Speaker Biographies

Keynote presentations

Speakers

Moderators

Lawrence Strickling

Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, NTIA*

Biography to appear here shortly...

Héctor Olavarría Tapia

Undersecretary for Communications of Mexico and Chairman, COM/CITEL

Mr. Héctor Olavarría was appointed Chair of CITEL’s Permanent Executive Committee (COM/CITEL) for the period 2010-2014 by the V Ordinary Session of the Assembly, celebrated in March, 2010. With more than thirteen years of experience in Mexico’s federal public administration, Mr. Olavarría has a highly distinguished record of public service, specializing in the field of telecommunications.

A lawyer by profession, Mr. Olavarría holds a Master’s degree in Economic International Law (2000) from Warwick University, United Kingdom. From February, 2009 to June, 2011 he served as General Director of Telecommunications and Broadcasting Policy at the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation. On June 24, 2011, he was appointed Under Secretary of Communications. During his tenure, he has put special emphasis on the importance of international coordination for the development of the telecommunications sector, enhancing programs like the Mesoamerican Project. He has also coordinated and defended Mexico’s telecommunications policy in forums such as the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference, the World Policy Telecommunication Forum, the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the High Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications Mexico-United States.

On the national level, Mr. Olavarría has focused on developing programs to ensure that telecommunication services are adequately provided throughout the Mexican territory by designing projects for social coverage; strengthening relations with the Legislative, Judicial and Executive powers to execute social programs; making the existing capacity in the Mexican electric network available to data transport services’ providers, and administering the Trust Fund for Social Coverage of Telecommunications, among others.

In his view, CITEL represents the ideal forum to address the relevant and forefront issues on telecommunications, as well as to exchange information on telecommunications regulatory and policy experiences. As Chair of COM/CITEL, Mr. Olavarría expects to strengthen CITEL as an international coordination mechanism for the development of the telecommunication sector in the region.

Charla Rath

Vice President, Wireless Policy Development, Verizon

Charla Rath joined Verizon in January 2010 as Vice President – Wireless Policy Development, where she is engaged in the development of Verizon’s public policy positions on spectrum and other wireless issues. Previously, as Executive Director – Spectrum and Public Policy at Verizon Wireless, Charla worked with the company’s business development and network planning groups to address policy and regulatory issues related to the acquisition of spectrum.
Prior to joining Verizon Wireless, Charla was Vice President – Strategic Affiliations, of NextWave Telecom Inc., where she established a business alliance of small carriers and coordinated advocacy on spectrum auction and financial issues. As Vice President of Freedom Technologies, Inc., a Washington, DC-based telecommunications consulting firm, she advised governments and companies worldwide on a range of telecommunications structural, regulatory and business strategy issues.

Charla also served in the government as advisor to FCC Chairman Alfred C. Sikes on common carrier and spectrum policy issues and as a primary specialist in spectrum and internet policy at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Early in her career, she worked in both the United States and Europe on projects related to the impact of information technology on the financial and education sectors.

Charla has an M.A. in science, technology, and public policy from The George Washington University and a B.S.F.S (Foreign Service) in international economics and finance from Georgetown University.

Kristin due Hauge

Director, Spectrum Policy, GSMA

Ms Kristin Due Hauge joined GSMA in August 2009. Kristin has thirteen years of experience with spectrum acquisitions and spectrum policy. She has designed, implemented and participated in numerous spectrum auctions of various formats. She has worked on establishing an asset management approach to managing telco’s portfolios of spectrum usage rights and licenses. She has worked on developing, designing and implementing modern market based spectrum management regimes including flexible licensing concepts and secondary trading regimes.

Prior to joining the GSMA Kristin has held several positions within the telecoms sector mainly focusing on spectrum issues. She worked as Director of Spectrum Acquisition and as Director of Spectrum Policy for the Telenor Group between 2007 and 2009. Between 2004 and 2007 she was partner/managing consultant and leader of the board at an international consulting firm where she advised various governments and market players on spectrum reform and spectrum related business strategies. Between 2002 and 2004 Kristin worked as a senior adviser at the Norwegian Post and Telecommunication Authority (NPT) where she was one of the main architects beyond the development and implementation of the spectrum management reform which included designing flexible licenses, designing and implementing spectrum auctions and payment in kind style spectrum awards (beauty contests), developing and implementing secondary trading and developing fees and charges models for spectrum payment.

In 2001 Kristin worked as an Expert at the competition authorities and followed the EU sector specific telecom framework development in Brussels. Between 1998 and 2000 Kristin worked as advisor at the NPT on strategic approach to spectrum management review.

Kristin’s educational background is law, economics and management.

Jonathan S. Adelstein

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, US Department of Agriculture

Jonathan S. Adelstein was nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July, 2009, to serve as the 17th Administrator of USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. Mr. Adelstein previously served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission from 2002 to 2009.

A life-long public servant, Adelstein has dedicated his career to fighting for the public interest. As RUS Administrator, Adelstein oversees a $60 billion portfolio of rural electric, water and telecommunications infrastructure loans. As part of the Recovery Act of 2009, he spearheaded the strategic investment of $3.5 billion into rural broadband infrastructure expansion to stimulate economic development and provide new or improved broadband service to millions of residents, businesses, and community facilities across rural America. At the same time, Adelstein managed the investment of $3 billion in Recovery Act loans and grants in the repair and upgrade of rural water and sewer infrastructure, creating quality jobs for rural workers and providing access to safe drinking water and sanitary waste disposal systems. As Administrator, he is working with RUS’s rural electric cooperative partners to modernize the rural electric grid, highlighting the importance of renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart grid investment as a means of decreasing our reliance on foreign oil and lowering utility bills for rural residents. In 2010, RUS invested $313 million in renewable energy projects across the country, and Adelstein is pushing for increased renewable energy investment in the years to come.

