Read this quarter’s Intermedia here
Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 December 2023
The IIC returned to Washington DC for our annual Telecommunications and Media Forum (TMF) in December 2023, and was kindly hosted by Verizon.
This year’s discussion themes included:
• National and international priorities for US government and comparisons internationally
• Key readouts from recent multi-stakeholder meetings globally
• Net neutrality and why it’s back on the agenda
• Responsible AI – how are regulatory models developing globally?
• Building and maintaining trust and authenticity in online content
• Privacy, data protection and lawful intercept
• Protecting consumers from scams/frauds/robocalls/unsolicited communications
• Cybersecurity risks and realities
Consistent with IIC practice, the host of this event, Verizon, will provided refreshments, including lunch, to the attendees of this event. Any attendees affiliated with governmental entities or agencies were asked to confirm that their attendance complied with applicable government ethics rules. For any questions about the event or the value of refreshments provided, please contact enquiries@iicom.org
Kindly sponsored by
Registration is now open – please click on the link on the right to complete your registration.
Registration Fees for delegates
Telecommunications & Media Forum
Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 December 2023
IIC Members – Free
Non-Members – £250 GBP (excluding VAT *)
*VAT will be applicable for UK registrations only
If you feel the delegate fee may be a barrier to attending this event, please contact us at enquiries@iicom.org
Visas
The IIC will be pleased to provide a letter of invitation on request, but visas will be the responsibility of the event attendee.
Verizon Communications
1300 l Street, NW
5th Floor (West)
Washington, DC 20005
USA
Click here for map, directions and hotels close to Verizon (Google Maps)
The following are a selection of hotels located close to Verizon:
Washington Marriott at Metro Center 3*
775 12th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 (202)-737-2200
More information
Residence Inn Washington, DC 3*
1199 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 898 1100
More information
The Hamilton Hotel, Washington DC 4*
1001 14th and K Streets NW
Washington, DC 200024
USA
More information
Residence Inn Capitol 3*
333 E St. SW
Washington, DC 200024
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 484 8220
More information
Courtyard Washington, DC 3*
1325 2nd Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 898 4000
More information
Hilton Garden Inn, Washington, DC Downtown 4*
815 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 783 7800
More information
Sofitel Lafayette Square 4*
806 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 730 8800
More information
JW Marriott Hotel 4*
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
USA
Tel: +1 (202)-393-2000
More information
Renaissance Washington, DC 4*
999 Ninth Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
USA
Tel: +1 (202) 898 9000
More information
The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC 4*
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20002
USA
Tel: +1 800 424 6835
More information
Morrison-Clark Historic Inn & Restaurant 4*
1015 L Street NW
Washington, DC
USA
Tel: +1 202-898-1200
More information
The Henley Park Hotel 4*
926 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC
USA
Tel:+1 202-638-5200
More information
Fairfield Inn & Suites Washington, DC/Downtown 5*
500 H Street NW
Washington, DC
USA
Tel: +1 202-289-5959
More information
Washington Plaza Hotel 3*
10 Thomas Circle NW
Washington DC 20005
USA
Tel: +1 202 842 1300
More information
The IIC accepts no responsibility for bookings made at any of the hotels and recommends that you check out the hotels on the internet before booking.
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Brendan Carr was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J Trump and was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on August 3, 2017. He was sworn into office on August 11, 2017.
Commissioner Carr brings to the position over a dozen years of public and private sector experience in technology and communications law and policy.
Most recently, Mr Carr served as the General Counsel of the FCC. In that role, he served as the chief legal advisor to the Commission and FCC staff on all matters within the agency’s jurisdiction. Previously, he served as the lead advisor to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai on wireless, public safety, and international issues. Before that, he worked as an attorney in the FCC’s Office of General Counsel, where he provided legal advice on a wide range of spectrum policy, competition, and public safety matters.
Prior to joining the Commission in 2012, Mr Carr was an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP, where he worked in the firm’s appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. He represented clients in both trial and appellate court proceedings, including complex litigation involving the First Amendment and the Communications Act.
Earlier in his career, he served as a law clerk for Judge Dennis W. Shedd of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Mr Carr graduated magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and obtained a certificate from its Institute for Communications Law Studies. He also served as a Note and Comment Editor of the Catholic University Law Review. Mr Carr received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.
