and 110 tribal Chapter Houses.  Mr. Keedo holds a Master’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM. 

Don Kent
President and CEO, Net Literacy
Don Kent is the President and CEO of Net Literacy (www.netliteracyalliance.org), a broadband adoption and digital literacy inclusion nonprofit founded in 2003.  Net Literacy has increased computer access to over 150,000 individuals, promotes broadband adoption through partnerships ranging from the US Internet Industry Association to Broadband for American, and has received awards from two American Presidents.  Net Literacy was selected by the European Union’s Study on Digital Inclusion as one of the 91 “most promising good practices initiatives” based upon an investigation of 32 countries, in Microsoft’s publication Innovating for Inclusion: A Digital Inclusion Guide For Those Leading The Way, and its programs cited in America’s National Broadband Plan produced by Federal Communication Commission and presented to Congress earlier this year. Net Literacy’s is building a digital literacy “best practice” website at www.DigitalLiteracy.org which will be completed later this year.

Previously, Don has served as Vice President of Marketing and Content for Sprint’s (ITFS) terrestrial wireless broadband and digital video products, Executive Vice President and COO of Insight Communication, America’s ninth largest cable television provider, and as a venture capitalist in New York City for twelve years.  Don’s MBA is from the University of Utah, he has received Broadband Properties Cornerstone Award, and he serves on numerous boards including as a member of the USIIA’s board of directors.

Jeff Kohler
Founder & Director, JAB Wireless, Inc.
Jeff Kohler is a founder of JAB Wireless, Inc., one of the largest fixed wireless service providers in the United States.  He is responsible for mergers and acquisitions and all other corporate development activity for JAB.  Previously, Mr. Kohler served as Director of Corporate Finance and M&A with Bathgate Capital Partners LLC where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital formation within the wireless industry.  Bathgate Capital raised debt and equity capital and assisted in the acquisition of over 50 companies for JAB under Mr. Kohler's oversight. He has over 25 years of business management experience, with particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and raising private debt and equity capital for emerging companies. Mr. Kohler was CEO and founder of Reason, Inc., a wireless management services company that was acquired in 2002. He previously held positions with AT&T Wireless and McCaw Cellular Communications. Mr. Kohler received his MBA degree from Regis University (Denver), a BSBA from the University of Denver, and is a licensed General Securities Registered Representative.

Matt Larsen
Owner, Vistabeam
Matt Larsen has been deploying wireless infrastructure for ISP operations since early 2000 and is experienced in the design of data networks, NOC operations, wireless deployments, voice over IP implementation, business development and overall management of ISP operations. In 1995, Larsen was part of the volunteer group that launched FortNet, the first ISP in Fort Collins, Colorado. After moving to Scottsbluff, Nebraska in 1997, he started Scottsbluff Networx, an ISP that provided competitive dialup Internet access in the Panhandle of Western Nebraska. Scottsbluff Networx was the first non-ILEC company to offer DSL in Nebraska, turning its first DSL customers on in the summer of 1998, and later gained CLEC status in the state of Nebraska. Frustrated with the bueaurocracy of dealing with the phone companies to deliver DSL service, Matt turned to wireless as an alternate way to deliver high speed Internet to his customers. In February 2000, Scottsbluff Networx started offering wireless broadband access in to several towns in the Nebraska Panhandle, bypassing the phone companies completely.  In November 2000, Larsen sold Scottsbluff Networx to Airwave Wireless, a company that held LMDS and cellular licenses for the Scottsbluff area. From November 2000 through October 2003, Larsen worked on ISP operations for Airwave, and concentrated on business development and the deployment of unlicensed wireless broadband systems. In October 2003, Larsen left Airwave to pursue opportunities in wireless broadband access and established Vistabeam. Vistabeam has deployed wireless broadband systems covering 40,000 square miles and maintains 500 miles of wireless backbone across Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska. Matt Larsen is one of the innovators in the wireless broadband industry and has been featured in the Washington Post and Wireless Tech Radio. Matt has also been a speaker at WISPCON, ISPCON, EC-Expo, FCC Wireless Broadband Access Task Force and for the Tom Osborne leadership programs; received the 1999 Visionary Rising Star Award from the Scottsbluff/Gering Chamber of Commerce; received the WISP Consultant of the Year Award at the Spring 2004 WISPCON and serves on the Board of Directors for WISPA, the Wireless Internet Service Provider Association.

