Broadband Policy Summit IV

2007 Speaker Biographies

James M. Assey, Jr., Democratic Senior Counsel, Subcommittee on Communications, Senate Commerce Committee - James Assey advises the Democratic members of the Committee on a wide range of media and telecommunications policy matters. Immediately prior to his current position, Mr. Assey worked in the communications law practice group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in Washington, DC. He has also served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Cameron M. Currie in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and as a legislative assistant for Senator Ernest F. Hollings (D-SC). He has written articles on mediation and Internet privacy law. Mr. Assey earned both a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University; and received his J.D., at Georgetown University.

Robert D. Atkinson, Ph.D., President, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation - Robert Atkinson has an extensive background in technology policy and has conducted ground-breaking research projects on technology and innovation. Before coming to ITIF Dr. Atkinson was Vice President of the Progressive Policy Institute and director of PPI’s Technology & New Economy Project. Previously Dr. Atkinson served as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, a public private partnership including as members the Governor, legislative leaders, and corporate and labor leaders. Prior to that he was Project Director at the former Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. While at OTA, he directed “The Technological Reshaping of Metropolitan America,” a seminal report examining the impact of the information technology revolution on America’s urban areas. He is also author of the book, The Past and Future of America’s Economy: Long Waves of Innovation that Power Cycles of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005). He received his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989.

Rep. Rick Boucher, U.S. Congressman (D), Virginia, 9th District; Member, House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Member, Subcommittees on Telecommunications and the Internet, and Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection - Congressman Rick Boucher is serving his thirteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Virginia's Ninth Congressional District. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, serving on three subcommittees - Energy and Air Quality, of which he is the Chairman, as well as Telecommunications and the Internet, and Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. He also sits on the House Judiciary Committee, serving on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. He originated the House Internet Caucus in 1996 and currently serves as one of two House co-chairman of the more than 180 member group. In that position he is a leading architect of federal policy for Information Technology and the Internet. His first Internet related legislation, which became law in 1993, authorized electronic commerce by permitting for the first time messages with commercial content to traverse the Internet backbone. His proposals to promote competition in the cable and local telephone industries are at the core of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Rick's Showcasing Southwest Virginia program has brought more than 4,800 technology related jobs to his Congressional district in recent years. Congressman Boucher earned his bachelor's degree from Roanoke College and his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He has practiced law on Wall Street in New York and in Virginia. Prior to his election to Congress, he served for seven years as a member of the Virginia State Senate. Rick is a native of Abingdon, Virginia, where he currently resides with his wife Amy.

Kathryn C. Brown, Senior Vice President, Public Policy Development & Corporate Responsibility, Verizon - Kathryn C. Brown has been with Verizon since June 2002. She is responsible for Verizon’s corporate responsibility initiatives, policy development and issues management, public policy messaging, strategic alliances and the Verizon Foundation. Before joining Verizon, Ms. Brown was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering and a member of the firm’s Communications and Electronic Commerce practice, where she focused on the legal and regulatory challenges for communications companies in the converging telecommunications market. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Brown was the Chief of Staff of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) where she managed Chairman William E. Kennard’s agenda on all telecommunications, broadcast, and spectrum matters. She previously served as the Chief of the FCC’s Common Carrier Bureau, where she led key initiatives implementing the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Before working at the FCC, Ms. Brown was the Associate Administrator, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration. In that position, she was closely involved in President Clinton’s initiatives to put computers in every classroom in America, and to close the “digital divide” by promoting the deployment of advanced technologies both here and abroad. Ms. Brown also worked for eight years at the New York State Public Service Commission in various capacities, including as the Director of the Consumer Services Division and as Litigation Attorney and Managing Attorney for Telecommunications with the Office of General Counsel. Prior to joining the NYPSC, she was the Deputy Clerk of the New York State Court of Appeals. Ms. Brown received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law in 1980 and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Marist College in 1974. She is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.