Donna Epps is Verizon’s Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Strategic Alliances. A proven leader and exceptional advocate, she is responsible for developing Verizon’s strategic public policy positions both domestically and abroad. She is responsible for the company’s public policy position on a wide-range of critical issues, including 5G, consumer privacy, broadband, competition, and consumer protection. Additionally, Donna leads Verizon’s Strategic Alliances team where she is responsible for managing the company’s relationships with national policy and advocacy organizations representing a myriad of diverse consumer interests. Donna also previously led Verizon’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Legal team, which included the Chief Privacy Officer and covered all privacy and cybersecurity policy and compliance-related matters She currently represents the company before the White House, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Congress.
Donna is a seasoned government relations executive with over 20 years of public policy, public affairs, and corporate social responsibility experience. She has extensive knowledge of federal government regulatory processes and specializes in technology policy issues. She is an innovative thought leader with an established track record for leading high-impact, strategic policy initiatives and campaigns. She excels in building diverse external coalitions to advance short and long-term business objectives.
Donna Epps is a dynamic communicator, who drives cohesive, cross-functional collaboration internally and externally with key stakeholders. She has skillfully leveraged consumer and community partnerships to drive policy advocacy and social impact.
Ms Epps also leads Verizon’s engagement on key societal policy issues impacting diverse communities. She advises C-Suite leaders on successfully navigating the increasingly complex and shifting policy landscape related to high-profile social issues. She has strengthened Verizon’s reputation with key influencers in the public and private sectors by leading programmatic initiatives to address the policy concerns of Verizon’s diverse set of stakeholders.
Ms Epps serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Urban League, the Corporate Advisory Board of UnidosUS, and she Co-Chairs the Advisory Board of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an international think tank that uses technology policy to shape democratic values. She previously served on the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment.
Before joining Verizon, Ms Epps was in private practice at Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm. She was also a law clerk for Judge Audrey B. Collins of the U.S. District
Ali Sternburg is Vice President, Information Policy at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, where she focuses on intermediary liability, copyright, and other areas of intellectual property. Ali joined CCIA during law school in 2011, and previously served as Senior Policy Counsel, Policy Counsel, and Legal Fellow. She is also an Inaugural Fellow at the Internet Law & Policy Foundry.
She received her J.D. in 2012 from American University Washington College of Law, where she was a Student Attorney in the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic, President of the Intellectual Property Law Society, Senior Symposium Chair and Senior Marketing Manager for the Intellectual Property Brief, and a Dean’s Fellow at the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property.
She graduated from Harvard College in 2009 where she studied Government and Music, wrote her senior honors thesis on “Theoretical and Legal Views on U.S. Government Involvement in Musical Creativity Online,” and interned at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.
Dr Allyson Leacock, Chairman of the Barbados Broadcasting Authority and Director of National Transformation Initiative, Government of Barbados, is also an independent media and human development consultant. She led a coalition of 112 Media Houses in 24 Caribbean countries for 12 years and trained over 2000 Caribbean broadcasters. She served on the Executive Board of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) and was elected for 2 terms as Chairman of the Global Steering Committee for the World AIDS Campaign. She was also Cultural Affairs Specialist at the US Embassy covering the Caribbean and Officer-In-Charge and Student Coordinator at the University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC), now the Open Campus.
Dr Allyson Leacock was conferred with the Order of the Republic (OR) in Barbados National Honours on 30 November 2023. The award was given by the President of Barbados – In ‘recognition of sterling contribution to broadcasting, media relations, corporate communications, training, human resource development and educational technology, as well as distinguished service to Barbados as Head of National Transformation Initiative’.
Dr Leacock has a wide-ranging professional background including in executive management in corporate communications, media, needs assessment, training, human resource development and leadership, as well broadcast media including production and presentation as TV News Anchor, and as General Manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation.
She holds Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Technology, Concordia University, Canada and BA (Double First Class Honours) in English and Education and the Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed with distinction) from Stirling University, UK. Her training also includes Diplomas in Human Resource Management, Facility Management, Arts Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
A former national athlete, gymnast, dancer and actress, Dr Leacock is trained in sign language, is a volunteer with Special Olympics and Barbados Council for the Disabled.