S. Jay Lawrence
CEO, GigaBeam Corp.
Since becoming the CEO of GigaBeam in December 2007, Mr. Lawrence has materially transformed the company.  GigaBeam ended 2007 with a $38MM loss, $70MM in Debt/Equity Balance Sheet issues, monthly expenses of over $1.5MM and annual sales of $2.5MM, the company had a single product and a niche market opportunity.  Today, GigaBeam is making money, the Balance sheet is debt free and has $4MM in assets, the firm is growing in a poor economic climate and now services a multi-Billion dollar market with a suite of products and services.  Prior to joining GigaBeam, Mr. Lawrence served as Executive Director for Loea Corporation, the first entrant into the 70/80GHz fixed wireless communications marketplace. At Loea, Mr. Lawrence was instrumental in profiling the fixed wireless market and the impact of the 70/80GHz technology, along with driving some of the early policy developments for rulemaking and initial customer placements of this technology. Mr. Lawrence is the most experienced executive in the 70/80GHz space. Prior to Loea, Mr. Lawrence was a Senior Executive at Mueller Electric, a privately held passive component business. At Mueller, Mr. Lawrence lead a restructuring and resultant turnaround accomplished by migrating production offshore to China, capping costs of operations and bringing new products to market to meet customer needs. Mr. Lawrence has also held senior positions at Clare Semiconductor, where he participated in the reconstruction and sale of a product division of high frequency switching and relay products to Sumida. He held positions in Product Engineering and Business Development for EXOS, a Boston-based start up, which pioneered tactical feedback robotics technology that was later sold to Microsoft. Mr. Lawrence holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Boston University.

Drew Lentz
Sales Engineer, EDX Wireless
Drew Lentz is an experienced network and wireless engineer in the wireless broadband industry. With experience in designing, planning, and integrating wireless multi-point broadband systems (WLAN, Mesh, WiMax, unlicensed multipoint, and more), he has always put the emphasis on supplying solutions from a system agnostic and vendor-neutral point of view. An early architect of one of the largest Non-Line of Sight wireless networks in the United States and numerous design credits for some of the most accomplished mesh networks in the United States, his experience is gained through hands-on product knowledge as well as vendor certification and extensive field testing with many of the top name manufacturers in the Point-to-multipoint, wireless mesh, and WLAN arenas. With a 15 year foundation in network engineering, routing, switching, and server administration, his “solutions based” approach encompasses the entire network eco-system; from client-side connectivity to network administration. Seeing a need for greater encouragement in the planning and engineering services sector, Mr. Lentz is now working with one of the top RF software engineering companies in the World, EDX Wireless.

William MacNamara
Vice President of Business Development,
Agility Solutions Corp.
William MacNamara was instrumental in the setup and design of Broadband wireless systems, and is intimately familiar with line-of-sight wireless services delivery. As a consultant he specializes in business plan development, financial projections and market positioning, thus giving him the knowledge base to understand and develop models to help our customers achieve the success that is available in today’s market. Prior to his entrance into the wireless industry Mr. MacNamara severed as Director of Applied Technologies at Qwest Communications.

David P. McClure
President, CEO, USIIA
 David P. McClure is President and Chief Executive Officer of the US Internet Industry Association, an organization he founded in 1994 as the primary US trade association for broadband and the Internet. A technologist by education and experience, McClure has held management positions in the Internet, broadband, computing, aerospace and environmental services industries. Active in the online community since 1983, he has written and lectured extensively on management and technology issues, and is an authority on technology applications for business. He is a regular contributor to business and broadband publications, has authored more than 40 white papers related to the Internet and technology, and consults with government and Internet organizations worldwide. He is also the author and editor of the ReasonedResponse.Com blog on technology, policy and life. In 2004, he was honored with a Cornerstone Award for leadership in the broadband industry. In 2007, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Corporation, the non-profit organization that governs dispersal of Universal Service Funds on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission. In 2009, he became a member of the advisory board for Broadband for America and it Virginia chapter. In 2010 he was named a member of the honorary broad for Net Literacy and given a  "Student's Choice Hero Award" for his work in broadband adoption and digital inclusion.

