WASHINGTON, D.C. — A vote-making Democrat and the senior Republican Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission have each agreed to appear as keynote speakers at an annual fly-in event that attracts broadband providers and multichannel video programming distributors from across the U.S.
Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr will be keynote speakers at the ACA Connects #Summit2024 event, scheduled for March 5-7 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington.
With respect to Starks, ACA Connects President and CEO Grant Spellmeyer said, “We’re looking forward to the insights he will provide on how small and rural providers can work with the FCC to invest in infrastructure that offers vital telecommunications services to areas that would otherwise have none.”
Starks is in his second term as a FCC Commissioner, and was first confirmed by President Trump on January 4, 2019. He was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a second term on Sept. 30, 2023. Prior to serving as a Commissioner, Starks helped lead the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, handling a wide variety of complex investigations. At the Department of Justice, he served as a senior advisor to the Deputy Attorney General on a variety of domestic and international law enforcement matters and received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service—the highest honor award a DOJ employee can receive.
Before he entered federal public service, Commissioner Starks practiced law at Williams & Connolly, clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, served as a legislative staffer in the Illinois State Senate, and worked as a financial analyst. Commissioner Starks graduated from Harvard College with high honors and Yale Law School.
Meanwhile, Spellmeyer is “excited” to welcome Carr back to the ACA Connects summit. “The time he spends learning the challenges of bringing broadband to rural America is unparalleled,” he said. “We’re going to have a great conversation about how our Members can be empowered to grow, innovate, and connect more people in underserved and unserved parts of the country.”
Nominated by both President Trump and President Biden, Carr has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times. Commissioner Carr brings nearly 20 years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his position. He joined the FCC as a staffer in 2012.
To learn more about ACA Connects #Summit2024, please click here.
