Governor Patrick Appoints Members To Massachusetts Broadband Institute Board Of Directors

08:52AM / Thursday, January 15, 2009

BOSTON, Mass. – Governor Deval Patrick appointed four members with a cross-section of expertise in advanced telecommunications and broadband technologies to the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).

The new members are:

* Brian Burke, Northeast Director, State Government Affairs / Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Corporation;

* Dr. David Clark, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Advanced Network Architecture Group, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology;

* Linda Dunlavy, Executive Director, Franklin Regional Council of Governments; and

* Rick Oliveri, Director of Technology Management, Baystate Health and Co-Chair, Pioneer Valley Connect

An Act Establishing and Funding the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, signed by Governor Patrick in August, established the Massachusetts Broadband Institute under the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The law is aimed at making affordable broadband available in cities and towns that currently lack access to high-speed Internet.

“When we expand the availability of broadband, we create a whole host of educational and economic opportunities for our Commonwealth and for our citizens,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “The collective knowledge and experience of this board will help us forge successful public-private partnerships that close broadband gaps and let everyone take part in today’s 21st century global economy.”

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute manages the Massachusetts Broadband Incentive Fund. The public purpose $40 million investment fund is designed to leverage private sector and federal investment by financing the construction and acquisition of broadband infrastructure.

The Board will also be responsible for working with Broadband Institute staff to assess broadband penetration and access in the Commonwealth, engaging with stakeholder and broadband service providers and monitoring compliance and impacts of Broadband Institute investments.

“We are truly fortunate to have a Board of Directors that will bring an unsurpassed level of expertise in telecommunications to guide the Broadband Institute,” noted Housing and Economic Development Secretary Dan O’Connell. “The strategic investments that the Broadband Institute Board of Directors will make will bring private companies to the table and ignite the competition that will make broadband accessible and affordable throughout the Commonwealth.”

The complete Broadband Institute Board of Directors is as follows:

* Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Dan O’Connell (ex-officio)
  o C. Stanley McGee, Assistant Secretary for Policy and Strategic Planning, designee

* Secretary of Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan (ex officio)
  o Jay Gonzalez, Undersecretary , designee

* Sharon Gillett, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications of Cable (ex officio)

* Mitchell Adams, Executive Director, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (ex officio)

* Don Dubendorf, Chair of John Adams Innovation Institute Governing Board (ex officio)

* Brian Burke, Northeast Director, State Government Affairs / Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Corporation

* Dr. David Clark, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Advanced Network Architecture Group, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence    Laboratory (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology

* Linda Dunlavy, Executive Director, Franklin Regional Council of Governments

* Rick Oliveri, Director of Technology Management, Baystate Health and Co-Chair, Pioneer Valley Connect

For complete bios of Board Members, please visit http://www.masstech.org/broadband/.