Originally posted to NEDAS
In 1996, Chip Pickering, CEO of INCOMPAS, while serving on Senator Trent Lott’s staff, helped shape the Telecommunications Act of 1996. At the time, it was the first major overhaul of the U.S. telecoms law since 1934, and resulted in the opening of competition among long distance carriers in the United States. The Act spawned an entire industry that continues to evolve as we know it today and into the future.
On the other hand, Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) fell into the telecommunications space after serving for fifteen years as a staff member in the United States Senate. In 2002, Adelstein was unanimously confirmed, twice by the Senate, to serve as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he served until 2009. During his tenure as FCC Chair, Adelstein worked hard to ensure access to communications for everyone.
Both Adelstein and Pickering were hands-on in executing the vision of the U.S. elected officials and leaders, bringing us through one of the most formidable communications infrastructure periods of our time — until now. Now, Adelstein and Pickering continue to tirelessly lead the communications infrastructure industry from their positions as the heads of leading associations, working to ensure the vision for open and competitive communications remains just that. At the NEDAS Washington D.C. Symposium on November 21, 2019, I had the honor to sit down with both of these eminent industry minds. A few notes and ideas that attendees garnered from the conversation can be found below.
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