Jonathan S. Adelstein is the President & CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). WIA represents nearly 200 companies devoted to building wireless broadband facilities that connect every corner of America. Since he became President in 2012, over 100 new members have joined the association, the annual wireless infrastructure show has broken participation records, a new association was formed in Europe, and a new nationwide training initiative and WIA PAC were launched. WIA is the principal organization representing the companies that build, design, own and manage telecommunications facilities throughout the world. Its members include carriers, infrastructure providers and professional services firms, with a combined market cap of over $400 billion.
Mr. Adelstein served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2002 to 2009, for which he was twice nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At the FCC he achieved bipartisan progress on issues including broadband expansion, widening access to the Internet and media diversity. In 2009, following the FCC, Mr. Adelstein was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Administrator of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. There, he oversaw a $60 billion portfolio of rural electric, water, and telecommunications infrastructure loans. He spearheaded the strategic investment of nearly $7 billion under the Recovery Act into rural broadband and water infrastructure, as part of annual budgets of up to $15 billion. As a member of the Obama Administration, Mr. Adelstein was appointed as a member of the White House National Science and Technology Council, which coordinates science and technology policy across the Federal government, and the White House Business Council, leading Council meetings with business leaders across America. Previously, Mr. Adelstein held a number of legislative staff positions over 15 years in the U.S. Senate, culminating as a senior policy advisor to the Senate Majority Leader.
Mr. Adelstein received an M.A. in History and a B.A., with Distinction, in Political Science from Stanford University. He attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and served as a Teaching Fellow in history at Harvard University and a Teaching Assistant at Stanford University. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover. He was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. An avid musician, he has performed with artists from local garage bands to members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He currently lives with his wife and two children in the Washington, D.C. area.
