The pandemic has taught us — yet again — about the importance of broadband access.
This session was available to ticket holders of the 2020 Texas Tribune Festival for the duration of the monthlong event.
Check out the Festival website for some of our freely available favorite sessions, and sign up to receive updates from the Festival team about available session videos, upcoming events and news on #TribFest21.
This session is supported by Comcast and Educate Texas.
Barton is a senior adviser in the San Antonio Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where she focuses on the Community Reinvestment Act, the digital economy, affordable housing and small business development. She also serves on the steering committee for the Digital Inclusion Alliance San Antonio and the collective impact project Digital Opportunity for the Rio Grande Valley.
Harris is the state program director for Connected Nation, a nonprofit that works to ensure all Texans have widespread broadband access, and serves on the Governor’s Broadband Development Council. Previously, she worked on legislation, public policy and communications for multiple members of the Texas Legislature, consulted public and private sector clients on government affairs, and worked on policy and communications at the Florida Department of Education.
Martinez is the external relations specialist for Taylor Telecom, a broadband provider covering 14 cities and nine counties. He has 11 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and has worked in media, multimedia and education. Martinez works with state and federal legislative and regulatory issues as they relate to the telecommunications industry in rural cities.
Irving served on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where he helped establish some of the earliest domestic and international internet policies. Previously, he served as vice president of Global Government Affairs for the Hewlett-Packard Company and was a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Project’s technology team. Irving was inducted to the Internet Hall of Fame in 2019 for his work identifying and advocating solutions for the “digital divide.”