Forbes Mercy
President, Washington Access
Forbes Mercy introduced his city of 85,000 to the Internet by dial-up in 1994 growing to 16,000 customers before selling the dial-up in 2007.  Mercy purchased a small Fixed Wireless network of 40 customers in 2001 and it has grown to 700 accounts over 12 towers in mostly rural/suburban areas of Yakima County.  He was active in lobbying for the dial-up industry in Washington DC for line access rights from ILEC's also forming a CLEC in Washington State.  Has appeared as presenter at three ISPCON events covering subjects from How to buy/sell your ISP to Successful Marketing.  Mercy currently is Vice President and Chair of the Legislative Committee for the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA). Prior to the Internet Mercy retired as a Fire Chief and instructor in Safety.

William "Yaan Yaan Eesh" Micklin
Executive Director, CATG
William "Yaan Yaan Eesh" Micklin.  Tlingit Indian of the Tantakwaan (Tongass Tribe of Ketchikan), Shangukeidi, Teikweidi, Kaats Hit. 1st Vice President for the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (headquartered in Juneau, AK, representing 21 village communities and 27,000 tribal citizens), CEO for the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians (headquartered on the Ewiiaapaayp Indian Reservation in Alpine, CA), Executive Director for the California Association of Tribal Governments.  A graduate of the University of Washington in 1982, Mr. Micklin is an eight-term member of the Tlingit & Haida Assembly and two-term Executive Council member, CEO for the Ewiiaapaayp Tribe since 1995, and Executive Director of CATG since 2008.  He is a member of the FCC Inter-governmental Advisory Committee and the Department of Interior Tribal Energy Policy Advisory Committee.

Josh Miles
Principal and Founder, MilesDesign
Josh Miles is principal and founder of MilesDesign, an award-winning Indianapolis branding and design firm. Miles Design specializes in positioning, branding and interactive design for premium brands and professional services firms. Their client list includes Ratio Architects, Bose McKinney & Evans, Chalet, ExactTarget, BlueLock, Net Literacy, AIT Laboratories, and KITE. For more information visit: www.milesdesign.com or www.joshmiles.com

Richard Mirgon
Past President, Association of Public Safety Officials International (APCO)
Richard Mirgon has over 30 years of public safety experience with the last 20 years in the public safety technology field. He is the Immediate Past President for the Association of Public Safety Officials International (APCO) and APCO’s lead for the reallocation of the D Block spectrum to public safety. He recently retired as the Director of Technology Services for Douglas County Nevada. The Technology Services Department includes public safety communications/911, information systems, emergency management, and animal control. He had held that position since 1991. Richard has participated in several national and statewide activities to include the FCC’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee and the Commercial Mobile Alerting Services Committee. In December of 1999 he was appointed by Governor Guinn to the State Emergency Response Commission and served as Co-Chair from March 2001 until March of 2006. Additionally, he served as Co-Chair of the WMD/Homeland Security Steering Committee from 1999 thru the fall of 2003.

Prior to his employment with Douglas County, Richard spent 13 years with Jefferson County Colorado as a Deputy Sheriff and worked as a Special Projects Manager for the Board of County Commissioners. Richard served four years in the United States Air Force as an intelligence analyst assigned to the National Security Agency. Richard holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. He currently serves as the Immediate Past President of APCO International.

Shiraz Moosajee
Managing Partner,
WISP Acquisition & Management Partners
Mr. Moosajee has over 14 years experience  in broadband telecommunication services. In 2005 Mr. Moosajee founded JAB Wireless Inc., a fixed wireless internet service provider where he served as its CFO until earlier this year.  Previously, he was the founder of UniComm International, a provider of unified messaging services, which was ultimately sold to Critical Path Inc., and the Executive VP of Corporate Development at Western Integrated Networks, a fiber-to the home builder that was sold to SureWest Corporation.  Mr. Moosajee holds a B.Sc. from the London School of Economics and an MBA from The Tuck School at Dartmouth College where he graduated with distinction as a Tuck scholar.

Jay Morakis
Co-founder, JMR Worldwide
Jay Morakis is the co-founder of JMR Worldwide heading the Media Services team.  With all groups, Jay manages the corporate practice, guiding clients in corporate communications, issues management and public relations strategy, primarily servicing technology, business and financial services accounts. 
He has experience in strategically positioning corporate enterprises and executives to targeted audiences, as well as maintaining and enhancing both corporate and government reputations.  He has a specific expertise in issues management and crisis preparedness actions; wherein he develops preparedness plans geared to the financial, government, media and public communities.

Chris Morley
CFO, Zayo Bandwith
Chris Morley is CFO of Zayo Bandwith and has 13 years of technology and communication experience. Chris has been an integral park in the recent stimulus grants awarded to the company.

