Broadband Development Conference
Comcast, Vice President, ISP and Network Engineering
Reji Tharakan is Vice President of ISP & Network Engineering for Comcast's National Network Organization (NNO), where he leads national engineering teams responsible for the reliability, resiliency, and evolution of one of the world's largest broadband networks. His organization oversees ISP and headend engineering, access and core network capacity, critical infrastructure, fiber connectivity, systems integration, and network modernization initiatives that support millions of residential and business customers across the United States.
Throughout more than 26 years with Comcast, Reji has held progressively senior leadership roles, driving large-scale engineering transformations, strengthening operational excellence, and delivering strategic investments that enhance network performance, customer experience, and business growth.
A recognized technology and operations executive, Reji is passionate about leveraging artificial intelligence, automation, and data-driven decision-making to modernize engineering organizations while maintaining strong governance and customer-focused leadership. He is a strong advocate for developing high-performing teams, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and building resilient, scalable technology platforms that enable innovation and exceptional customer experiences. His leadership philosophy centers on empowering people, simplifying complexity, and delivering sustainable business outcomes through operational excellence and continuous innovation.
A dynamic discussion among state broadband officials about multiple broadband programs (BEAD, CPF, SLFRF and RDOF) converging 2026 deadlines and the collaboration required to overcome the barriers to deployment ensuring the promise of universal broadband is finally delivered.
We will discuss BEAD’s broad bipartisan support with potential to be a major win for federal, state, and local governments. Specifically, we will explore the opportunities at the local level for BEAD, and some of the challenges that still need addressing.
Federal, state, and local governments have varying authorities and roles to address barriers to BEAD deployment. We plan to examine the unique role state broadband offices can play in helping overcome obstacles related to permitting, poles, and easements.
This panel will cover:
Permitting - Permitting challenges impacting network expansion across the country. We will discuss concrete steps state and local governments can take to reduce permitting delays, and which broadband ready practices states have already taken and those outcomes.
Pole Attachments - We wil also include questions about how states should balance pole replacement funding, utility responsibility, and fair cost distribution, and what innovations in undergrounding or grid modernization can accelerate BEAD builds.
Easements and Rights of Way - Included discussion around how states can clarify or modernize antiquated easement laws to support rural buildout, and where federal and state authorities need tighter coordination.
