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Light Reading Podcasts
The Divide: Why states want the feds to 'get out of the way' of BEAD
Season 5
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This week: Missouri State Rep. Louis Riggs and Benton's Drew Garner join the podcast to discuss their collaborative effort with over 100 state lawmakers to urge the Trump administration to let states proceed with BEAD.
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The Divide: NDIA's Angela Siefer on the fight to restore the Digital Equity Act
27:34||Season 6This week: NDIA's Angela Siefer returns to the podcast to discuss what's happened in the digital inclusion space since the Digital Equity Act was 'ended' by President Trump last year as well as ongoing efforts to restore funding.
The Divide: Gigi Sohn on how to defeat opponents of public broadband
28:42||Season 6This week: Gigi Sohn discusses how 'dark money' defeated a public broadband plan in Longmeadow, Mass., why anti-muni-broadband efforts work in some towns but not others and why grassroots buy-in is key to public broadband success.
The Divide: How permitting problems delay broadband builds
31:27||Season 6This week: Execs with Brightspeed, Ziply Fiber and CentraCom discuss the biggest problems with broadband permitting; how inconsistent timelines, requirements and costs cause deployment delays; and what reforms are most needed.
Wireless Infrastructure Association CEO braces for the AI and 6G era
34:31||Season 1Patrick Halley, the president and CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, discusses the top trends in the industry and how AI and 6G are poised to come together.
The Divide: Blair Levin on 30 years of the Telecom Act and what must come next
34:59||Season 6Former FCC official Blair Levin joins the podcast to discuss BEAD program updates and how the federal government can best prepare for the future of connectivity and AI as we mark 30 years of the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
The Divide: Carol Mattey on BEAD hope and hysteria, and stalled USF reform
38:34||Season 6This week: Former FCC official Carol Mattey joins the podcast to discuss the outcome of states' revised BEAD plans and what's next, as well as why she's not optimistic the Universal Service Fund will be reformed anytime soon.
Cable shows signs of improvement, but is it out of the woods?
29:24||Season 1New Street Research's Vikash Harlalka joins the podcast to discuss cable's latest round of financial results, including the improvements and the significant challenges the industry will continue to face in 2026.
The Divide: IEEE's David Witkowski on broadband progress and the AI impact
34:34||Season 6This week: IEEE Senior Member David Witkowski joins the podcast to catch up on topics impacting the connectivity landscape – from the BEAD program to the evolution of FWA and satellite broadband to the growth of AI.
From Risk to Opportunity: How Network Operators Can Leverage Resilient Positioning, Navigation & Timing
28:02||Season 5With GPS supporting so much of the U.S’s critical infrastructure, it is a known single point of risk. NextNav’s Mariam Sorond joins Light Reading to discuss how operators whose own networks are vulnerable to GPS attacks, can help solve the national security challenge with GPS, secure their networks with a resilient terrestrial timing back-up and open up opportunities by offering 3D PNT capabilities. Sponsored by NextNav.