Alvin Myers
President / COO,
United Systems, Inc.; Chairman, ESPA
Alvin Myers is President and Chief Operating Officer of United Systems, Inc. based in Oklahoma City. He also serves as Chairman for the E-rate Service Providers Association (ESPA), a trade association based in Washington, DC. Mr. Myers has 26 years of executive level experience in the Information Technology industry at several large local and national organizations. He received his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Accounting from The University of Central Oklahoma.
Mr. Myers' knowledge covers a vast array of industries from commercial business to education. He is especially familiar with the Schools and Libraries segment (aka E-rate) of the Universal Service Fund. Mr. Myers was a participant from the applicant side of the program at its inception. He now manages United Systems, which participates in the program as a key Service Provider in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Mr. Myers' activities as Chairman of ESPA include staying engaged with current issues related to the E-rate program. He is also responsible for communication with members of Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, the Universal Service Administrative Company, the media and the public. Mr. Myers is a member of the Comanche Tribe and works closely with the Native American Broadband Association.

Rob Needham
Vice President, Rivada Networks
Rob Needham, VP of Rivada Networks, is responsible for proposing one of the 18 successful ARRA RUS Rural Broadband Internet Grants during Round 1.  He provides leading edge communication solutions for Federal/Civil Public Safety, Tribal as well as geographically challenged communities.

Hunter Newby
Founder, Allied Fiber
Hunter Newby is a twelve year veteran of the telecom networking industry. He has built a depth of creative and management experience and expertise in multiple disciplines within the field ranging from sales, marketing and technical aspects to network engineering and raising capital.

Jim Nolte
Vice President of Sales, Zayo Fiber Solutions
Jim Nolte, VP of Sales at Zayo Fiber Solutions, brings 25 years of vast experience in the telecommunications industry from companies such as AT&T, BellSouth, ICG and AGL Networks.

Mark Pruner
President & Co-Founder, Native American Broadband Association
Mark Pruner is the President and co-founder of the Native American Broadband Association (“NABA”) which was created in July, 2009 in response to the first Notice of Funds Availability from the Rural Utility Service of the USDA and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the Department of Commerce. NABA provides tribes with information on broadband issues and helps them apply for broadband funding grants and loans under the Recovery Act. NABA also acts as a voice for Native Americans in the rapidly changing Washington, D.C. environment. NABA also works with tribes to encourage tribal members' broadband education, adoption and implementation. Mr. Pruner is a member of the Delaware Nation and has represented his tribe before Congress, the BIA and the Department of Justice on payment of Indian Claims Commission judgments. He also represented the Delaware Nation on investment opportunities in the Delaware homeland.
 

Mostafa Razzak
Co-Founder & Partner,
JMR Worldwide Co.
Mostafa Razzak is a JMR Worldwide Co-founder and Partner, and directs the firm’s technology and telecommunications practice. He has been involved in communications, public affairs and political consulting for nearly fifteen years, and now oversees all media and industry analyst relations, thought-leadership and speakers bureau and all other strategic communications programs for JMR clients. 

Jonathan Ressler
Founder, The Big Fat Mouth
Jonathan Ressler is the founder of The Big Fat Mouth; an agency that shows brands how to harness the real power of social media. Ressler arrived at his current title by running a social media contest where anyone could suggest a title and the one with the most votes won. After more than 10,000 title submissions (some were even printable) and millions of votes, Ressler holds the title of The Mouth That Roared. Some know Jonathan Ressler as a guerilla and stealth marketing pioneer. Others call him a really smart corporate strategist and a social media visionary. And a handful (himself included) say he’s an irreverent fat guy. The truth is most are happy to call him “The Mouth That Roared” because anyone who has even seen him speak or worked with him know he’s got tremendous insight into helping companies solve their most vexing marketing problems. Jonathan’s a serial entrepreneur who has started, grown and sold his two previous marketing firms. He also owned nearly a dozen nightclubs in New York City (where he invented Human Bowling), provided sales and marketing training to top spirits companies, and served as a contributing writer to a wide variety of publications. He’s been an interview source for major national media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN and 60 Minutes. Jonathan’s past work has included projects for clients that include Barnes & Noble, Pepsi, Nestle, Mazda, Nintendo, the NFL, Nike, EA Sports, the NBA, Anheuser-Busch and many more. His specialty is helping clients capitalize on the power of emerging marketing trends like social media without ever uttering a single marketing buzzword. In his spare time Ressler is putting the final touches on his soon to be released book, How To Become A Social Media Moron. He has designed and executed award winning marketing programs, educated many members of uptight senior management teams, had the courage to say “absolutely not” to 5:30 Friday afternoon client requests. All of that for some of the most recognizable brands in the world… and all while entertaining the staff with one hand tied behind his back.