Amber Ezzell is AI Policy Counsel on the Future of Privacy Forum’s U.S. policy team. In addition to providing resources, guidance, and expertise on AI policy, Ms Ezzell leads FPF’s work on employee and workplace privacy. During her time at FPF, Ms Ezzell has filed comments to the Federal Election Commission on the use of generative AI in campaigns, published guidance and analysis at the intersection of AI and employment, and has spoken and written about various topics related to responsible AI use.
Prior to joining FPF, Ms Ezzell clerked for a Supervisory Administrative Judge at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and interned at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Prior to law school, Amber served in state government as a Tennessee Governor’s Management Fellow, where she led and managed special projects for various Cabinet-level agencies.
Ms Ezzell received her J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and B.A. in Political & Social Thought and African-American & African Studies from the University of Virginia.
Bio coming soon ……
Byron Holland joined the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) in 2008 as President and Chief Executive Officer. He is an expert in internet governance and a seasoned entrepreneur with C-level experience in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He regularly appears in the media to discuss internet-related matters.
Under Mr Holland’s leadership, CIRA has evolved from a single service registry to a globally recognized, multi-product, commercial not-for-profit. Since 2008, CIRA has become one of the leading ccTLDs in the world, with over 3 million domains under management, and over 10% of the world’s TLDs using its DNS services. The organization also offers a suite of enterprise quality cybersecurity, registry, and DNS services.
Chad Breckinridge is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Cisco, based in Washington, DC. Mr Breckinridge leads the Cisco legal department’s Market Access Regulatory team, which covers export control, sanctions compliance, and several other core regulatory issues critical to Cisco’s access to markets around the world.
Prior to joining Cisco, Mr Breckinridge spent time in private practice and government in Washington, DC.
Christina Ayiotis serves as Associate General Counsel, Cyber Security & Privacy, at Lumen Technologies. Prior roles include teaching a Masters Level Information Policy class at The George Washington University Department of Computer Science (Washington, DC area); Vice President, Security Services at the Options Clearing Corporation (Chicago, IL); Chief Cybersecurity Officer at WiseLaw (Melbourne, Australia); and Deputy General Counsel—Information Governance at CSC (Falls Church, VA). She also led global programs at Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, VA, as well as at Ernst & Young International and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in New York City. Recognized as an international subject matter expert, she has spoken more than 150 times since March 2006. She founded/Co-Chaired the Georgetown Cybersecurity Law Institute and served on, inter alia, AFCEA International’s Cyber Committee and The Cybersecurity Canon Committee. She also served on the Boards of Directors of ARCS MWC, Fairfax Law Foundation, ARMA NOVA, Hellenic American Women’s Council and Women’s Bar Association of DC.
Ms. Ayiotis earned a J.D from William & Mary Law School and received her BS-Biology/BA-Philosophy (along with Minors in Mathematics & French) magna cum laude / University Honors from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been an active Member in Good Standing of the Virginia State Bar since 1991; the District of Columbia Bar since 1993; and holds court admissions in the US Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Federal Circuits; the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; and the US Court of International Trade. She earned a Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache from the Goethe Institut and studied French on scholarship at the Alliance Française, Paris. In 2023, she earned the International Association of Privacy Professionals Certified Information Privacy Professional – Europe (“CIPP/E”) and the University of South Florida’s AI and ChatGPT: Impact and Possibilities Certificate; in 2021, the University of South Florida’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate; in 2019, the GCHQ Certified Social Engineering Course from Red Goat Cyber Security LLP; and in 2008, the Certified Records Manager certification. She is the extremely proud single Mom of a PhD Candidate in Neuroengineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Christopher Calabrese is Senior Director Privacy Policy, Microsoft. He works with Microsoft’s Chief Privacy Officer to lead their global public policy work on privacy and responsible data use.
Mr Calabrese has previously worked in senior roles at the Center for Democracy & Technology and the American Civil Liberties Union advocating for the responsible use of new technologies. He has testified before Congress and appeared in many media outlets, including National Public Radio, Fox News, New York Times and Associated Press. He has also led several national ACLU campaigns on privacy and was named one of Washington’s Top Lobbyists by The Hill newspaper.
Mr Calabrese graduated with a Juris Doctor, Law from Harvard University and a BA Psychology from Georgetown University Law Center.