As a member of the Obama Administration, Adelstein serves on the White House Business Council, and in that capacity, he has participated in White House Business Council roundtable discussions with local business leaders in Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa and Ohio. Adelstein also serves on the White House National Science and Technology Council which coordinates science and technology policy across the diverse entities that make up the Federal research and development enterprise.


Adelstein has long been a strong advocate to improve rural telecommunications and broadband. As an FCC Commissioner, he sought to secure access to communications for everyone, including those left behind by the market. To ensure that all consumers have access to the latest telecommunications services no matter where they live, he worked to improve universal service. While at the FCC, Adelstein also fought for media diversity and localism, encouraging increased public access to the airwaves to support a well-informed citizenry.

Before joining the Commission, Adelstein served for fifteen years as a staff member in the United States Senate. For his final seven years, he was a senior legislative aide to then Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), where he advised Senator Daschle on telecommunications, financial services, budget, housing, transportation and other key issues. There, he was a key staff architect of expanding the Rural Utilities Service’s authority to finance broadband services in the 2002 Farm Bill.

Prior to his service in the Senate, Adelstein was a Teaching Fellow in the Department of History, Harvard University, while studying at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Adelstein also was a Teaching Assistant in the Department of History, Stanford University. He received an M.A. in History and a B.A. with Distinction in Political Science from Stanford. He also served as a Communications Consultant to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, MA.

Adelstein was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. He currently lives with his wife Karen and two children, Adam and Lexi, in the Washington, D.C. area.

Rick Kaplan

Chief of the Wireless Telecommunication Bureau, FCC

Biography to appear here shortly...

Matthew Hussey

Telecommunications Advisor, Office of Senator Olympia Snowe

Matthew is the telecommunications, commerce, science, and education advisor to Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine). As Senator Snowe's Legislative Assistant, Matthew deals with a wide range of telecommunications and media issues including cyber security, spectrum policy, Internet governance, broadband, media ownership, Universal Service, and network neutrality.

Prior to working in the Senate, Matthew was the Telecommunications & IT Task Force Director for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a nonpartisan membership organization of state legislators. There he was responsible for educating and advising state legislators and private sector leaders on telecommunications and IT issues as well as working with members to develop model legislation. At ALEC, Matthew testified before several state legislative committees as an expert witness on telecommunications and Internet issues. Before joining ALEC, Matthew worked for over eight years in the telecommunications industry, most recently for Verizon Communications. There he worked in network architecture and planning, sales & marketing, and business development. Prior to that, he spent several years in the cable industry where he held engineering and product development positions for broadband services.

Matthew holds an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech where he studied fiber optics and telecommunications, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

John Kneuer

President and Founder, JKC Consulting LLC

John Kneuer is the founder and President of JKC Consulting LLC (www.kneuerllc.com). JKC provides strategic consulting, public policy advocacy, and investment advisory services to operating companies and investment institutions. In addition to his role at JKC, Mr. Kneuer is a Senior Partner at Fairfax Partners (www.fairfaxpartners.com) an investment firm organized to source, acquire, and manage transformative businesses in the telecommunications and media industries. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on telecommunications, Internet, and spectrum policy.

From October 2003-November 2007, Mr. Kneuer served first as the Deputy Assistant Secretary, and then as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. As Assistant Secretary, Mr. Kneuer was the principal advisor to the President of the United States on telecommunications policy.

As the Administrator of NTIA, Mr. Kneuer had primary executive responsibility for an agency with more than 175 employees and a direct budget in excess of $60 million, as well as oversight of federal grants in excess of $2.5 billion. At NTIA, Mr. Kneuer managed a multi-disciplinary team of professionals including engineers and research scientists, economists and accountants, lawyers and policy experts. He was responsible for the quality and integrity of the agency’s accounting and expenditures, annually presenting the agency’s budget before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Kneuer was ultimately responsible for all compliance with legal and regulatory requirements related to the assignment of federal contracts in excess of $100 million and the award and oversight of grants in excess of $2.5 billion.

During his tenure at NTIA, Mr. Kneuer:
 Led a Presidentially directed spectrum policy initiative tasked with modernizing the allocation and assignment of radio frequencies across the entire U.S. Government.
 Served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the 2007 World Radio Conference.
 Represented the Commerce Department in inter-Agency deliberations resulting in the President’s Cyber Initiative.
 Represented the United States in bi-lateral negotiations with respect to spectrum and Internet governance issues with Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and China.
 Oversaw the U.S. government’s responsibilities with respect to oversight of the technical management of the Internet DNS through ICANN.
 Served on the Committee of Principals of the National Communications System.
 Distributed $2.5 billion in federal grants including $1 billion to fund state and local inter-operable communications systems, and $1.5 billion for DTV converter boxes.

Prior to his service at NTIA, Mr. Kneuer practiced law at the firm of DLA Piper in Washington, D.C., providing regulatory and legislative representation to corporate clients in the telecommunications, defense, and transportation industries. Mr. Kneuer began his career as an Attorney-Advisor in the Commercial Wireless Division of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Bureau.

