Media Contact: Mark Wigfield, (202) 418-0253 mark.wigfield@fcc.gov For Immediate Release FCC CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI ANNOUNCES BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS, WORKING GROUPS, AND LEADERSHIP First Meeting to Take Place on April 21 at FCC Headquarters WASHINGTON, April 6, 2017—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today announced the appointment of 29 members to the Commission’s newly created Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), which will meet for the first time on April 21, 2017. “I’m excited that the Committee will soon be getting to work on recommendations that will help break down barriers to broadband deployment,” Chairman Pai said. “Closing the digital divide across America is my top priority, and the work of this committee will be a crucial step toward meeting that goal.” Chairman Pai announced the creation of the BDAC on January 31, 2017. Its mission is to provide advice and make recommendations to the Commission on how to accelerate the deployment of high-speed Internet access, or broadband, by reducing and removing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment. Chairman Pai has named Elizabeth Pierce, CEO of Quintillion Subsea Operations, LLC, and Quintillion Networks, LLC (Quintillion), to serve as Chair of the BDAC, and Kelleigh Cole, Director of the Utah Broadband Outreach Center in the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, to serve as Vice Chair. A full list of BDAC members is available in the posted Public Notice at https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-328A1.pdf. “The Commission was fortunate to have an excellent and deep pool of applicants to serve on the BDAC,” Chairman Pai noted. “The Commission received over 380 applications, resulting in the selection of 29 members for the BDAC—far more than I ever anticipated. In the coming weeks, we expect to select an additional 58 applicants to serve on the BDAC’s working groups. I thank Elizabeth and Kelleigh for agreeing to lead the BDAC, all members for the work they will be doing in the coming months, and all applicants for demonstrating their commitment to fostering better, faster, and cheaper broadband throughout the United States.” As the BDAC gets underway, it will have five working groups tackling projects critical to promote broadband deployment. • Model Code for Municipalities.—Douglas Dimitroff of the New York State Wireless Association will serve as Chair of this working group, and the Honorable Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, California, will serve as Vice Chair. • Model Code for States.—Kelly McGriff of Southern Light will serve as Chair of this working group, and the Honorable Karen Charles Peterson, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable, for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners will serve as Vice Chair. • Competitive Access to Broadband Infrastructure.—Ken Simon of Crown Castle will serve as Chair of this working group, and Brent Skorup of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University will serve as Vice Chair. • Removing State and Local Regulatory Barriers.—Robert DeBroux of TDS Telecom will serve as Chair of this working group, and Kim Keenan of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council will serve as Vice Chair. • Streamlining Federal Siting.—Jonathan Adelstein of the Wireless Infrastructure Association will serve as Chair of this working group, and Valerie Fast Horse of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe will serve as Vice Chair. The BDAC’s inaugural meeting will focus on member introductions, directing initial assignments to committee members, and providing additional information about BDAC working groups. In addition, the group will begin initial discussions on strategies for accelerating the deployment of broadband. The April 21 meeting will be held in the Commission meeting room at FCC Headquarters, 445 12th St. SW, Washington, DC at 10:00 am. The meeting is open to the public but admittance will be limited to seating availability. The Commission will livestream the meeting, with open captioning, through the FCC web site at www.fcc.gov/live. Additional information about the BDAC is available online at https://www.fcc.gov/broadband- deployment-advisory-committee. ### Office of Chairman Ajit Pai: (202) 418-2000 Twitter: @AjitPaiFCC www.fcc.gov/leadership/ajit-pai This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).