Ambassador David Gross co-chairs Wiley’s Telecom, Media & Technology Practice. He is widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on international telecommunications and Internet policies, having addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and led more U.S. delegations to major international telecommunication conferences than anyone else in modern history. Noted as bringing “innovation and vision to the rapidly changing TMT industry” by Who’s Who Legal and as one of the “Top 30 Telecommunications lawyers in the world” by Euromoney, Ambassador Gross draws on more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, global policymaker, and corporate executive to assist US companies seeking to enter or expand international businesses. He also advises non-US companies, and industry organizations seeking to invest in, monitor, and understand the US and international markets, as well as national governments. Ambassador Gross advises companies and others on international and domestic telecoms, Internet, and high-tech strategy focusing on both specific markets and international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), as well as many regional organisations.
Elizabeth Oluoch has extensive experience developing and driving strategies to promote a global interoperable Internet in intergovernmental fora. As the Government and IGO Engagement Director (UN/ITU) at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), she provides leadership in engagement with permanent delegations to the United Nations and ITU Member States.
Prior to joining ICANN in August 2022, Ms Oluoch worked at the Internet Society for more than a decade, where she served in various capacities in the Public Policy team, including leading the organization’s engagement at the UN and ITU, as well as liaising with Technical/Operational communities and Civil Society organizations on Internet related matters. She also oversaw the IETF Policymakers Program, an interactive training program, which brought governments to an IETF meeting to strengthen their knowledge of the Internet’s operations and the IETF standards development process.
Ms Oluoch holds a Master’s degree in public policy from American University in Washington DC.
Eric Miller is President of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a Virginia-based consultancy that advises public and private sector clients on technology policy, government affairs, business strategy, and geo-political matters. He has spent more than 25 years in a variety of roles in Washington, DC and Ottawa, Canada. Mr Miller served as the first representative of Canada’s Department of Industry (ISED) in the United States. This included facilitating extensive cooperation between U.S. telecom and internet policy makers and regulators and their Canadian counterparts. He also served as Vice President for North America and Cybersecurity at the Business Council of Canada – the Canadian CEO association. In this capacity, he was extensively involved in the establishment of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange. Mr Miller has done government affairs and project development with over 40 governments worldwide, including extensive work in Latin America and Asia. He has worked extensively of late on trends around applied quantum technologies. He is a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington and Fellow with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Business Centre.
Fiona Alexander is a former government executive with extensive experience and globally diverse contacts in international Internet, telecommunications and emerging technology policy. She is co-founder of Salt Point Strategies, a strategic consulting firm focused on domestic and international spectrum, emerging technology, and Internet policy. Salt Point provides public affairs consulting, strategy, and advice to clients navigating the emerging high-tech economy, from startups to Fortune 500 companies across global market
Ms Alexander served for close to 20 years at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce where she was Associate Administrator for International Affairs. She managed the U.S. government’s relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is NTIA’s sole Presidential Rank Award winner for her leadership in the privatization of the Internet’s domain name system. Ms Alexander was the convener and co-leader of the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force which developed policy, norms and tools for issues related to commercial data privacy, online copyright protection, cybersecurity, and the global free flow of information.
Ms Alexander represented the United States at a variety of fora, including the UN World Summit on the Information Society, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and ICANN. During her tenure, the U.S. led the development of Internet policy making principles and joined the only international agreement on Artificial Intelligence at the OECD, won the election of the first woman in the 153 year history of the ITU, and managed the collaborative implementation of Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) at the authoritative root of the Internet domain name system.
Ms Alexander has served as a member of the High-level Advisory Group for the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and was appointed by the UN Secretary General to the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group.
Prior to her government service, Ms Alexander was a Senior Consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, where she worked on wireless and public safety issues.
Ms Alexander has a B.A. in International Studies from Old Dominion University and an M.A. in International Relations from American University. She was an Ian Axford Fellow in Public Policy with the New Zealand Fulbright Program. Ms Alexander currently serves as also both Distinguished Policy Strategist in Residence in the School of International Service and Distinguished Fellow at the Internet Governance Lab at American University. For the Internet Governance Lab, she is also the inaugural Chair of an Alumni Expert Council. She is as an advisor to the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board, a Mentor for the International Telecommunication Union Woman in Cyber Mentorship Program, and a member of the Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network.
Gordon Moir was appointed a Partner with Wiggin LLP in November 2020.