Mr. Kneuer is a sought after public speaker, regularly presenting before government, industry, and academic meetings and forums; he has testified more than a dozen times before Congress. Mr. Kneuer is an adjunct professor at the National Defense University. He serves on the Board of Directors and Audit and Compensation Committees of Globalstar, Inc. (GSAT -- NASDAQ).

Marc Dupuis

Director General, Engineering, Planning and Standards Branch, Industry Canada

Marc Dupuis is Director General of the Engineering, Planning and Standards Branch at Industry Canada. He is responsible for the regulatory planning and engineering of the radio spectrum and telecommunication network development for the benefit of Canadians under the Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Program.

Before joining the federal government, Marc spent 18 years in the private sector, first with Telesat Canada and then as the Director of the Canadian office for Teledesic, a start-up satellite company based near Seattle, Washington. During this time, Marc’s work covered a wide range of satellite related topics including regulatory aspects, satellite payload and earth station design, as well as implementation.

Marc obtained his B.A.Sc. (Electrical Engineering) with honours from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the “Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec”.

Sebastián M. Cabello

Director, GSMA Latin America

Sebastián is the director of the GSMA regional office in Latin America, responsible for representing and leading GSMA activities in the region

Sebastián has been working at the GSMA since 2006 on issues related to mobile broadband and spectrum in developing countries, and has been based in Latin America. Prior to joining the GSMA, Sebastián worked as a consultant in private, public and international organisations, including Organisation of American States.

He holds a master’s degree from the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies of the University of California, San Diego with a specialization in International Economics and a Licenciado degree in Economics from Universidad Nacional del Sur (Argentina). He is also involved in academic activities as associate researcher at the Centre of Technology and Society of the Universidad de San Andres (Argentina). In 2003, he was honoured with a Fulbright Grant.

Chris Pearson

President, 4G Americas

Chris Pearson is the President of 4G Americas. In his role as the spokesperson and senior operating officer of the corporation, he is responsible for the strategic planning of the organization and providing executive management for the integration of strategy and operations in the areas of technology, marketing and public relations as well as public and regulatory affairs. As President of 4G Americas (formerly called 3G Americas), Mr. Pearson represents 4G Americas’ Market Representation interests within the 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) organization.

Mr. Pearson lead the organization from its inception as the GSM family of technologies market share grew from 10% to over 75% in North, Central and South America. Mr. Pearson came to 3G Americas from the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium (UWCC) where he served as Executive Vice President in charge of the strategic management of the technology consortium. Prior to joining the UWCC, Mr. Pearson held several senior technical and marketing positions at AT&T Wireless and GTE.

Mr. Pearson has more than 24 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, and has spoken at technology conferences throughout the world including Mobile World Congress, CTIA and 4G World.

Mr. Pearson earned a Master of Business Administration degree from The Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University and a Bachelor of Arts degree with emphasis in Marketing and Finance from the University of Washington.

Maria Maher

Senior Consultant, NERA

Dr. Maria Maher is a Senior Consultant based in Washington, DC, where she specialises in auction design and implementation. She transferred from NERA's London office, where she was a Senior Consultant in NERA's Competition Policy practice. She is an established professional with over twenty years experience as an economist specialising in regulatory and competition matters, advising companies in the telecommunications and energy sectors, regulatory authorities and government departments. She has directed and worked on a variety of regulatory and competition matters and has provided litigation support and expert reports in relation to European competition law cases in the area of abuse of dominance. Her experience includes auction design and implementation across a wide range of sectors, assessments of different regulatory and competition regimes, mobile call termination, network access and investment incentives, market liberalisation, contract theory, vertical agreements, and switching costs.

Prior to joining NERA, Dr. Maher worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and in academia. She has held positions at Cambridge University, where she was also a Fellow in Economics at Christ's College, Birkbeck College, and the American University in Paris, where she was an adjunct Associate Professor in Economics. In her academic positions, Dr. Maher has taught both undergraduates and graduate students on a wide range of topics including industrial economics, microeconomic theory, competition and regulatory policy, public economics, and mathematics for economists.

Dr. Maher holds a PhD in economics from the University of California at Berkeley and an MA in economics and BA in economics and mathematics from Boston University. She is fluent in English, French, and Italian.

Jane Mago

Executive Vice President and General Counsel, National Association of Broadcasters

Jane Mago, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, directs the work of the NAB legal department. She is responsible for all aspects of NAB’s legal strategy and for ensuring that NAB’s pleadings before the FCC, the Courts, and other administrative agencies effectively advocate on behalf of NAB’s members. Her areas of expertise include Constitutional issues (including First Amendment matters), FCC ownership rules, political broadcasting, EEO, administrative law, enforcement and licensing matters.

Jane joined the NAB in 2004 after more than 26 years at the FCC. Her prior work at the FCC included many high level positions such as General Counsel, Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, Deputy Chief of the Enforcement Bureau and legal advisor to three commissioners.

Jane is a member of the New York Bar. Jane holds BA, MA and JD degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband, Robert Blau, and their three children.

Evan Kwerel

Senior Economic Advisor, FCC

Evan Kwerel is currently Senior Economic Advisor in the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. He has worked on broad range of spectrum policy issues and has been a proponent of market-based approaches to spectrum management. He is currently working on a proposal for the FCC to use “incentive auctions” to induce TV broadcasters to voluntarily give up spectrum in the UHF TV band so that it can be re-auctioned for higher-value flexible uses. In 1993, after Congress granted the FCC auction authority, he was the primary architect of the FCC's innovative simultaneous multiple round auction methodology. He was also a major intellectual force in the development of price caps and reforming the regulation of international telecom facilities and rates.