Jeff Campbell, Director of Technology and Communications Policy, CISCO - Jeffrey A. Campbell is Director, Technology and Trade Policy of Global Policy and Government Affairs for Cisco Systems, Inc., the global leader for networking for the Internet. Since 2001, he has been responsible for developing and implementing Cisco’s public policy agenda with respect to telecommunications, trade, security and technology issues. In addition to his expertise in telecommunications regulation, Mr. Campbell has been involved in public policy with respect to intellectual property law, Intenet regulation, international trade and information technology regulation. Prior to this position at Cisco, Mr. Campbell headed the Washington government affairs office of Compaq Computer. Mr. Campbell began his career as a telecommunications regulatory attorney with the Washington, D.C. office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. Mr. Campbell received his B.A. in History from Yale University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Michelle Carey, Senior Legal Advisor to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin - Since September 2004, Michelle Carey has served as Deputy Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau. Prior to that, she was Chief of the Competition Policy Division for nearly five years, where she managed rulemaking proceedings concerning a variety of issues including local competition, broadband, and IP-enabled services. She also supervised numerous adjudicatory proceedings, including applications by the regional Bell companies to provide long-distance service and wireline telecommunications mergers. Prior to becoming Chief, Ms. Carey was Deputy Chief and, before that, a staff attorney in both the Policy and Enforcement divisions of the former Common Carrier Bureau. Before joining the Commission, Ms. Carey clerked for the Honorable Hart T. Mankin of the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. Ms. Carey received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

James W. Cicconi, Sr. Executive Vice President, External & Legislative Affairs, AT&T - Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president-external and legislative affairs, is responsible for AT&T's public policy organization. He has served in this capacity since November 2005, following the close of the merger between SBC Communications and AT&T Corp. Previously, Mr. Cicconi served as general counsel and executive vice president of law and government affairs at AT&T Corp. Before joining AT&T in September 1998, he was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. Mr. Cicconi also served in the White House under two presidents, including two years as deputy chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush and four years as a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Cicconi currently serves as a director of the El Paso Electric Company and the American Council on Germany, as a member of the University of Texas at Austin Development Board, as a Trustee of the Brookings Institution and is vice president of the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation. He has also served as a presidential appointee to the Review Advisory Committee for UNESCO and to the Administrative Conference of the United States. Mr. Cicconi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1977. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the State Bar of Texas.

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Scott Cleland, Chief Executive Officer, Precursor - Scott Cleland is widely respected as one of the nation’s top telecom strategists. His analysis is sought out by leading investors, companies, government and the media. Mr. Cleland has testified as an expert witness before seven different Congressional panels on a wide variety of telecom subjects. He is among the nation’s most widely quoted telecom experts, frequently appearing in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Barrons, and on NPR, CNBC, CNN and PBS. Precursor is known for its unique change research methodology, its signature one-page analyses, and its pure research model that forswears investment banking, money management or proprietary trading. Mr. Cleland is the Co-Founder and Director of the Investorside Research Association, a trade association of over 75 independent investment research firms, which are free of investment banking conflicts. Previously, Mr. Cleland was a managing director at Legg Mason and a senior vice president at Charles Schwab Co. He served as Deputy United States Coordinator for International Communications Policy at the U.S. State Department and as a legislative advisor to Secretary of State James A. Baker, III. He also has worked for Booz, Allen & Hamilton, the U.S. Treasury Department, and the U.S. Office of Management & Budget. He earned a Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Political Science from Kalamazoo College.

Colin Crowell, Telecommunications Policy Analyst, Office of Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) - Colin Crowell is the chief telecommunications staffer for U.S. Representative Edward J. Markey of the 7th Congressional District of Massachusetts. Rep. Markey is the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Prior to his current position, Colin was Rep. Markey's chief legislative staffer between 1995 and 2007 for a wide range of public policy issues addressing telecommunications matters, during which time Rep. Markey was the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee. Colin previously worked from 1989 until December 1994 on the majority staff of the then-Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee, during which time Rep. Markey was also chairman of that panel. From 1986 to 1989, Colin was a Jesuit International Volunteer in Arequipa, Peru, where he taught mathematics and English at a Jesuit high school and built and ran a community soup kitchen on the outskirts of the city. Colin also worked as an aide to Rep. Markey in the congressman's Boston district office from 1984 to 1986. Colin is a graduate of Boston College with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Computer Science.

Robert W. Crandall, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, The Brookings Institute - Robert Crandall is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he has worked since 1978. Mr. Crandall was the former deputy director of the Council on Wage and Price Stability during the Ford and Carter administrations. He was also a former faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the George Washington University. He has been a consultant to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Antitrust Division of the Federal Trade Commission, and the Treasury Department. His interests include industrial organization, antitrust policy, regulation, the auto industry, competitiveness, deregulation, and environmental policy. He has published widely, and his articles have appeared in Regulation, the Journal of Economic Perspectives, and the American Economic Review.