Mr Moir is well known in the telecommunications space and is a global leader in the delivery of complex projects involving aligned legal, regulatory, public affairs and media strategies and the leading of multi-disciplinary teams. Mr Moir was Chair of the well-respected International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Task Force on Telecoms and ICT, driving their work on international market access, internet policies and dispute settlement and resolution models globally as well as internet policy.
Mr Moir was previously General Counsel and on the executive of BT Retail (1999-2009), as well as having responsibility for BT’s global antitrust and regulatory activity. During his ten years at BT, he secured access to markets and wholesale facilities across the world as well as dealing with a vast array of commercial, legal and regulatory matters. He was recognised by the Lawyer magazine as one of the UK’s top 100 lawyers for his work on telecommunications regulation and regulatory policy.
Post BT, Mr Moir was head of the London office of Webb Henderson (2011-2014), a boutique regulatory firm, before taking his team across to Shepherd and Wedderburn to continue that work in 2014 until 2020 after successfully building the practice.
Mr Moir has had a Placement with Judge Edward, European Court of Justice. He is also an Author of works on the Maastricht Treaty, and previously editor of Encyclopaedia of European Union Law, both Sweet and Maxwell
Mr Moir has an LLM from College of Europe, Belgium, cum laude, a Dip LP from University of Aberdeen and andLLB (Hons) from University of Aberdeen.
Jacquelynn (Jackie) Ruff has more than 25 years of experience in global law and public policy around policy frameworks for digital services, Internet governance, digital trade, expansion of broadband connectivity, and women and technology. Since February 2019 she has been a consulting counsel at the law firm of Wiley Rein where she provides legal, regulatory and public policy guidance on international issues impacting telecom, media, and technology industries.
Previously, Ms Ruff was Vice President of International Government Relations and Policy at Verizon Communications. Her responsibilities included leading work in international organisations such as the UN International Telecommunication Union, the OECD, ICANN, and the Internet Governance Forum, and regional organisations CITEL and APEC. She also represented Verizon on federal advisory committees to the US Department of State, the US Trade Representative, and the US Department of Commerce. Ms Ruff was a board member of the US Telecom Training Institute and co-chair of the Digital Trade group of the US Council for International Business, and she participated in the Policy and Spectrum Groups of the GSM Association. She is currently a Director of the International Institute of Communications. She is also a professorial lecturer at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
Ms Ruff joined Verizon in 2004 from the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she was Associate Chief and Chief of Staff for the Bureau. Previously she practiced with the communications and Latin America groups of an international law firm and served as staff for a US Senate Committee.
She has a BA from Radcliffe College/Harvard University, MA from Harvard University, and JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Jaisha Wray, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Associate Administrator for International Affairs at the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In this role, she formulates telecommunications and information policies and promotes these policies in international fora.
Previously, she was the Director for International Cyber Policy in the Cybersecurity Directorate of the National Security Council where she was responsible for drafting and implementing the U.S. strategy on 5G technology as well as enhancing international cybersecurity cooperation with a wide range of partners and allies. In addition, she led the development of Space Policy Directive-5: the Nation’s first comprehensive cybersecurity policy for space systems. Prior to this role, she was the Acting Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Emerging Security Challenges where she contributed to the formulation of outer space and cyber stability policies and diplomatic strategies. At the State Department, she also served as a Political Officer at U.S. Embassy London and as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of Missile Defense and Space Policy. She began her government career as a Presidential Management Fellow where she completed rotations in the Space and Cyber Policy Directorate of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the National Reconnaissance Office.
Ms Wray holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles as well as a M.A. in International Relations and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She has completed the International Space University Space Studies Program and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education course on cybersecurity.
Jamie Danker combines her federal government and private sector experience to help clients build more trustworthy systems, products, and services through adoption of cybersecurity and privacy risk management practices. Jamie brings deep privacy, identity, and cybersecurity knowledge along with diverse perspectives from oversight, operational, and guidance organizations based on her prior roles in government and industry.
Prior to joining Venable, Ms Danker served as the vice president of privacy at Easy Dynamics Corporation, where she led a practice delivering privacy risk management, privacy engineering, and privacy program services. In that role she supported the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in developing the NIST Privacy Framework, released in January 2020, serving as the only contractor member of the framework’s core drafting team. She also advised the General Services Administration (GSA) in establishing a privacy-preserving attribute validation service.