Dr. Kwerel received his B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and his Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. From 1976 to 1982, he was an assistant professor of economics at Yale University. In 1981 he was a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow, and from 1982 to 1983, he was a senior economist with the President's Council of Economic Advisers. He joined the FCC in 1983. In 1995 he received the Federal Communications Commission’s Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service. In 2009 the Federal Communications Bar Association awarded him the Excellence in Government Service Award.

Mindel De la Torre

Chief of International Bureau, FCC

Since October 2009, Mindel De La Torre has been Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In that role, she leads the FCC’s efforts internationally – both on a bilateral and multilateral basis. She oversees the International Bureau’s functions with regard to licensing of international and domestic satellites, international long distance, international broadcast stations, and submarine cables. Ms. De La Torre was previously at the FCC between 1994-1998 as Deputy Chief of the Telecommunications Division of the International Bureau.

Before returning to the FCC, she was president of the Telecommunications Management Group, Inc. (TMG), a consulting firm in the Washington DC area. Her work at TMG included advising businesses, international organizations, and regulators on issues relevant to liberalization and commercialization of the telecommunications sector. Ms. De La Torre managed a variety of teams responsible for telecommunications projects, including advising telecommunications agencies in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East regarding key restructuring and regulatory issues, redrafting and updating telecommunications laws and involvement in third generation mobile issues.

She has been a member of various U.S. delegations to ITU conferences, such as World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC), World Telecommunication Development Conferences, and Plenipotentiary Conferences. She has also participated actively in regional telecommunications organizations, such as CITEL and APEC.

Ms. De La Torre also worked at the Department of Commerce – for over four years at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and for three years in the General Counsel’s office.

Ms. De La Torre has a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Texas. She is a member of the Texas bar and the Federal Communications Bar Association. Having lived overseas most of her life, she speaks fluent Portuguese, French, and Spanish and is proficient in Italian.

Mike Byrne

Chairman, Radio Spectrum Policy Group, European Union

Mike Byrne is a Commissioner with ComReg, the statutory body responsible for the regulation of the electronic communications and the postal sectors in Ireland.

As independent sectoral regulator of Ireland’s €5 billion communications sector, ComReg’s role is to promote competition, support innovation and to protect and inform consumers and end-users of electronic communications and postal services in Ireland.

Appointed as member of the Commission in 2004, Mike held the Chair of ComReg in 2007. Mike is the elected Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RPSG) for 2011 and has held the role of Chairman of its Working Group on the Digital Dividend since 2008. Prior to joining ComReg, Mike was a Director of Vision Consulting, the international technology consulting firm.

Mike holds a Masters of Science (Management Practice) Degree from Trinity College, Dublin, and a Bachelors of Science Degree from University College, Galway. He has also completed post-graduate executive education programmes at University College, Cork and Stanford University, USA.

Christopher Guttman-McCabe

Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA

Since joining CTIA in 2001, Chris Guttman-McCabe has worked on a wide range of issues involving spectrum, regulatory mandates, and homeland security. Guttman-McCabe became Vice President for Regulatory Affairs in September, 2005, and in that capacity coordinates the association’s regulatory policy advocacy.

Prior to joining CTIA, Guttman-McCabe worked as an attorney for four years at the D.C. based law firm Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP. He served as an Associate in the Communications Practice Group where he advised clients on wireless and common carrier issues, including licensing, compliance, and policy matters. Guttman-McCabe started his career as a management and strategic consultant to the steel industry at AUS Consultants and later co-founded Jacobson & Associates, a metals industry management and strategic consulting firm, where he served as the Vice President.

Guttman-McCabe received his B.A. degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his J.D. Magna Cum Laude from Catholic University with a certificate from the Institute for Communications Law Studies.

Beatrice Covassi

Digital Agenda and ICT Counselor, EU Delegation to the United States

Beatrice Covassi was recently appointed Digital Agenda and ICT Counselor at the EU Delegation in Washington DC. She previously worked as an EU official in the DG Information Society and Media of the European Commission, where she was deputy head of the Unit responsible for the Lisbon strategy and i2010 (the Digital Agenda). She also held the positions of head of the digital broadcasting sector and of assistant to the Director for Electronic Communications Policy. Her areas of specialisation include issues related to the digital single market and new media. In Fall 2008 Ms Covassi spent a term as visiting Professor at George Mason University (Arlington, US) where she taught a course on EU New Media Policy.

Prior to joining the European Commission in 2000, Ms Covassi worked as policy analyst for a major US law firm, focussing on the telecom practice, and as researcher in European law for the University of Hull (UK). Ms Covassi graduated with a thesis in comparative administrative law from the University of Florence (Italy), and holds postgraduate degrees from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) and the Academy of European Public Law (Greece). In addition to her native Italian, Ms. Covassi is fluent also in English, French and Portuguese.

Kristofer Shields

Auctions Practice Lead, Computech

Kris Shields heads the Auction Practice for Computech, an information technology consulting firm. Kris specializes in auction systems design, development and support, and has built spectrum auction systems for the last seven years for a variety of spectrum regulators, including the FCC and COFETEL. Under his lead, Computech’s auction systems allowed the FCC to generate over $13.8 billion from its AWS auction in 2006, where 1,087 licenses were awarded after 168 bidders engaged in 161 rounds of bidding. In addition, he directed Computech’s auction team in support of the FCC’s most financially successful auction, its 700MHz auction that raised $19.1 billion in 2008.