Craig T. Fifer, e-Government Manager, Alexandria, Virginia -Craig Fifer has been the E-Government Manager for the City of Alexandria, Virginia, since 2003. Prior to this position, he served for seven years as the founding webmaster and electronic communications coordinator for the City of Roanoke, Virginia. During Mr. Fifer's tenure, Roanoke became the only city in the nation to be cited three times by the Center for Digital Government as America's Top Digital City. He also helped create free, public, outdoor, wireless Internet zones in downtown Roanoke and Alexandria – the first two in Virginia. Mr. Fifer spent two years as a technology trainer for the Roanoke City Public Schools, and served for three years on the board of directors of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. He frequently delivers presentations on technology, legal, and ethics topics at local, state, national and international conferences and currently serves on the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council and the board of directors of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. Mr. Fifer is a graduate of Virginia Tech, with a degree in political science.

Neil Fried, Senior Counsel, House Energy and Commerce Committee - Fried, 37, has been with the committee since 2003 and handles mass media, telecommunications and Internet issues. He was involved in the drafting and passage of satellite TV reauthorization and digital TV transition legislation, and also worked on the House-passed video franchise reform bill. Before arriving at the committee, Fried spent three years in private practice, where he specialized in television and telecommunications issues. Earlier, he served four years with the Federal Communications Commission as an attorney in what is now the Wireline Competition Bureau, where he helped implement the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Fried earned his Bachelor of Science in journalism degree from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

Christopher Guttman-McCabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA – The Wireless Association - Since joining CTIA in May 2001, Christopher Guttman-McCabe has worked on a wide range of issues involving spectrum, regulatory mandates, and homeland security. As the Vice President for Regulatory Affairs for the Association, he is responsible for coordinating regulatory issues affecting the wireless industry. Prior to joining CTIA, Mr. Guttman-McCabe worked as an attorney for four years at the D.C. based law firm Wiley Rein LLP. He served as an Associate in the Communications Practice Group where he advised clients on wireless and common carrier issues, including licensing, compliance, and policy matters. Christopher started his career as a management and strategic consultant to the steel industry at AUS Consultants and later co-founded Jacobson & Associates, a metals industry management and strategic consulting firm, where he served as the Vice President. Mr. Guttman-McCabe received his B.A. degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his J.D. Magna Cum Laude from Catholic University with a certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies.

Meg Hargreaves, President & Publisher, Pike & Fischer – A BNA Company – Meg Hargreaves has spent the last 20 years developing information products and services for the legal, business, academic and government markets. As Pike & Fischer’s President and Publisher, Ms. Hargreaves drives all operational and strategic activity for the company, which was founded by James Pike and Henry Fischer in 1939 and acquired by BNA in 1984. She also serves on the Board of Directors of The Institute of Management & Administration (IOMA), a BNA subsidiary company. Pike & Fischer’s portfolio of legal and business information solutions includes legal treatises and online reference services, newsletters, books, special events, market research reports and consulting services. Prior to joining Pike & Fischer in 2003, Ms. Hargreaves was Vice President of Publishing & Content Development for global competitive intelligence aggregator MarketResearch.com in Rockville, Maryland. In that role she led all aspects of editorial, product development, marketing and sales activity. Prior to her tenure at MarketResearch.com, Meg spent 13 years developing and marketing political, legislative and regulatory information products and services for global online publisher LEXISNEXIS, a member of the Reed-Elsevier global publishing family. Meg has BAs in both Communications and History from the University of Scranton. She and her husband live in Great Falls, Virginia.

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Matthew C. Hussey, Telecommunications & Information Technology Task Force Director, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) - Matthew Hussey is the Director of the Telecommunications & Information Technology Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation’s largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state legislators. He is responsible for educating and advising state legislators and private sector leaders on important telecommunications and IT issues as well as working with members to develop model legislation. Before joining ALEC, Matthew worked for over eight years in the telecommunications industry, most recently for Verizon Communications. There he worked in engineering, finance, sales & marketing, and business development. Prior to that, he spent several years in the cable industry where he held product development and engineering positions. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and a Certificate in Economics from Georgia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland.

