Rural Georgia Initiatives Presents: Rural Broadband 101 - Getting Connected for Growth

Join the Rural Georgia Initiatives (RGI) team for an informative webinar on rural broadband in Georgia, featuring Deana Perry (Executive Director of Broadband, Georgia Department of Community Affairs) and Ashish Narang (technology consultant). 

What You’ll Learn:

• Gain a better understanding of DCA’s Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative and the recently released Georgia Broadband Map
• What is 5G and how is it different from fiber and does your community need to have it
• What various technology resources your community can tie into for connectivity assistance

Rural Broadband 101 – Presentation Slides:

Speakers:

Deana Perry - Executive Director of Broadband, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Deana Perry has served as the Executive Director of the Rural Broadband Program at the Department of Community Affairs since its inception in 2018. The mission of this program is to provide planning, deployment, and incentives for broadband services and other emerging communications technologies throughout the state.

Perry came to DCA from the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, where she spent more than three years working with communities to develop broadband strategy. In this role, she promoted the need to identify broadband assets, drafted policy revisions and identified funding opportunities. Prior to her work at Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Perry served as an advisor to Parker FiberNet/Appalachian Valley Fiber Network on compliance and building alliances for public private partnerships. From 2010-14, she was the Program Manager with AVFN for a $26 million broadband stimulus grant funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Previously, Perry was Controller for Parker Systems where she directed all financial management functions and provided financial guidance to pursue the company’s growth strategy. She worked with PFN/AVFN and its affiliates for more than 15 years.

Perry holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia Southern University. Perry and her husband Tim, an attorney in Chattooga County, have one son and reside in Trion.

Ashish Narang - Technology Consultant, HighQ Solutions

Ashish Narang is a seasoned, transformational leader in the technology space. With over 25 years of industry experience in engagement across technologies and disciplines, he’s on a mission to educate communities on the complex world of technology.  

Ashish has over 25 years of rich and diverse experience in technology strategy, digital transformation, service management, operations excellence, merger & acquisitions, and strategic partner management supporting Telco Network ecosystem from RF planning, design, BSS, OSS, NOC, RF optimization, transport – microwave and fiber, EPC, core, analytics, R&D and service management supporting all technologies.

Ashish  currently runs his own consulting company, HighQ Solutions, and is actively consulting as a Vice President of Technology & Network Strategy for Mastec Network Solutions (Division of Mastec - a fortune 500 Company) responsible for developing services for new technologies like 5G, Private LTE, IOT and network virtualization through M&A and partnerships.

Ashish has worked across the globe from the start of the mobile wireless technology in the 90’s. He led teams across several technical and business organizations in Cingular Wireless / AT&T. He has vast experience working for startup companies like Celcite, where Ashish led teams across the globe including in South America, NAM, EMEA and APAC which led to successful acquisition by Amdocs.

Ashish holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications from India and completed his MBA in 2009 from Kennesaw State University’s Michael J Coles College of Business. 

When he is not formulating Strategy or advocating for technology for Broadband, Ashish enjoys coaching Lacrosse. He migrated to the U.S. seeking the American dream and is now settled in Duluth, GA.

The Rural Georgia Initiatives Team

The Rural Georgia Initiatives division helps communities become more competitive for economic development projects and identify new strategies for attracting jobs and investment. This division works diligently to advance these strategies, thereby improving the quality of life for those residing in Georgia’s rural communities.