Most recently, Mr. Shields led Computech’s development and operations research team in the creation of the Computech Auction Platform (CAP). He managed the customization and deployment of CAP for Mexico's COFETEL in support of their recently concluded 1.7 and 1.9 GHz auctions, which generated a combined $640 million.

Lawrence M. Ausubel

Chairman, Power Auctions LLC

Biography to appear here shortly...

Alberto Mendez

Chief of the Terrestrial Services Department, Radiocommunication Bureau, International Telcommunication Union

Alberto has been recently appointed as the Chief of the Terrestrial Services Department, ITU/Radiocommunication Bureau.

With more than 20 years of experience in the international aspects of radiocommunication, he is responsible for the areas of radio monitoring, resolution of cases of harmful interference, the maintenance of the Master international frequency register and the implementation of ITU Radio Regulations.

Prior to joining the ITU in 1988, he held different positions within the argentinian telecommunication regulator and also worked as a consultant specialized in software development for electromagnetic compatibility calculations and radio link design.

Alberto is a Telecommunication engineer from the University of La Plata, Argentina and holds a management degree from the Open University, England.

Johanne Lemay

Co-President, Lemay-Yates Associates, Inc.

Ms. Lemay is Co-President of LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC. She has more than 25 years of experience in the communications industry including the first 10 years at Nortel (Northern Telecom) and Bell-Northern Research.

LYA is a leader among management consulting firms in Canada owing to the breadth of its knowledge ranging from traditional telecommunications to cable TV and fixed and mobile wireless. LYA brings unparalleled understanding and analysis of the Canadian communications market at large.
LYA’s wireless practice has been expanding for a number of years and we have been assessing and forecasting the market for mobile media in Canada as well as on a worldwide basis. LYA’s expertise in auctions has been retained by key industry stakeholders in every auction held in Canada since 1999, both for preparation prior to the auction as well as ongoing management and decision making during the auction.

Ms. Lemay is a recognized expert in telecommunications and broadcasting, with particular emphasis on the development of business plans, due diligence, market research, development and assessment of pricing plans and estimation of capital investment requirements to offer new services. Ms. Lemay has also been actively involved in regulatory proceedings and in consultations for the development of public policy in communications, including the new rules for the AWS spectrum auctions as well as the framework for mandated roaming and tower sharing.

Ms. Lemay has co-authored many independent market research reports published by LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC.

Prior to founding LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC., Ms. Lemay was in charge of International Marketing for all Nortel transmission equipment product lines. At Nortel, Ms. Lemay also created a fiber multiplex product line which was extensively deployed by operators in the US and Canada.

Ms. Lemay is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars in Canada, in the United States and abroad as well as on BNN and other media. She holds an Engineering Physics degree from Laval University and an MBA, Executive Option, from Concordia University.

Mark Uncapher

Director, Regulatory and Government Affairs, Telecommunications Industry Association

Mark Uncapher is Director, Regulatory and Government Affairs at the Telecommunications Industry Association. TIA represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, tradeshows, business opportunities, market intelligence, and worldwide environemental analysis. Mark has previously been Senior Vice President and Counsel at ITAA (now Tech America) and Vice President & Counsel at Stateside Associates. On Capitol Hill, he was Counsel to the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information & Technology of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.

Julius Knapp

Chief of the Office of Engineering Technology , FCC

Julius Knapp is Chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). Mr. Knapp has been with the FCC for 37 years. Mr. Knapp became Chief of OET in 2006, having previously served as the Deputy Chief since 2002. Prior to that he was the Chief of the Policy & Rules Division where he was responsible for FCC frequency allocation proceedings and for proceedings amending the FCC rules for radio frequency devices. Mr. Knapp was Chief of the FCC Laboratory from 1994 – 1997 where he was responsible for the FCC’s equipment authorization program and technical analyses. In his career at the FCC Mr. Knapp has been involved in matters affecting virtually every radio service, as well as a diverse array of technical issues such as hearing aid compatibility for wireless devices, closed captioning, CALEA and the Internet. Mr. Knapp received a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the City College of New York in 1974. He is a member of the IEEE EMC and Communications Societies and is a Fellow of the Radio Club of America. He was the 2001 recipient of the Eugene C. Bowler award for exceptional professionalism and dedication to public service. He was the 2010 recipient of the Federal Communications Bar Association Excellence in Government Service Award and the WCAI 2010 Government Leadership Award. He has also received the FCC’s Silver and Gold medal awards for distinguished service at the Commission.

Jared Carlson

Director, Industry and Government Relations, Ericsson

Jared joined Ericsson in 2007 after 3 years at Sprint Nextel and nearly 7 years at the Federal Communications Commission. He is the primary regulatory attorney responsible for coordinating with business units in the U.S. and Sweden regarding issues related to Incentive Auctions and Net Neutrality, among others. He is involved in Ericsson's efforts with the High Tech Spectrum Coalition to urge Congress to enact legislation granting the FCC the authority to conduct incentive auctions in order to release more spectrum for mobile broadband use.

Jared graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree in Economics and earned his law degree in 1996 from the College of William and Mary.

Jose Ayala

Head of Government and Industry Relations, Latin America, Ericsson

Mr. Jose Luis Ayala is currently Head of Government and Industry Relations at Ericsson Latin America.

Over the past five years, Mr. Ayala has been providing support to several Governments across the region, in the areas of spectrum auctions, number portability, national ICT plans, e-Education, and infrastructure sharing.

