The Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment or BEAD Program is one of the most important pieces of telecom-related legislation passed over the last quarter century. It is designed to bring high-speed digital broadband services to all Americans and TIA is laser-focused on helping to maximize the benefits of the BEAD Program. We feel that it is a fundamental right for every American to have access to high-speed internet, regardless of where you live.
That’s why the team at TIA is so excited to host the first Annual BEAD Success Summit, April 19 – 20, in Arlington, Virginia. We have spent the last several months working closely with officials from the State Broadband offices across the country, who will be in charge of allocating BEAD funds to applicants.
During these conversations we have listened to the questions that states have and felt it was necessary to help drive the maximum success of the BEAD Program by bringing together all of the key stakeholders including state, federal, communications service providers and technology leaders in one location to discuss program requirements, latest network architectures and alternatives.
We are thrilled to have the support of great technology companies like DZS, whose innovative solutions will be a critical part of the implementation of the BEAD Program. Members from the DZS leadership team will be sharing their perspectives based on their own extensive conversations with both State Broadband officials and hundreds of service provider customers, a number of whom have applied for BEAD funding.
Senior Vice President of Product Marketing and Government Affairs Geoff Burke will highlight some of these discussions and how the next-generation solutions that DZS is already offering its customers are so well-suited to address program deployments and are playing a key role in bridging the digital divide.
Geoff will also be participating in a panel discussion on FTTP Network Architecture. Joining Geoff in supporting the Summit, will be DZS Key Account, Utility Cooperative and Government Affairs Manager, Willie Marx who will moderate a panel session on Climate Resilience.
The BEAD Success Summit is a great venue for Communications Service Providers (CSPs), municipalities, Utelco and other applicants of all sizes to come together in an educational setting to have the BEAD grant rules questions they have answered by the federal and state officials who have been closest to the BEAD Program since its passage.
One of our main objectives in hosting the BEAD Success Summit was to give CSPs and other applicants the opportunity to be in the same room with the state broadband offices, federal government officials and solutions providers to learn more about the unique requirements of the BEAD grant rules.
We have worked closely with our TIA State Advisory Council members, who are comprised of State Broadband officials from around the country, to create a jam packed, educational agenda that features esteemed speakers including one of the key architects of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), (which is funding the $42.5 billion BEAD Program) Virginia Senator, Mark Warner, and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Kevin Gallagher. We are extremely honored to have these luminary speakers join a long list of powerhouse federal (including several speakers from NTIA or National Telecommunications and Information Association – who is administering the BEAD program) and state leaders to directly address the burning questions attendees have.
We strongly encourage CSPs, municipalities, Utelco and other applicants to attend the BEAD Success Summit to get all of your BEAD Program-related questions answered and have the opportunity to network with other key stakeholders in a very informative, educational and collaborative setting.
For more information on the BEAD Success Summit or to register for the event, please visit: beadsuccesssummit.com.