John M. R. Kneuer, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information - John M. R. Kneuer was nominated by President George W. Bush on May 1, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 9, 2006, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. As Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, Mr. Kneuer oversees and directs NTIA. NTIA seeks to promote market-based policies which lower prices to consumers and encourage innovation, while harnessing the resources of the federal government to support spectrum-based technologies which enhance efficiency and productivity. In addition to representing the Executive Branch in domestic and international telecommunications and information policy activities, NTIA also manages the federal use of spectrum; performs cutting edge telecommunications research and engineering, including resolving technical telecommunications issues for the federal government and private sector; and administers infrastructure and public telecommunications facilities grants. Mr. Kneuer joined NTIA in October 2003. Prior to joining NTIA, Mr. Kneuer served as a Senior Associate at the law firm of Piper Rudnick in Washington, D.C., providing regulatory and legislative representation to corporate clients in the telecommunications, defense, and transportation industries. From 1997-1998, Mr. Kneuer served as the Executive Director for Government Relations at the Industrial Telecommunications Association, and prior to that served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Commercial Wireless Division of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Bureau. Mr. Kneuer received B.A. and J.D. degrees from the Catholic University of America. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

Anna-Maria Kovacs, President, Regulatory Source Associates - Anna-Maria Kovacs is founder and President of Regulatory Source Associates LLC. RSA provides investment professionals with analysis of federal and state regulation of the telecom and cable industries. Kovacs has followed the telecommunications industry for over 20 years, as either an analyst or consultant. Her undergraduate degree in Economics and English is from Boston University. Her Ph.D., from Harvard University, is in Comparative Literature with extensive work in Economic History. Her MBA is also from Harvard. Kovacs is a CFA.

Christine Kurth, Republican Staff Director for Senate Commerce Committee - Before her position as Staff Director, Christine Kurth was Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Commerce Committee where she was responsible for coordinating the legislative work for the Committee, focusing on communications policy. She was actively involved in a review of our nation’s telecommunications laws in preparation for the Committee's revisit of the 1996 Telecom Act and was also heavily involved in drafting the digital television transition legislation (which was signed into law in 2006). She graduated from Valparaiso University magna cum laude and went on to graduate cum laude with her Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University School of Law. Afterwards, she returned to Alaska for a two-year federal clerkship for Judge James Singleton who was Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of Alaska at the time. After clerking for Judge Singleton, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a trial attorney for the Contempt Division of the National Labor Relations Board. During part of her tenure at the NLRB, Kurth was detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Kurth returned to Capitol Hill in 2000 to take a position on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She later obtained experience on an authorizing committee as Counsel on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and then moved back to the Appropriations Committee to serve on the full committee under Chairman Stevens.

Blair Levin, Manager Director, Stifel Nicolaus - Blair Levin joined Stifel Nicolaus in 2005, having joined the predecessor firm of Legg Mason Capital Markets in January 2001. He serves as a Managing Director and the firm’s principal telecom, media and tech regulatory and strategy analyst. As Barron’s Magazine has noted, Levin “has always been on top of developing trends and policy shifts in media and telecommunications…and has proved visionary in getting out in front of many of today’s headline making events”. Prior to his work as an analyst, Mr. Levin served as Chief of Staff to Chairman Reed Hundt at the Federal Communications Commission from December 1993 through October 1997. Mr. Levin’s time at the Commission included the most productive and important period in the Commission’s history. Described by Broadcast and Cable Magazine as “The Sixth Commissioner,” Levin oversaw, among other matters, the implementation of the historic 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, the first spectrum auctions, the development of digital television standards, and the Commission’s Internet initiative. Before joining the FCC, Levin was a partner in the North Carolina law firm of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, where he represented new communications ventures, as well as numerous local governments on public financing issues. A native of Los Angeles, he is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale College and a graduate of Yale Law School.

Mike McCormack, Bear Stearns - Mike McCormack is a Managing Director/Principal at Bear Stearns in the equity research division covering the U.S. Wireline Telecommunications Services sector. Mr. McCormack was a runner up in the 2006 Institutional Investor All-America Research poll. Mr. McCormack began his career in equity research as an associate analyst at Prudential Securities in 1999 covering the wireline services sector. Prior to joining Prudential, Mr. McCormack was a senior consultant and new business analyst at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in the Global Financial Markets Group. In addition, Mr. McCormack co-founded Web Business Systems, an Internet business focused on hosting and managed services. He received an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School and a BA in economics from St. Lawrence University. Mike is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA institute.