He joined Ericsson in the year 2000, and has held different Sales, Engineering and Business Development positions, involving areas of Mobile Broadband, Softswitch IMS, IP, and Transport Systems.

Prior to joining Ericsson, Mr. Ayala built a solid career in the satellite and telecoms industries, as Head of Operations at leading Telecom Operators in Central America, United States and Spain.

A national of El Salvador, Mr. Ayala is a Telecommunications engineer with over twenty years of experience in the industry.

He holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is a Fullbright Scholar.

Luis Lucatero

Head of Regulatory, La Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL)

Biography to appear here shortly...

Gustavo Cantú

Corporate Vice-President, Nextel Mexico

Gustavo Cantú Durán is Corporate Vice President for Nextel de Mexico, where he has worked since march 2000, in charge of mergers and acquisitions, special projects, corporate and regulatory strategy and institutional relations, he also held the positions of General Counsel and Director of Business Development at the same company. Gustavo is a spokesman for Nextel Mexico and is also a member of the Board of Directors.

In industry chambers, he holds the positions of Vice President of the National Association of Telecommunications and also of the National Association of Trunking Operators.

Before Nextel, Gustavo worked as an associate for major law firms in Mexico City, New York City and Houston, Texas, specializing in corporate, international and telecommunications law, regulated industries and antitrust.

He holds a degree in law from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and a Masters Degree (LL.M) in law from Columbia University in New York. Gustavo has published various articles in Reforma, El Norte and Excelsior newspapers, is a law professor at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and has participated as a speaker in various national and international forums.

Andrew Gorton

Group Head of Regulatory Affairs, Digicel

Andrew is currently working as the Head of Regulatory Affairs for the Digicel Group of companies.

Previously Andrew worked as the Legal and Regulatory Director for Digicel Trinidad and Tobago and as a Regulatory Manager within Digicel Group.

Before his time at Digicel Andrew was the Regulatory Manager for Vodafone UK, and International Regulatory Advisor for the UK Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) now called Ofcom.

He is a Postgraduate in Legal Practice.

George Flammer

Chief Scientist, Silver Spring Networks

Biography to appear here shortly...

Darrin Mylet

Business Operations, Adaptrum

Mr. Mylet joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 2003. While at Cantor, Mr. Mylet worked globally with both the public and private sectors in facilitating the management and trading of radio spectrum frequency, developed and launched the Cantor Spectrum Exchange. Co-developed the business/technology/regulatory strategies for Cantor Gaming, the first commercial mobile wireless system launched in Las Vegas in 2009. Issued (3) Patents on applying wireless to existing or emerging applications, location based services and alerts with several other patents pending (#7534169, #7860778 & #7637810).

Prior to joining Cantor-Fitzgerald, Mr. Mylet was with Radiant Networks, a U.K. based pioneer in “physical mesh” broadband wireless equipment vendor, where he was VP Sales & Marketing-Americas from 2000-2003.

Prior to this position, Mr. Mylet was an executive with MFS/Worldcom/MCI from 1997 to 2000. From 1992 to 1997, Mr. Mylet was with GTE Corporation (now Verizon).

Mr. Mylet served two terms (2010/11-Obama) and (2009/10-Bush) for the Department of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee administered by NTIA and was Chairperson of the Spectrum Transparency Subcommittee. NTIA advises the White House on Spectrum and Broadband Policy.

Mr. Mylet serves as an advisor to www.SpectrumEvolution.org and www.fullspectrumnet.com.

B.A. Economics Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

David McAdams

Associate Professor, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

David McAdams is Associate Professor of Economics at the Fuqua School of Business and Department of Economics, Duke University. Professor McAdams' research interests span microeconomic theory and game theory, with a special focus on strategic interactions between buyers and sellers, especially auctions, market design, pricing, negotiations, and relationships. His research has been published in the leading journals of economics, including Econometrica, American Economic Review, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Economic Theory, and Journal of Econometrics. His consulting work focuses on market design and bidding strategy, especially in spectrum, electricity, and carbon auction markets.

Michael Marcus

Director, Marcus Spectrum Solutions LLC

Michael Marcus is a native of Boston and received S.B. and Sc.D. degrees in electrical engineering from MIT. Prior to joining the FCC in 1979, he worked at Bell Labs on the theory of telephone switching, served in the Air Force where he was involved in underground nuclear test detection research, and analyzed electronic warfare issues at the Institute for Defense Analyses.

At FCC his work focused on proposing and developing policies for cutting edge radio technologies such as spread spectrum/CDMA and millimeterwaves. Wi-Fi is one outcome of his early leadership. He also participated in complex spectrum sharing policy formulation involving rulemakings such as ultrawideband and MVDDS. Awarded a Mike Mansfield Fellowship in 1997, he studied the Japanese language and spent at year at the FCC’s Japanese counterpart.

He retired from FCC in March 2004 after servicing a senior technical advisor to the Spectrum Policy Task Force and codirecting the preparation of the FCC’s cognitive radio rulemaking. Immediately after retirement he lived in Paris France for 3 years, consulting for US and European clients. In 2006 he was appointed Special Advisor to Mrs. Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society & Media.

He is now Director of Marcus Spectrum Solutions LLC, an independent consulting firm based in the Washington DC area and focusing on wireless technology and policy. He is also Adjunct Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. Recognized as a Fellow of the IEEE “for leadership in the development of spectrum management policies” and he also received IEEE-USA’s first Electrotechnology Transfer Award (1994).