Ms Danker previously spent 10 years at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in various privacy roles, advocating for building privacy into the earliest stages of systems and program development. She served as the director and senior privacy officer for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), now known as the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),and was a privacy officer for the E-Verify Program and associate director for privacy compliance at the DHS Privacy Office. She is a co-author of the privacy requirements and considerations in NIST Special Publication 800-63-3, Digital Identity Guidelines. Ms Danker began her career at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), where she led and contributed to numerous government-wide and agency-specific reviews of privacy and cybersecurity issues.
The Office of International Affairs is responsible for the Commission’s engagement of international regulatory authorities, including multilateral and regional organizations. As Deputy Chief, Mr Carlson coordinates the FCC’s participation and involvement in international standards-setting efforts.
Mr Carlson has recently returned to the FCC after having spent 19 years in industry – at a U.S. operator (NEXTEL, which was acquired by Sprint during Mr Carlson’s time there) and at Ericsson, heading regulatory policy in Ericsson’s Washington, D.C., office. He has been a board member of the United States Telecommunication Training Institute (USTTI) and in that capacity organized, and spoke at, multiple training sessions for officials from developing countries on the topics of spectrum policy, cybersecurity, net neutrality, and broadband buildout.
Mr Carlson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, and an Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary School of Law.
Jay A. Schwarz is Vice President, Global Public Policy at Comcast NBCUniversal where he focuses on broadband policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Previously he held roles at the Federal Communications Commission in the Chairman’s office, the Wireline Competition Bureau, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and the Office of Strategic Planning.
Mr Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh as well as degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Jay Kerr-Wilson is the co-leader of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications group and practices primarily in the areas of communications and public law, with a particular emphasis on copyright. Regularly representing both Canadian and foreign communications and technology companies, Jay advises clients on issues related to telecommunications and broadcasting regulation, trademarks, and copyright licensing and liability.
Mr Kerr-Wilson represents large and small, Canadian and foreign communications and technology companies in proceedings before the Copyright Board of Canada, advising them on issues related to copyright licensing and copyright liability. Regularly representing clients in appeals and judicial reviews before the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, Mr Kerr-Wilson is at the forefront of the debate surrounding the regulation of rapidly evolving communications technologies.
Mr Kerr-Wilson has testified before Parliamentary committees, and served as a delegate to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, on behalf of Canada’s cable and satellite industry.
He represents clients in appeals and judicial reviews of decisions of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and the Copyright Board of Canada. He is also a registered trademark agent.
Mr Kerr-Wilson’s expertise extends to government relations, where he routinely represents clients before federal departments and agencies.
Mr Kerr-Wilson has been named an expert in his field by Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
Jeff Dygert works in AT&T’s global public policy group and has responsibility for a variety of policy issues growing out of the internet of things, including the areas of healthcare, drones and smart cities. He also handles online human rights and issues relating to climate, energy and the environment. In each of these areas, Mr Dygert helps formulate the company’s public policy positions and advocates for them on Capitol Hill, before federal agencies and in various industry groups.
Before moving to AT&T, Mr Dygert worked at the FCC and at a private firm.
Mr Dygert holds bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Virginia. He lives in Washington, DC with his husband and son.
Jeffrey Marks serves as Vice President, Government and Policy Advocacy at Ericsson, a global communications equipment manufacturer. In that role, Jeff leads Ericsson’s advocacy efforts before U.S. regulatory agencies and the Administration. He draws on his deep knowledge and experience on a wide range of key telecom policy issues, including broadband deployment, spectrum, net neutrality, open network architectures, and national security. Jeff joined Ericsson from Nokia, where he spent over 12 years leading regulatory policy development and advocacy. He also spent over 10 years at major law firms, including in the Communications Practice Group at Latham and Watkins. Jeff resides with his family in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC.
John Bergmayer is Legal Director at Public Knowledge, specializing in telecommunications, media, internet, and intellectual property issues. He advocates for the public interest before courts and policymakers, and works to make sure that all stakeholders — including ordinary citizens, artists, and technological innovators — have a say in shaping emerging digital policies.
José Fernando Parada Rodríguez is a Film and Television Producer from the National University of Colombia and a specialist in Management of Creative and Cultural Industries.