Robert M. McDowell, FCC Commissioner - Robert M. McDowell was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the Federal Communications Commission on February 6, 2006, for the remainder of the term expiring June 30, 2009. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on May 26, 2006, and sworn in as FCC Commissioner on June 1, 2006. Commissioner McDowell brings to the FCC approximately sixteen years of private sector experience in the communications industry. Immediately prior to joining the FCC, Commissioner McDowell was senior vice president and assistant general counsel for COMPTEL, an association representing competitive facilities-based telecommunications service providers, emerging VoIP providers, integrated communications companies, and their supplier partners, where he had responsibilities involving advocacy efforts before Congress, the White House and executive agencies. He has served on the North American Numbering Council (NANC) and on the board of directors of North American Numbering Plan Billing and Collection, Inc. (NBANC). Prior to joining COMPTEL in February 1999, McDowell served as the executive vice president and general counsel of America's Carriers Telecommunications Association (ACTA), which merged with COMPTEL at that time. McDowell was graduated cum laude from Duke University in 1985. After serving as chief legislative aide to a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, he attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. Upon his graduation from law school, McDowell joined the Washington, D.C., office of Arter & Hadden, a national law firm based in Cleveland.

Walter B. McCormick Jr., President & CEO, United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) - USTelecom is the nation's premier trade association representing service providers and suppliers in the new telecommunications marketplace. A respected Washington veteran with more than 20 years experience in telecommunications, McCormick joined USTelecom in 2001 and has guided the organization's evolution into one of the top trade associations in the nation's capital. McCormick united a broad and diverse industry to pursue two critical advocacy goals: (1) securing market-based competition that allows consumers, rather than the government, to determine which communications services and technologies succeed; and (2) preserving the future of universal service, which ensures all Americans have affordable, reliable basic phone service. USTelecom has mounted a compelling case for reform, as evidenced by the fact that Congress is now preparing for a historic update to the nation's telecom laws--an effort few in Washington believed was imminent just one year ago. McCormick first established himself as one of the nation's leading trade association executives while serving at the helm of the American Trucking Association. There he led a broad corporate restructuring which merged competing membership organizations and refocused the enterprise on its core missions of lobbying, litigation and public relations. The results were extraordinary: record dues revenues, a reinvigorated membership and significant legislative victories. Washingtonian magazine has profiled McCormick as a trade association executive with "real clout." The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill has consistently named McCormick as a "rainmaker" and one of 12 "top trade association lobbyists" in Washington.

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Mike McCurry, Partner, Public Strategies; former White House Press Secretary - Mike McCurry is a partner at Public Strategies Washington, Inc., where he provides strategic communications counsel to an impressive roster of corporate and non-profit clients. McCurry also serves as the Chairman of Grassroots Enterprise, Inc., an issue advocacy software provider. McCurry is a veteran political strategist and spokesperson with 25-years experience in Washington D.C. McCurry served in the White House as press secretary to President Bill Clinton (1995-1998). He also served as spokesman for the Department of State (1993-1995) and director of communications for the Democratic National Committee (1988-1990). McCurry has also held leadership roles in several national campaigns, including national press secretary for the vice presidential campaign of Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen (1988), and spokesman and political strategist in the presidential campaigns of Senator John Glenn (1984), Governor Bruce Babbitt (1988) and Senator Bob Kerrey (1992). McCurry began his political career on the staff of the United States Senate, working as press secretary to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources and to the committee's chairman, Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (1976-1981). He also served as press secretary to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1981-1983). McCurry serves on boards or advisory councils for Share Our Strength, the Center for International Private Enterprise, the Council for Excellence in Government, the Junior Statesmen Foundation, the Children’s Scholarship Fund, the Wesley Theological Seminary, and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. McCurry received his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in 1976 and a Master of Arts from Georgetown University in 1985.

Tim McElgunn, Chief Analyst, Pike & Fischer’s Broadband Advisory Services - Tim has more than 20 years of experience and expertise in market sizing, forecasting, segmentation and share analysis in emerging and legacy segments of the telecommunications industry. He regularly generates studies and enters consulting projects on the strategies of U.S. cable companies, telephone companies, satellite TV providers and broadband-enabled application providers such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft. Before joining BAS in November 2006, Tim headed up U.S. consumer broadband analysis for eight years at Stratecast, a division of Frost & Sullivan. He also held senior analyst positions at both Datapro/NBI and Gartner Dataquest.

Paul E. Misener, Vice President for Global Public Policy, Amazon.com - Both an engineer and lawyer, Paul Misener is Amazon.com’s Vice President for Global Public Policy. In this capacity, Misener is responsible for formulating and representing Amazon.com’s public policy positions worldwide, as well as for managing the company’s policy specialists in Washington, DC, Brussels, and Seattle. He also is immediate past President of the Internet Commerce and Communications Division of the Information Technology Association of America and a former member of the ITAA Board of Directors. Misener is a former partner and the chairman of the E-commerce and Internet Practice at the law firm of Wiley Rein LLP. He also served as Senior Legal Advisor and Chief of Staff to a Commissioner of the FCC. Prior to his federal service, Misener was Intel’s Manager of Telecommunications and Computer Technology Policy, and co-founder and leader of the computer industry’s Internet Access Coalition. Misener was a policy specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s NTIA in the late 1980s, where he was a U.S. delegate to several conferences of the International Telecommunication Union; prior to that, he designed communications systems for the military. He received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University and his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law.