Robert Rini
Partner,
Rini Coran, PC
Robert Rini is the managing attorney at the Washington, DC law firm Rini Coran, PC. He represents telecom, media and technology companies before Congress, the FCC and in communications-related transactions. His practice focuses on the representation of wireless broadband and Internet access companies and licensees, and radio and television broadcasters. Mr.. Rini is a frequent speaker at telecommunications and Internet conferences and seminars and has been quoted in trade press, newspapers, on national public radio and on television regarding communications law issues. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Source for Learning, Inc., a national distance learning company that holds EBS licenses, and until recently, Pegasus Tower Company, a developer of tower sites throughout the southeast. He has also served as President of the alumni association for the Institute for Communications Law Studies at The Catholic University of America Law School (2004) and Co-Chair of the On-Line Committee (2004-2005) and the Mass Media Committee (2005-2006) of the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Rick Rotondo
Vice President of Marketing,
xG Technology, Inc.
Rick Rotondo is vice president of marketing at xG Technology, Inc., a developer of a broad portfolio of intellectual property – including cognitive radio networks – that is designed to enhance wired and wireless communications. These cognitive radio network solutions enable communications providers to deliver robust, revenue-generating mobile services using licensed and/or unlicensed spectrum.
A frequent speaker at wireless industry seminars and events, Rick has over 20 years of extensive telecom and wireless experience from such companies as Motorola, MeshNetworks, Lucent and Nortel. Prior to joining xG Mr. Rotondo was co-founder and chief marketing officer of Spectrum Bridge, Inc. where he was responsible for planning and implementing the company’s marketing and communications strategy. Through successful thought-leadership programs and events, he successfully positioned the company as the acknowledged leader in multiple areas of spectrum policy and technology including secondary market trading, TV white spaces, database driven architectures and dynamic spectrum allocation solutions. Previously, Rick was VP of marketing for MeshNetworks, which he established as the ad hoc networking brand leader before the company was acquired by Motorola in late 2004. Rick also served as VP of marketing for the Open Platforms Group at Lucent Technologies, where he was responsible for all Marketing and Business Development initiatives for this business unit.

Albert E.R. Schneider, III , Esq.
Attorney,
Schneider & Company
Mr. Schneider has over 25 years of continuous experience in the telecommunications industry and has served as an executive officer or consultant to several communications firms which include: Cellular One of Canton, Cellular One of Youngstown, Cellular Communications, Inc., Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico, McCaw Cellular, ATT Wireless, CoreComm, NewPar (Cellular One of Ohio and Michigan), Phoenix TelNet, LLC and others. Mr. Schneider is the founder of and operates Schneider & Company, a Chagrin Falls, Ohio based financial consulting firm which provides services to communications start-ups, medium and large size businesses.

Joshua Seidemann
Vice President, Independent Telephone
and Telecommunications Alliance
Joshua Seidemann has worked in both the private and public sectors representing telecommunications carriers and telecom consumers. In private practice Josh represented independent and rural companies, competitive local exchange carriers, and video providers; as a state consumer advocate Josh focused on telecommunications issues relating to implementation of the 1996 Act. He is a freelance contributor to various trade media on telecom and technology issues.

Craig Settles
Founder/President, Successful.com
Craig Settles is Broadband business strategist, marketing expert, author and internationally renowned speaker. He has helped organizations use broadband technologies to improve government and stakeholders’ operating efficiency, as well as local economic development.

Chip Spann
Director, Engineering and Technical Services
Chip Spann leads the Engineering and Technical Services (ETS) team and works directly with broadband technology companies with an emphasis on the wireless sector. The ETS team gathers data relevant to improving the broadband coverage map for each state, designs wireless broadband systems and offers a variety of consulting services.

Neeraj Srivastava
Vice President of Business Development, Spectrum Bridge
Neeraj Srivastava, VP of Business Development, a 20-year veteran of technology policy and marketing. Srivastava is responsible for building partner relationships and developing the ecosystem around Spectrum Bridge’s vision of Universal Spectrum Access.