Dean Brenner

Vice President, Government Affairs, Qualcomm

Biography to appear here shortly...

Jennifer A. Warren

Vice President, Technology & Policy Regulation, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Lockheed Martin

Jennifer A. Warren is Vice President, Technology Policy & Regulation, in LM Washington Operations’ Government and Regulatory Affairs. In this position, she is responsible for managing the development and implementation of corporate domestic and international regulatory and associated policy strategies affecting business interests and opportunities, including spectrum, cybersecurity, energy, environment, supply chain security, and emerging technologies.

In 1996, Ms. Warren joined Lockheed Martin as a Director in Space & Strategic Missiles Sector, and subsequently became a Government Affairs Director in Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications. She then joined Washington Operations in 2001 as Senior Director, Trade & Regulatory Affairs. From 1991-1996, Ms. Warren served in various capacities at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, including Senior Legal Advisor, International Bureau and Assistant Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.

Prior to joining the US Government, Ms. Warren worked for the Commission of the European Union in Brussels, with particular focus on EU-Japan and EU-US issues, and in Washington, DC with a focus on EU-US trade.

Ms. Warren is a graduate of Georgetown University (B.S. in Languages) and Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.), and is a member of the Women’s Bar Association of DC, and the Illinois State and D.C. Bars. She is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center where she teaches annually a course on Global Communications Policy & Regulation.

Ms. Warren holds leadership positions in several professional and civic organizations. She sits on the Board of TechAmerica’s Commercial Sector, serves as Vice-Chair of the Satellite Industry Association, and Chair of the US ITU Association; she also represents Lockheed Martin in several trade associations, including NAM’s Public Affairs Steering Committee, and sits on two Federal Advisory Committees. She also serves as Chair-Elect of the Foundation of the Federal Communications Bar Association, and is a founding member of the Young Founders Society of the Foundation of the National Archives & Records Administration.

Richard S.Whitt

Director and Managing Counsel for Telecom and Media Policy, Google, Inc.

Richard S. Whitt is Director and Managing Counsel for Telecom and Media Policy for Google Inc. In that capacity, Rick is responsible for Google’s strategy and advocacy on all wireline, wireless, and media matters before the Federal Communications Commission, other Federal agencies, and the U.S. Congress. Most recently he has been representing the company’s interests on a variety of broadband policy issues, spectrum policy matters, and “unregulation” of VoIP and other Web-based applications.

Prior to joining Google in January 2007, Rick founded and headed NetsEdge Consulting, a public policy consulting firm that provided legal analysis, regulatory strategy, and advocacy counsel to Google and other Web companies. From 1994 to 2006, Rick worked in the legal department at MCI Communications, where he most recently served as vice president for federal law and policy. Rick previously spent over five years as an associate attorney in the communications practices of two large D.C.-based law firms.

Rick is a 1988 cum laude graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and a 1984 magna cum laude graduate of James Madison University. He is a resident of Washington, D.C.

Andres Maz

Executive Director of Advanced Technology Policy, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Andres is Executive Director of Advanced Technology Policy in Cisco’s Global Policy group and Board Member of Cisco’s Brazil and Mexico boards. Andres is a recognized business leader in the ICT space in Latin America and frequently speaks at industry
forums on technology policy.

Andres has an outstanding track record in the telecommunications and technology industry, providing strategic advice to business and policy leaders worldwide on the intersection between technology and policy.

Andres plays a vital role in crafting Cisco’s vision and strategy for Latin America, which is one of the fastest growing regions for the company. Andres has built strong partnerships with senior government leaders across the region, counseling them on broadband deployment strategies, mobility, wireless, and security. Andres has also partnered with service providers across the region, advising them on tech policy, new business models, cloud computing, managed services, and strategy development.

Andres previously worked for Verizon Business, where he focused on corporate strategy, M&A, and business development. Prior to the Verizon-MCI merger, he was responsible for MCI's corporate and regulatory subsidiaries in emerging markets. Over
his career, he has worked in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

Andres holds a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Telecommunications, and an MBA from Columbia and London Business School. He is fluent in Spanish and English and is continuing to improve his Portuguese.

Carmelo Rivera

Vice-Chairman, WRC-12 Regional Preparatory Group, CITEL

Biography to appear here shortly...

José Alfredo Rizek

Minister, Telecommunications Advisor to the President of the Dominican Republic, Government of the Dominican Republic

Mr. Rizek has held top legal and management positions in major institutions and corporations, such as the Dominican Association of Industrial Free Trade Zones, the Foundation of Institutionalism and Justice (FINJUS), Centennial Dominicana and the Dominican telecommunications regulator. He served on several management level positions at the Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos, C. por A. (CODETEL). From 2004 to 2008, he served as the Executive Director of INDOTEL, the Dominican Republic’s telecommunications regulator where he led a comprehensive overhaul and reform of the most important regulations for the telecommunications sector.

Born in 1973, he has had extensive experience as an international advisor in the field of telecommunications, market regulation and competition, judicial reform and governance. He has also been involved in crafting legislative reforms for the Dominican justice system and economic law, counseling clients on international financing for infrastructure projects, mergers and acquisitions, licensing of mobile operators at the regional level, market transactions in capital markets, joint ventures and capitalization.

He has been honored as “Outstanding Young Person of the Dominican Republic” in 2004 by Jaycees International, and was appointed in August 2008 as the Telecommunications Advisor to the President of the Dominican Republic, serving in INDOTEL’s Board. He is a Senior Partner in Medina & Rizek Abogados, one of the most prestigious law firms of the Dominican Republic, as well as Of Counsel in the Florida-based Shutts & Bowen, LLP.