Jim Mollenkopf, Vice President, Architecture & Products, CURRENT Technologies - Jim Mollenkopf serves as the Vice President, Architecture and Products at CURRENT Technologies, a leading developer of broadband over power line systems. In this role he is responsible for systems architecture, network performance and planning, product management, key technology development and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining CURRENT, Mollenkopf worked at Orbital Sciences where he led the communications system design team for the Orbcomm space segment. Before joining Orbital, he served for 11 years with the US government in a variety of technology development positions.

Chris Murray, Senior Counsel, Consumers Union (CU), non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. - Chris manages advocacy for CU on technology, communications, and media policy in the United States and internationally. Prior to joining CU he was Vice President, Regulatory for Vonage, the leading U.S. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone provider. Mr. Murray received his Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, and his Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Florida Southern College.

Lori D. Panzino-Tillery, County of San Bernardino, CA / President, NATOA - Lori Panzino-Tillery has worked for the County of San Bernardino for 8 years. As the County’s Division Chief, Franchise Programs, Lori’s major responsibilities are cable regulation; utility franchise acquisition; and regulating use of the County’s 4,000 miles of right-of-way and the negotiation of “agreements” for such use, cell siting on County property and many special projects. Lori is one of the County’s experts on rights-of-way usage and associated property laws. Lori’s passion is helping to more clearly define issues revolving around the use of public rights-of-way by certain users throughout the State and the nation. Lori is the County’s liaison to the California Public Utilities Commission and has participated in several official rulemaking proceedings at the Commission. Lori has participated in seminars and workshops for over a dozen municipalities, as well as the League of California Cities, the California Association of Counties, the Northern California Telecom Consortium, the International Rights-of-Way Association, and NATOA national conference. Lori is currently the President of National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) and spends much of her time working on behalf of local government at the State and Federal levels. Lori has testified before the FCC and the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee representing local government and has served as a witness to numerous committees in the California Legislature.

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Stephanie M. Phillipps, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP - Stephanie Phillipps specializes in telecommunications regulatory, legislative, administrative and litigation matters. She is an experienced advocate before the Congress, the FCC, and other regulatory agencies and public bodies. Ms. Phillipps has counseled clients on compliance with transactional regulatory requirements at the federal, state and local levels. She has represented government and commercial clients in the negotiation of agreements for cable television systems, other video programming systems, and telecommunications facilities. She has also provided strategic advice to those clients in connection with litigation, legislation and policy in the telecommunications, cable and video programming areas. Ms. Phillipps also advises national organizations on corporate governance and policy issues. She received her B.A. from Radcliffe College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Peter Pitsch, Director of Communications Policy, Intel - Peter Pitsch has been Director of Communications Policy since 1998, and is responsible for the coordination of Intel policy surrounding communications and electronic commerce. From 1987 to 1989 Pitsch served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the FCC, advising the chairman on all issues before the FCC, including access reform, price caps, major tariffs, and broadcasting. Pitsch also spent 10 years as president of Pitsch Communications, specializing in regulatory policy, representing telecommunication clients before the FCC and Congress, providing business and regulatory planning, and publishing and lecturing on U.S. regulatory policy. Pitsch received a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago in 1973 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976.

Chris Putala, Executive Vice President of Public Policy, EarthLink, Inc. - Mr. Putala has served as EarthLink's Executive Vice President, Public Policy since August 2005. From February 2004 to July 2005, Mr. Putala was the principal of PutalaStrategies, a public policy consulting firm providing government relations services to telecommunications and technology clients. From August 1998 to January 2004, he served as the vice president for congressional affairs at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. From 1989 to August 1998, Mr. Putala served as a senior staff member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Timothy J. Regan, Sr. Vice President, Worldwide Government Affairs, Corning Incorporated - As Senior Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs, Mr. Regan is responsible for managing Corning's assets engaged in the development and implementation of corporate policy on the whole range of public policy isues affecting Corning on a worldwide basis. Mr. Regan and his team of issue experts focus their efforts on international trade, telecommunications, tax, technology, the environment, and other issues, which have a direct impact on the corporation. The team promotes Corning's positions on these policy issues before the Congress, the Executive Branch, the Regulatory Agencies of the Federal Government, state and local governments where Corning has facilities and overseas where Corning has facilities. Mr. Regan joined Corning in 1985 as Director of International Programs. He assumed responsibility for the Corporation's overall public policy portfolio as Director of Public Policy in 1989, and was appointed Division Vice President in 1992. Mr. Regan was named Vice President for Federal Government Affairs in April 1997, and was appointed to his current position in December 2000.