Mr Parada has been a consultant in the areas of music, film, television, advertising, design, animation and cultural enterprises and worked on important projects in the areas of creative and cultural industries for the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá. He was also General Director of the National Film School of Colombia, Director of Content of the National Pact for Quality Television for Children, advisor to the National Television Commission, Member of the National Film Council and Director of UnTelevisión of the National University.
Mr Parada also has a teaching career in undergraduate and master’s degrees from important Universities in Colombia and has been a regular workshop facilitator and speaker at various Communication events such as Ficci, BAM, Input, Inalde and the Latin American Network of Festivals in Mexico City and Chile.
Mr Parada has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from INALDE Business School.
Julie Kearney is the first Chief of the Space Bureau at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Launched in April 2023, the Space Bureau plays a key role in advancing the Commission’s Space Innovation Agenda to meet the needs of the next generation Space Age. As a globally-recognized leader/lawyer/board member in the technology and telecommunications field, Ms Kearney has been working for more than 25 years with governments, industry, and the public sector around the world to promote legal and regulatory frameworks and policies that enable life-changing technologies. Prior to the FCC, she held senior roles at Loon (an Alphabet company), Twilio Inc., the Consumer Technology Association, National Public Radio, MCI, and private legal practice.
Ms Kearney earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
Lynn Robinson became Director General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.
Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce. Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.
An experienced Trustee / Non-Executive Director as Vice Chair at Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, a unique heritage site in the heart of Bristol (UK), Lynn is also a Trustee / Non-Executive Director at The Bristol and Bath (UK), Parks Foundation.
Reflecting on becoming Director General at the IIC at the outbreak of a pandemic, Lynn said, ‘these last two years have been like no other we have known, with many challenges coming our way. In 2020 we successfully pivoted the organisation through a digital transformation programme to maintain a full schedule of events and by increasing the outputs delivered. Transforming the programme enabled us to continue to deliver the professional service and increase our engagement with IIC members and stakeholder community to remain connected to them through such a difficult time.
As we move through 2022, I am delighted to return to a combined in-person and online programme and to continue to evolve the IIC in to the next phase, with the vision and strategic focus to deliver our objectives and to build on our growth, engagement and retention’.
Mark W Cullinane began his role in August 2022 as Director of Bilateral Affairs for Information and Communications Policy in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. Prior to his current responsibilities, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. He served previously as Deputy Director of the Office of Canadian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Before that he was the Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, and Counselor for Environment, Science Health, and Technology at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mr Cullinane has also served as Political Advisor to Swedish and Finnish troops affiliated with the International Security Assistance Force in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. Other overseas assignments include Managua, San Jose, and Lagos. His service in Washington included stints in the Economic Bureau’s Office of Investment Affairs and as Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He speaks Spanish.
Mr Cullinane earned a B.A. in economics and philosophy from Boston College and a JD from the Catholic University of America.
Robert Pepper was Head, Global Connectivity Policy and Planning, Meta until August 2024. He helped lead Meta’s connectivity and technology policy activities focusing on new technology development, deployment and adoption. Dr Pepper previously was Cisco’s Vice President for Global Technology Policy for more than a decade working with governments across the world helping them develop their digital strategies and address areas such as ICT and development, broadband plans, IP enabled services, wireless and spectrum policy, the Internet of Things, security, privacy and internet governance.
As Chief of the Office of Plans and Policy and Chief of Policy Development at the FCC for 16 years beginning in 1989, Dr Pepper led teams designing and implementing the first US spectrum auctions, developing policies promoting the development of the internet, implementing telecommunications legislation, and planning for the transition to digital television.
Before joining the FCC, he was Director of the Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy. His government service also included Acting Associate Administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and initiating a programme on Computers, Communications and Information Policy at the National Science Foundation.
His academic appointments included faculty positions at the Universities of Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, and as a research affiliate at Harvard University. He chairs the US Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy and has served on the board of the US Telecommunications Training Institute, the US Department of Commerce’s Spectrum Management Advisory Committee and the UK’s OFCOM Spectrum Advisory Board.
