BICSI, the association for advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, announced the details of its opening keynote session, to take place during the 2020 BICSI Winter Conference & Exhibition (February 9-13) at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL.
The opening keynote will take the form of a panel discussion, titled "Public Policy in a Changing World—How Will It Impact the ICT Professional?"
Moderating the panel will be Charles Wilson, executive director of the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), a not-for-profit association representing the connected technologies industry. Wilson currently sits on numerous industry boards and councils and often speaks on emerging technologies, innovation, codes and standards, and regulatory issues, as well as legislative and industry advocacy concerns.
The premise of the panel discussion, according to BICSI, is thus:
"The year 2019 saw an alarming uptick in proposed legislation to address the changing ICT industry and 2020 is promising to have even more activity. Technology, safety and the human element are often at odds with each other. Rapidly advancing technology continues to change the ways we work and live. The panel will discuss key topics facing ICT professionals, including: low-voltage licensing; O*NET industry classifications and code assignments; and public work development initiatives. In addition, a focus will be placed on the landscape and some of the challenges and opportunities, as well as the importance in implementing new strategies and defending competency-based programs for the design, installation and integration of ICT fields."
Joining Wilson on the opening keynote panel will be:
Joseph Lee | Senior Manager, State and Local Government Affairs | Cisco Systems -- Lee covers the entire country and monitors state legislation that ranges from cloud computing, Power over Ethernet, cybersecurity and procurement. Before Cisco, he was a Manager of State Government Affairs at RELX (LexisNexis and Elsevier). Joseph has worked in state government public policy for 13 years.
Pat McMurray, RCDD, DCDC, NTS, OSP, PMP | President | T&R Communications, Inc. -- McMurray joined T&R Communications, Inc. in 1985 and was made a partner shortly after, managing the technical portion of the business. Today, he is President of T&R Communications and serves as the BICSI Western Region Director. He is also active with Northern California IBEW-NECA.
Ron Tellas, BSEE, MSEE, MBA | Technology and Applications Manager, Enterprise Networks | Belden -- Tellas joined Belden in 2016 to help define the roadmap of technology and applications in the enterprise. He is a subject-matter expert in RF design and electromagnetic propagation. He represents Belden in the ISO WG3 committee, and on the TIA TR42 Premises Cabling Standards and IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Groups.
The opening keynote will take place on Tuesday, February 11, from 8:45-9:30 a.m. in the West Hall at the Tampa Convention Center.
BICSI's Winter Conference program also includes dozens of technical sessions covering topics such as 5G systems; the Internet of Things (IoT); smart cities and intelligent buildings; data centers; Power over Ethernet (PoE); and more.
In addition, the conference hosts a large exhibition featuring more than 150 companies featuring their latest ICT products and services, as well as the all-new PoE Lighting Pavilion, an area of the show floor dedicated to exhibitors that thrive on the business of delivering data and power over a single Ethernet cable.
More information and registration for the BICSI Winter Conference can be found at bicsi.org/winter.