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Grant Seiffert, President, Telecommunications Industry Association - Grant Seiffert joined TIA in 1996 as director of government relations. His main priority was the representation of the equipment industry's interests, particularly regarding competitive issues during implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by the FCC. He was promoted to vice president in 1998, directing domestic and global policy to help the association's supplier members gain marketing opportunities around the world. He was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2005 with responsibilities encompassing policy, including interaction with the U.S. Congress, the FCC and the Administration, as well as with international regulatory bodies and government leaders, and fulfilling the senior management role for association membership and TIA tradeshows, including GLOBALCOMM(tm). In September, 2006, he was named President Elect to succeed outgoing TIA President Matt Flanigan and became President of TIA in January, 2007. Prior to joining TIA, Seiffert served five years with Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Radford University.

Johanna Shelton, Majority Counsel, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee - Johanna Shelton joined as Minority Counsel for the Energy and Commerce Committee in February of 2006. Shelton works for the Committee’s ranking member, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), co-sponsor of most major telecom legislation, and is thus positioned in the middle of the telecom debate. Shelton came to the Committee after two years working as legal adviser to FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. Before that, she was legislative counsel for Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia. Ms. Shelton has also served as a staff attorney in the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau, as an attorney at the law firm Latham & Watkins, and as a clerk for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Scott Sleek, Director, Pike & Fischer's Broadband Advisory Services - Scott also oversees the development of all Research Reports & Briefs and manages the Trackers & Projections database. He regularly tracks developments in high-speed Internet, packet-switched telephony, interactive TV, wireless data and other forms of broadband. Scott also provides customized research services to Broadband Advisory Services clients. Scott previously served as Pike & Fischer's director of content development. In that role, he developed news services and continuing education conferences that focused on technology and the law. He has more than 20 years of experience as a writer, editor and researcher.

Gigi B. Sohn, President and Co-Founder of Public Knowledge - Gigi Sohn presides over this nonprofit organization that addresses the public's stake in the convergence of communications policy and intellectual property law. Public Knowledge seeks to ensure that the nation’s communications system (physical infrastructure, systems, content) promotes fundamental democratic principles and cultural values. Now a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Faculty of Law, Graduate Studies Program, in 2002 Ms. Sohn was Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, and in 2001 was Adjunct Professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. Before co-founding Public Knowledge, Sohn served as a project specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit. Prior to that she served as executive director of the Media Access Project, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest telecommunications law firm and in recognition of her work at MAP, President Clinton appointed Ms. Sohn to serve as a member of his Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters in October 1997. That same year American Lawyer magazine selected her as one of the leading public-sector lawyers in the country under the age of 45. She holds a B.S. in Broadcasting and Film, summa cum laude, from the Boston University College of Communication and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Howard J. Symons, Partner, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo - Howard Symons has more than 25 years of experience in communications law and policy. A partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo since 1988, Mr. Symons represents cable, wireless, and telecommunications companies and their trade associations on a wide range of matters before the FCC and Congress and in the courts. Mr. Symons served as outside counsel to the wireless, cable, and competitive carrier industries during consideration of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and continues to advise clients in these sectors on the implementation and ongoing legislative review of the Act. Prior to joining Mintz Levin, Mr. Symons served as Senior Counsel to the House Telecommunications Subcommittee.