Dr Pepper received his BA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Russ Hanser is NTIA’s Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development, leading an office focused on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, privacy, cybersecurity, content moderation and online speech, digital inclusion, intellectual property, and other issues. Mr Hanser previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and led the policy team charged with designing and implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s new broadband grant programs. Before joining NTIA, he was a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP for over fifteen years and filled various positions at the Federal Communications Commission. Russ is a graduate of Amherst College, Harvard Law School, and Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Selina Chadha has worked at Ofcom for over 20 years. She currently leads Ofcom’s work on digital markets. Her areas of responsibility include Ofcom’s digital markets strategy, net neutrality and content gateways. Prior to her current role, she has led both telecoms and broadcasting competition and consumer protection work, including work on ensuring the availability of universal services and extending mobile coverage.
Shaundra Watson serves as Director, Policy, in Washington, DC, and is responsible for providing counsel and developing policy on key issues for the software industry, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence.
Ms Watson rejoined BSA after serving as a corporate in-house senior privacy counsel. In her first stint at BSA, Ms Watson led engagement on privacy issues. Prior to joining BSA, Ms Watson served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Chairwoman Edith Ramirez at the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington, DC, where she advised Chairwoman Ramirez on privacy, data security, and international issues and evaluated companies’ compliance with privacy and data security laws in numerous enforcement actions. During her FTC tenure, which spanned more than a decade, Ms Watson also served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Commissioner Julie Brill, Counsel for International Consumer Protection in the Office of International Affairs, and an attorney in the Divisions of Privacy and Identity Protection and Marketing Practices.
In her various positions, Ms Watson played a key role on notable privacy and security initiatives, including the negotiation of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield; implementation of the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules; and policy development on privacy and technology issues and the expansion of the global domain name system. In recognition of her leadership on Internet policy issues, Ms Watson received the agency’s Paul Rand Dixon award. Prior to joining the FTC, Ms Watson was an Associate at Hogan & Hartson, LLP (now Hogan Lovells) in Washington, DC, and clerked for Justice Peggy Quince at the Supreme Court of Florida.
Ms Watson is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, VA.
Stan Adams is the Lead Public Policy Specialist for the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that supports Wikipedia and other volunteer-run projects focused on free access to knowledge. Prior to his role at the Foundation, Mr Adams served as a general counsel to a US Senator and as a policy expert for the Center for Democracy & Technology.
Mr Adams lives in Washington, DC and works with a wide range of private and public sector policymakers to develop and advocate for public policy issues spanning telecommunications, copyright, privacy, and emerging technologies.
Steven was appointed Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer (CCEO) at the CRTC in November 2016. He is responsible for the enforcement of the Unsolicited Telecommunication Rules, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, and the Voter Contact Registry.
As the CCEO, Steven Harroun’s leadership approach is to promote compliance with the applicable legislation and regulations through education and outreach and, when necessary, encourage and enforce compliance through both traditional and innovative approaches.
Mr Harroun joined Canada’s converged communications regulator in 2002 and has developed his expertise in both broadcasting and telecommunications through various positions of increasing responsibility. As Director General, Strategic Policy from 2012-2016, Mr Harroun led the development and implementation of key Commission policies, including the Wireless Code of Conduct, Video Relay Service, and Broadband Performance Measurement, through his leadership of the Social and Consumer Policy, Network Technology and Strategic Policy and International Affairs teams.
Mr Harroun began his federal public service career in 1999 with the Canada Revenue Agency, following several years in the private sector.
Mr Harroun has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (accounting and management double major), Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Steven Waldman is the founder and president of Rebuild Local News. He is also the co-founder and former president of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms across America, Before becoming an advocate for local journalism, Waldman was a journalist covering national politics for Newsweek, U.S. News and World Reports and Washington Monthly. Later, he wrote a report for the Federal Communications Commission, outlining the information needs of communities.
Umair Javed is Senior Vice President, Spectrum for CTIA, where he oversees the formation and execution of public policy positions and strategies related to spectrum for wireless broadband services.
Prior to joining CTIA, Mr Javed served as Chief Counsel to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, where he advised the Chairwoman on all political, legal, and policy considerations in carrying out the FCC’s agenda. From October 2017 to January 2021, Mr Javed served as Legal Advisor, Wireless and International, in the Office of FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel. Mr. Javed joined the FCC from Wiley Rein LLP, where he was an attorney in the firm’s Telecom, Media, and Technology Group.
Mr Javed graduated from the University of Virginia and received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Bio coming soon …..
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