Schedule

7:45 a.m. Registration Open     
Registration sponsored by 
Badges sponsored by    Lanyards sponsored by
 
7:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by 
 
8:15-8:30 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
Michael B. Galvin, Chair, INCOMPAS Board of Directors, and Chief Administrative Officer, Granite Telecommunications

8:30-9:00 a.m. INCOMPAS 2023 Policy Priorities
INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg and the association's policy team will lay out their priorities for the upcoming year and highlight key issues that they are currently working on with local entities, the FCC, the Administration and Congress. 

Speakers:
Angie Kronenberg, President, INCOMPAS
Christopher L. Shipley, Executive Director of Public Policy, INCOMPAS
Lindsay Stern, Attorney and Policy Advisor, INCOMPAS
Andrew Mincheff, Director, Government Relations, INCOMPAS
Caroline Boothe Olsen, Director, Communications & Legislative Affairs, INCOMPAS
 
9:00-9:30 a.m. Cybersecurity Policy Trends
Our digital economy and critical infrastructure is under constant attack from a variety of threat actors from simple thieves to hostile nation states. While companies and governments continue to make improvements to their cybersecurity, there is much that remains to be done. Venable’s cybersecurity expert John Banghart will provide an overview of the current cybersecurity threat landscape, innovative ways companies, governments and institutions are responding to those threats, and what government policies can and should be adopted to foster increased cyber-security. John will also discuss new compliance challenges stemming from the new compliance and reporting requirements of the newly enacted CIRCIA statute (the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act), as well as the possibility that the FCC could expand E-Rate funding to help nation’s educational institutions respond to cybersecurity threats.

Speaker: John Banghart, Senior Director for Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP
 
9:30-9:50 a.m. FCC Commissioner 
Nathan Simington


 
9:50-10:00 a.m. Break
Sponsored by 
 
10:00-10:30 a.m. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan
D-New Mexico



 
10:30-11:00 a.m. FCC Commissioner
Brendan Carr



 
11:00 a.m.-Noon The Impact of Broadband on Precision Agriculture
Our nation's farmers and ranchers require more than the right equipment, fertilizer and climate to optimize crop yields and ensure healthy livestock. Broadband and fiber are now requisite for precision agriculture, and to support other federal and state initiatives, such as the USDA’s ReConnect program. Learn from panelists about what Congress, the USDA and state broadband offices are doing to better assess and advance the deployment of broadband internet access service on unserved agriculture land to promote precision agriculture.

Moderator: Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS

Speakers:
Sally Burchfield Doty, Director, Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska)
Rep. Glenn Thompson, (R-Pennsylvania), Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture
 
Noon-12:30 p.m.

Rep. Doris Matsui
D-California

 

12:30-1:00 p.m.

FCC Commissioner
Geoffrey Starks


 

1:00-1:15 p.m. Lunch
Sponsored by 
1:15-1:45 p.m.

Rep. Bob Latta
R-Ohio

 

1:45-1:55 p.m. Insights into Tech Investments in Digital Infrastructure
Analysys Mason will present on its latest research and findings on the investment in digital infrastructure and the mechanisms through which freely negotiated interconnection on the internet, underpinned by investment by all stakeholders, is delivering cost-effective, high-quality online experiences for consumers and businesses. He also will discuss the ongoing public policy debate in the U.S., Europe and Asia on how to fund network infrastructure deployment and operations as internet traffic continues to grow with new applications and services being offered around the globe.

Speaker: David Abecassis, Partner, Analysys Mason
 
1:55-2:30 p.m. USF is Broken. How Do We Fix It?
The Universal Service Fund, which funds programs like E-Rate and Lifeline and offers support to deploy and sustain service in some of the hardest-to-reach parts of our country, is under significant financial duress and is being challenged in numerous courts. We can all agree that the USF needs immediate reform...but this might be all that folks agree on. How do we address the differing views? Do we need all the USF programs and are they working? Who should pay into the system to keep these programs funded? Why is it important to keep funding USF programs when there’s so many other broadband funding mechanisms these days?