Publications: “Principales Precedentes Administrativos y Regulatorios: Ocho años de Jurisprudencia Administrativa” (2007); Column “Regulación y Mercado”, El Caribe newspaper (2004); Column “Regulación y Mercado”, El Siglo newspaper (2001); “Reforma Judicial: Balance y Perspectivas”, (2003); “el Contrato de Interconexión: Naturaleza y Efectos” (Pending publication); “Interconnection Guidelines: Best Practices in the Americas”, (1999); “La nueva Regulación del Espectro Radioeléctrico”, (1996); “Políticas de Telecomunicaciones para Las Américas (Libro Azul), (1995); “La competencia en la Industria de las Telecomunicaciones de la República Dominicana”, (1995).

Amit Nagpal

Partner, Aetha Consulting

Amit Nagpal advises fixed and mobile operators, regulators/government bodies, financial institutions and equipment manufacturers on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. In particular, Amit Nagpal assists organisations with commercial & technical due diligence, radio spectrum policy development and spectrum valuation and auction support. Prior to founding his own consulting company, Amit was a Senior Partner at Analysys Mason, a specialist telecoms strategy consultancy, where he advised on several multi-billion dollar M&A and debt financing transactions as well as leading numerous high-profile regulatory studies. In the area of spectrum management, Amit's experience has included:

* leading high-profile studies for the European Commission (harmonised approach to the digital dividend, introduction of spectrum trading)

* supporting spectrum users (e.g. O2, KPN, UPC), industry bodies (e.g. GSM Association, UMTS Forum, TETRA Association) and regulations (e.g. Ofcom in the UK, NITA in Denmark, MinEZ in the Netherlands) on major policy issues such as (i) the future demand for spectrum e.g. for wireless broadband services (ii) liberalisation of mobile spectrum/GSM licence renewal and (iii) the award of the digital dividend (800MHz) and 2.6GHz bands.

Amit is able to bring a global perspective to his work having undertaken projects for clients in Europe, North America, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Richard Marsden

Vice President, NERA

Richard Marsden is a Vice President at NERA Economic Consulting, where he specialises in auctions and economic issues concerning radio spectrum. He has more than 12 years of experience in microeconomics, political economy, and business consulting. He has managed projects on regulation, competition, public policy, and business strategy for a diverse client base, including regulators and private companies in more than 25 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Richard has undertaken auction projects across a wide range of sectors, including airport slots, broadcasting, mobile telephony, power generation and renewables, retail sites, and wireless broadband. His project experience includes the design and implementation of combinatorial auctions (both multiple-round and sealed bid) for radio spectrum in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and the UK, and SMR auctions in Hong Kong and Norway. He has provided strategy advice to bidders in spectrum auctions worldwide, including Canada (AWS, 2008 and PCS, 2001), Finland (2.6GHz, 2009), and 3G/cellular mobile awards in Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the UK.

Prior to joining NERA, Mr. Marsden was a Director and Managing Consultant at DotEcon, where he focused on auctions, public policy, and strategy projects. While there, he regularly managed projects involving teams of programmers, econometricians, academics, and technology consultants. Notably, he managed the project team advising Ofcom on UK spectrum auctions between 2005 and 2010. He also completed major studies for the European Commission on allocation of the digital dividend, and on spectrum trading and liberalisation.

Ambassador David A. Gross

Partner, Wiley Rein LLC

Ambassador Gross is one of the world’s foremost experts on international telecommunications, having addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and led more U.S. delegations to major international telecommunication conferences than anyone in modern history. Drawing on his more than 25 years of experience as a global policy maker and corporate executive, he assists U.S. companies seeking to enter or expand international businesses, as well as non-U.S. companies and organizations seeking to invest in, monitor and understand the U.S. market. Amb. Gross advises foreign companies on non-U.S. countries and opportunities and informs clients regarding the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperative (APEC), as well as other international bodies.

Chantale LaCasse

Senior Vice President, NERA

Chantale LaCasse is a Senior Vice President at NERA Economic Consulting. Her practice concentrates on providing advice on the design and implementation of auctions. She has provided advice to a broad base of clients, including regulators, electric utilities, auction participants, and governments. She has worked in several jurisdictions in the United States, including New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, as well as in other countries such as Canada, Spain, Singapore, and Ireland. She has provided conceptual advice on auction design and practical advice for the implementation of a variety of auction formats including sealed bids, multiple round auctions, and combinatorial auctions. She has managed various auctions, performing bidder qualification and managing the bid submission and evaluation process. She has testified as an expert witness before state regulatory agencies on matters related to the design and implementation of auctions. Her recent engagements include bidding advice to participants in recent spectrum auctions, the design and implementation of a clock auction to procure electric supply for New Jersey and Pennsylvania customers, as well as managing a competitive bidding process for financing of solar generation projects.

Prior to joining NERA in 2001, Dr. LaCasse was an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Alberta (Canada), where she trained graduate students in game theory and provided consulting advice on auctions and competition matters. She had previously held a full-time academic position at the University of Ottawa (Canada) and had been a visiting professor in the Institute for Policy Analysis in Toronto (Canada) as well as in the Departament d’Economia I d’Història Econòmica of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain). She held the TD MacDonald Chair at the Competition Bureau in Canada, where she provided advice on the design of Canada’s first spectrum auction.