2023 Communications Forum Speakers
Below is a list of the representatives from government and the communications industry who have been featured speakers at The Media Institute’s Communications Forum luncheons:
November 9, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Loyaan Egal, Enforcement Bureau Chief of the FCC, traced his bureau’s relatively recent origins (1999) and its role in enforcing communications laws and FCC regulations. He also discussed the Enforcement Bureau’s involvement in privacy and cybersecurity matters and coordination efforts with other agencies. He spoke at a Communications Forum luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9.
September 18, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, presented a fascinating history of the Internet – and his role in it – dating back to the early 1960s. Widely regarded as the “Father of the Internet,” Vint is looking ahead to the technologies needed to communicate in deep space as we head to the 2030s. His remarks came at a Communications Forum luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18.
July 27, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Caroline Beasley, CEO of Beasley Media Group, discussed the future of radio and new ways of engaging audiences during a “fireside chat” with Institute Board Chairman Dick Wiley on July 27. Radio broadcasters are adopting new platforms and technologies but will always play a critical role in their local communities, she said at a Communications Forum luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C.
June 22, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Media Institute Senior Fellow Michael O’Rielly shared his views on the current media regulatory landscape, which he called “a generation behind the times,” on June 22. The former FCC commissioner warned, however, that new government agencies should not be created to regulate new technologies like AI. His remarks came at a Communications Forum luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Madeleine Noland, president of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), discussed new developments in the rollout of ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV – including a recently announced public-private partnership – at the May Communications Forum luncheon. The event took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C., on May 16.
April 12, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Austin Bonner, Assistant Secretary for Spectrum and Telecom Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), discussed the importance of stakeholder input and OSTP’s interactions with NTIA and White House working groups in policy development at a Communications Forum luncheon on April 12. The luncheon took place at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom, discussed the challenges of achieving universal connectivity, the need for industry-government partnerships to facilitate broadband buildout, and the “transformed technology landscape” that will redefine broadband policy at a Communications Forum luncheon on March 15. The event took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.
February 28, 2023, Luncheon Speaker
Policy analyst and former FCC official Blair Levin looked at the motivations behind media and telecom policy proposals by both parties and warned that the United States might be on the brink of widening, rather than closing, the digital divide. He spoke at the season opener of the 2023 Communications Forum Luncheon Series, held at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28.