Schedule

Tentative as of March 4, 2024

7:45 a.m. Registration Open
Registration sponsored by
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7:45 a.m. Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by 
8:00 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
Michael B. Galvin, Chief Administrative Officer, Granite Telecommunications, LLC and Chairman, INCOMPAS
8:15 a.m. How Networks are Incorporating AI to Optimize Innovation Across All Industries
Communications technology has always evolved quickly. However artificial intelligence (AI) is moving at light speed. AI is everywhere, from optimizing the networks we build to the labs in hospitals accelerating treatment for diseases, to the farmlands in the heartland making crop production more efficient. This panel will explore the vast capabilities of AI and discuss how industry is utilizing it in their own businesses to serve as a catalyst for innovation and opportunity for all sectors of the economy.

Moderator:
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS


Speakers:
Mignon L. Clyburn, Former FCC Commissioner
Colin Crowell, Managing Director, The Blue Owl Group
Milo Medin, Former Vice President, Access and Wireless Services, Google
Sana Sheikh, Chief People Officer, Granite Telecommunications, LLC
9:00 a.m.  Served or Unserved?  The Latest on FCC Mapping, Broadband Data Collection, and the Challenge Process for BEAD
Hear the latest from the FCC, NTIA and Ready.net Inc. on what’s happening at the federal level and across states regarding mapping, the location fabric, and the impact each will have on ongoing challenge process for BEAD and other broadband infrastructure programs. Panelists will provide updates on FCC’s National Broadband Map, data collection efforts and what providers should expect looking ahead to 2024.

Moderator:
Kathryn de Wit, Project Director, Broadband Access Initiative, The Pew Charitable Trusts


Speakers:
Eduard Bartholme, Senior Outreach Director, Broadband Data Task Force, FCC

Sally Burchfield Doty, Director, Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi
Amanda Martin, Policy Director, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth. NTIA
Scott D. Woods, Esq., President, Public-Private Partnerships, Ready.net, Inc.
9:30 a.m. Are You Broadband Ready? How to Use the Ready City Checklists
$42.5 billion in BEAD funding will be awarded over the next year. This panel features an official at the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, as well as industry experts, who will share their perspectives on the latest efforts taking place across states and localities for ensuring guidelines and resources are in place to help speed up network deployments.

Moderator:
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS


Speakers: 
Domenick Carroll, External Affairs Manager, Crown Castle
Michael B. Galvin, Chief Administrative Officer, Granite Telecommunications, LLC
Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director, Kansas Office of Broadband Development
Ariane Schaffer, Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager, Google Fiber
10:00 a.m. Fireside Chat
Alan Davidson

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator
10:30 a.m. Building the Networks of Tomorrow – Where’s The Workforce?
The networks of tomorrow cannot become a reality without a workforce to build them. While there has been needed focus on development of the existing workforce, attention is now turning to how the industry can attract new workers and train them for future needs and projected shortages through public and private partnerships. Learn about a new initiative and how it is addressing this critical need so that the country can meet its goal of internet for all.

Speakers:
Chip Pickering, CEO, INCOMPAS
David Stehlin, CEO, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
10:50 a.m. Morning Break
Sponsored by  
11:00 a.m Bridging the Digital Divide Using All of the Tools in Our Toolkit
Connectivity is the key to participating in today's world. That makes bridging the digital divide even more important to ensure everyone has affordable, stable access to the internet. It's clear there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this problem and it is going to take all kinds of technology – from fixed wireless and small cells to fiber and satellites – to connect everyone in every corner of the country. We will hear from the NTIA on how they ensure all technologies are used to bridge the divide and from industry experts who are delivering the services to achieve that goal. 

Moderator:
Katy J. Milner, Partner, Global Regulatory, Hogan Lovells

Speakers: 
Darren Achord, Director, U.S. Public Policy, Amazon
Evan Feinman, Director, Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program
Carl Guardino, Vice President, Government Affairs & Policy, Tarana
Svetlana Matt, Director, Public Policy, DISH
11:30 a.m. Keynote
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks
11:50 a.m. Keynote
Joseph Wender

Capital Projects Fund Director, U.S. Treasury Department 
12:10 p.m. Lunch
Sponsored by 
12:30 p.m.  Reforming USF: How to Create a More Efficient and Stable Fund
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a critical FCC program that helps American communities and small businesses connect to affordable phone and broadband services. Brattle Group Principal Paroma Sanyal will explore a recent economic study on the best path forward to stabilize the USF. Then POLITICO’s John Hendel will sit down with Paroma and INCOMPAS President Angie Kronenberg to discuss how the FCC can create a more efficient and stable USF program with regard to distributing the funds and how to continue funding this critical connectivity program into the future.

Moderator:
John Hendel, Tech Reporter, POLITICO

Speakers:
Angie Kronenberg, President, INCOMPAS
Paroma Sanyal, Principal and Practice Co-Leader: Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment, The Brattle Group Inc.
1:00 p.m.  Fireside Chat
FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez
1:30 p.m. Keynote
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington
1:50 p.m. Afternoon Break
Sponsored by  
2:00 p.m. Fireside Chat
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI)
2:30 p.m. Fireside Chat
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr
3:00 p.m.  Keynote
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM)
3:30 p.m.  Keynote
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
4:00 p.m. Keynote
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
4:30 p.m. Fireside Chat
Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA)
5:00 p.m. The Fight Against Illegal Robocalls and Robotexts:  An Update From the Front Lines
Competitive voice service providers continue to urge industry and government policymakers to adopt standardized and non-discriminatory solutions to address the ongoing threat of robocalls, including in the areas of call authentication, the transmission of accurate call data and call blocking notification. At the same time, industry is turning its attention to the problem of unwanted robotexts and how artificial intelligence could impact efforts to deter scam artists. The new year has already brought new developments in the fight against illegal robocalls and robotexts. Our panel will discuss how INCOMPAS member companies are working to solve this existential threat to our voice networks

Moderator:
Tamar E. Finn, Partner, Morgan Lewis

Speaker:
John Haraburda, Product Lead – TNS Call Guardian®, Transaction Network Services Inc.
Bill Hunt, Regulatory and Policy Counsel, Bandwidth Inc.
Michael Pryor, Counsel, Cloud Communications Alliance and Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
5:30 p.m. Holding the Line: Navigating Changes to Federal Pole Attachment Rules
The introduction of new federal and private funding for broadband deployment has raised the prospect of extending fixed, high-speed networks deep into unserved and underserved communities across the country. Recognizing this, the FCC has taken steps to reduce barriers to deployment including adopting a new pole attachment order in December that aims to expedite complaints, increase transparency and clarify existing rules. Utilities are now attempting to claw back some of these modest gains through the reconsideration process. In this panel, we’ll discuss the Commission’s efforts to facilitate pole attachments and talk about the utilities’ attempts to maintain the regulatory status quo.

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

Speakers:
Van Bloys, Managing Counsel, Crown Castle
Daniel Friesen, Managing Member & Innovation Officer, IdeaTek
Francisco Maella, CEO, Dobson Fiber
6:00 p.m. Networking Reception
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