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Nancy J. Victory, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP - Nancy Victory has extensive experience in communications policy. She advises a broad cross-section of the industry on the business implications of regulatory policy and represents these entities before the FCC, Congress and the Administration. Ms. Victory has particular expertise in wireless and satellite issues, including spectrum allocation, licensing, compliance and policy matters. She has extensive experience in telephony policy matters, particularly where new technology or changing market conditions conflict with historic regulation. She was recently named by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to Chair the FCC Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks. The panel will make recommendations to the Commission regarding ways to improve disaster preparedness, network reliability and communication among first responders. She also serves as Chair of the FCC Advisory Committee for the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference. Prior to joining Wiley Rein LLP, Ms. Victory was Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Gerard J. Waldron, Partner, Covington & Burling - Gerry Waldron is a Partner in Covington & Burling’s Washington, D.C. office and serves as Chairman of the firm’s Communications and Media Practice Group. For over 20 years Mr. Waldron has worked on communications policy and legal representation, with a strong focus on telecommunications and broadband regulatory matters and transactions. During this time he has represented a wide range of companies in matters before the FCC, Congress, state commissions, and in company and industry negotiations. Waldron has testified before Congress, the FCC, and state commissions, and is frequently a panelist at industry meetings. Prior to joining Covington & Burling, he worked on Capitol Hill, where for nearly nine years he served on the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee as Senior Counsel of its House Subcommittee on Telecommunications. Mr. Waldron is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the Duke University School of Law, where he was the editor-in-chief of the Duke Law Journal and clerked for Judge J. Dickson Phillips on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Richard E. Wiley, Managing Partner, Wiley Rein LLP - Richard Wiley is managing partner of this Washington, D.C. law firm that has over 250 attorneys and the largest communications practice in the United States. As a former Chairman, Commissioner and General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (1970-77), he was a leading force in the agency's initial efforts to foster increased competition and lessened regulation in the communications field. Since 1985, Dick Wiley has been regularly recognized as one of the nation's "100 most influential" lawyers by The National Law Journal. He also has been profiled in The New York Times ("Telecommunications' Ubiquitous Man of Influence"), Los Angeles Times ("The Sixth Commissioner"), The International Herald Tribune ("Most Influential Media Lawyer in U.S."), The Globe and Mail ("Father of HDTV"), and The American Lawyer ("Brand Name of Communications Law"). In recognition of his nine-year service as Chairman of the FCC's Advisory Committee on Digital Television, he received an Emmy from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Electronic Industries Association's Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, the DTV Leadership Award from the Digital Television Academy, and the International Achievement Award from the North American Broadcasters Association. He is a member of Broadcasting & Cable magazine's "Hall of Fame", and also was named by that publication as one of the "100 Men of the Century." A native of Illinois, Dick Wiley graduated with distinction from Northwestern (B.S. and J.D. degrees) and holds a Masters Degree in Law (LL.M.) from Georgetown. He has received distinguished alumnus awards from each University as well as an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Catholic University. He has served as President of the Federal Bar and Federal Communications Bar Associations and Chair of the American Bar's Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section, the Advisory Board of Columbia University's Institute for Tele-Information, and The Media Institute's Board of Trustees.

Alexandra (Sandy) M. Wilson, Vice President of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Cox Enterprises, Inc. - Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox operates newspapers, cable systems, television and radio stations, local web sites and automobile auctions across the country. Ms. Wilson joined the company in 1994 and is responsible for developing and implementing public policy strategies for Cox businesses and representing the company before the federal government and national trade associations. Previously, Ms. Wilson served as Chief of the Cable Services Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, where she oversaw implementation of the 1992 Cable Act. While at the Commission, she also served as Legal Advisor to Chairman Al Sikes, Special Assistant to the General Counsel, and Special Assistant to the Chief of the Mass Media Bureau. Ms. Wilson practiced communications law for six years before joining the FCC in 1990, first with the law firm of Crowell & Moring and later with Wiley, Rein & Fielding. For the past decade, Ms. Wilson has been a Faculty Member for the Practising Law Institute’s annual conference on cable television law. She has been an active member of the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) since 1984 and has served in numerous leadership positions, including Secretary (1994 and 2002), President Elect (2003) and President (2004). Ms. Wilson is a frequent speaker at conventions and seminars on communications policy issues. Ms. Wilson has a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in communications summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Wilson served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Chamber Symphony from 2000 - 2002. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Arboretum, a non-profit organization that supports the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Ms. Wilson resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband Bob Pettit.

Richard S. Whitt, Washington Telecom and Media Counsel, Google Inc. - Rick is responsible for the company’s wireline, wireless, and media advocacy before the Federal Communications Commission, other federal agencies, and Congress. Prior to joining Google in January 2007, Rick founded and headed NetsEdge Consulting, a public policy consulting firm that provided legal analysis, regulatory strategy, and advocacy counsel to Web-based companies. From 1994 to 2006, Rick worked at MCI Communications, where most recently he served as vice president for federal law and policy. Prior to joining MCI, Rick spent over five years as an associate attorney in the communications groups of two D.C.-based law firms. Rick is a 1988 cum laude graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and a 1984 magna cum laude graduate of James Madison University.

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