Moderator: Lauren Gaydos, Director, Glen Echo Group

Speakers:
Greg Guice, Director of Government Affairs, Public Knowledge
Michael Kende, Senior Advisor, Analysys Mason
Angie Kronenberg, President, INCOMPAS
Mike Romano, Executive Vice President, NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association
 
2:30-3:15 p.m. FCC Bureau Chiefs’ 2023 Priorities and Perspectives
The FCC has several open proceedings that impact the availability and affordability of fixed, mobile and satellite broadband services, as well as ongoing oversight of Universal Service Fund programs, consumer protections, spectrum management and licensing, and policies that ensure access to broadband and telecommunications services for all consumers, including those with disabilities and those who reside on Tribal Lands. In this panel, the FCC Bureau Chiefs will discuss their respective Bureau’s priorities for 2023 and the work the agency is doing to support the availability and affordability of broadband and the proceedings that will enable and promote more competition in the marketplace.

Moderator: Angie Kronenberg, President, INCOMPAS

Speakers: 
Trent Harkrader, Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, FCC
Alejandro Roark, Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, FCC
Joel Taubenblatt, Acting Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC
 
3:15-3:30 p.m. Break
Sponsored by 
 
3:30-3:45 p.m.

Scott Blake Harris 
Senior Spectrum Advisor 
NTIA

 

3:45-4:15 p.m. The Model for Spectrum Sharing: 12 GHz Is Key to Growing 5G Economy
Spectrum is finite, with limited available resources in the pipeline to help meet the nation's growing demand. In recent years, demand for mobile data and wireless solutions has exploded, while the technology supporting spectrum sharing and flexible uses in mid-band spectrum has become more robust.  With 500 MHz of contiguous mid-band spectrum, the 12 GHz band can be put to immediate use for next-generation connectivity, including 5G and fixed wireless, while protecting DBS and FSS incumbents from harmful interference.  Our panelists will discuss the FCC’s ongoing proceeding on this issue and explore how expanding the 12 GHz band is critical to establishing the 5G economy, advancing the FCC’s goal of closing the digital divide, and putting U.S. spectrum policy on the vanguard for the next decade.

Moderator: Christopher L. Shipley, Executive Director of Public Policy​, INCOMPAS

Speakers:
Harold Furchgott-Roth, former FCC Commissioner and President, Furchtgott-Roth Economic Enterprises
Michael O'Rielly, former FCC Commissioner and President, MPORielly Consulting, LLC
 
4:15-5:00 p.m. Federal Infrastructure Funding - One Year Later
Following the historic passage of the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) and the Infrastructure Act (IIJA), where does implementation of the Capital Projects Fund, BEAD and the Middle Mile programs stand one year later? Federal government administrators tasked with managing these broadband programs join us to share the challenges faced during the past year and what to expect in the future for program implementation at the state and local level.

Moderator: Andrew Mincheff, Government Relations Director, INCOMPAS

Speakers:
Evan Feinman, Director, Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program 
Joseph Wender, Capital Projects Fund Director, U.S. Treasury Department 
 
5:00-5:45 p.m. Investing in the Networks and Reducing Deployment Barriers to Secure Our Digital Future
With more than $48 billion set to be invested in the nation’s broadband network infrastructure, policy makers and industry must be laser-focused on speeding deployment so that this once-in-a-generation funding can ensure that those on the wrong side of the digital divide finally have access to high-speed broadband services. Now is the time for federal and state officials to reexamine and streamline processes that serve as significant barriers to fast deployment, such as unreasonable delays and costs associated with local permitting processes and access to poles, conduit, and multiple tenant environments (MTEs). Our panelists will put a spotlight on what the FCC, local policymakers, and industry can do to remove these obstacles so that federal funding can be invested to extend network infrastructure fast and provide the nation with robust access to the modern internet and secure our digital future.

Moderator: Christopher L. Shipley, Executive Director of Public Policy​, INCOMPAS

Speakers:
Van Bloys, Senior Counsel, Utility Relations, Crown Castle
Tamar Finn, Partner, Morgan Lewis
Kelly McGriff, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Uniti Group
Jill Sandford, Chief Legal Officer, FirstLight Fiber
Lindsay Stern, Attorney and Policy Advisor, INCOMPAS
 
5:45-6:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
 
6:00-7:00 p.m. Networking Reception
 

Login

Top