Bryan Stanley
Business Development & Implementation,
PC Management
Bryan Stanley, with over 19 years experience in telecommunications, is responsible for business development and implementation of GSM/Fixed Mobile Convergent (FMC) customers for PC Management. Bryan has deployed FMC services with Rural ILECs, CLECs and Cable Operators in the U.S. Bryan’s experience has also directed the operations, sales and marketing of CenturyTel’s wireless mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business and was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Xspedius, a leading eastern U.S. CLEC. Through these experiences Bryan understands the challenges that face today’s telecom providers. At PC Management Bryan has developed one of the only fully hosted turn-key GSM and VoIP converged solutions in the U.S. developed especially for fixed line providers that do not own wireless spectrum. This product allows fixed line providers compete in a world that is becoming more wireless centric.

Scott Stevens
Founder, Keenwire
Mr. Stevens has spent the last decade as a leading business and technology consultant and entrepreneur in the broadband and IP communications spaces. During the broadband stimulus, Scott's firm assisted in three awards totaling over $88M in both the RUS BIP and NTIA BTOP programs, resulting in the first BIP award in the nation and the first BTOP drawdown. Scott spent time during the 2008 election year as an active member of Obama's Technology, Media & Telecom Policy Committee for the campaign focusing on broadband, spectrum and technology's effects on other sectors. As a serial entrepreneur, Mr. Stevens has founded companies with a mission to deliver broadband to rural communities and "middle-mile" Tier 1 access to Tier 2 and 3 areas. Scott has significant insight into the effects of broadband and technology on sectors like public safety, healthcare, education, government and the commonly overlooked ecosystem between them. Over time, Scott has made many contacts within the Data Center segment and has become acutely aware of the often silent but immensely critical role they play in today's global economy's inner-workings.

Nathan Stooke
Founder, WisperISP
Nathan Stooke started WisperISP in 2003 to fill the gaps the large Telco’s and cable companies left.  He believes in building a reliable network and providing the best customer services possible.  

Steve Stroh
Independent Technology Writer,
Stroh Publications, LLC
Steve Stroh began writing about Broadband Wireless Internet Access in 1997 for a column titled Wireless Data Developments in Broadwatch Magazine. He has worked as a consultant and written for numerous publications, including his own newsletter, blog, and co-host of a pioneering podcast called Wireless Tech Radio.

Rich Tehrani
CEO and Group Editor-in-Chief, TCMNET.com
Rich Tehrani, son of Nadji Tehrani, has been involved with the Company from its earliest stages.  Rich was instrumental in launching the Communications Solutions and INTERNET TELEPHONY brands, launching TMC into fast-growing communications and technology markets in the 1990s.  Rich served in many capacities at the Company, including six years as MIS Director and five years as Publisher of Communications Solutions, before becoming President in 1999, Group Editor-in-Chief in 2000, and CEO in 2009.  Rich received his B.S. in Computer Hardware Engineering from University of Connecticut in 1989.
 

Tom Terry
Partner, Terry & Unitas
Tom Terry’s 30-year career as a business leader, which includes representing Verizon on many business development efforts.  His experience includes various positions covering engineering and construction of telecommunications infrastructure, to media and public relations, to product design and development, to marketing, and state and local economic development.  Mr. Terry’s efforts have been recognized by The US Chamber of Commerce and the White House when his efforts were awarded the prestigious Presidents Action Award for his work with business development.

Jack Unger
President, Ask-Wi.Com
Jack Unger is the President of Ask-Wi.Com, Inc. Mr. Unger founded the company in 1993 and has been serving the broadband wireless community for the last 17 years. The company deployed one of the first wireless ISPs (WISPs) in the world beginning in 1995. Mr. Unger has trained over 3500 WISP and wireless personnel. Mr. Unger serves as a member of the Board of the Wireless ISP Association (WISPA) and also as the Chair of WISPA’s FCC Committee.

Tony Unitas
President, Terry & Unitas
With over 25 years experience at Verizon, Tony Unitas led many strategic planning efforts for his department. He also directed several sales organizations with a focus on major accounts and middle markets. He has worked with many industries with expertise in strategic planning, business & fiscal management, customer care, people & product development and suggestion planning. His core strength is matching business goals with technology.

Jump to Top

Keynotes | Speaker Bios | Packages/Pricing | Register Now
Monday Schedule | Tuesday Schedule | Wednesday Schedule