VETRO, Inc. Welcomes Brian Mefford as Vice President of Broadband Strategy

Brian will establish VETRO’s Digital Divide Solutions Practice as a much-needed bridge between public interest and technology. “We will take the value of the VETRO platform and extend it out to user groups that are focused on solving digital divide issues. The VETRO FiberMap platform becomes a central hub through which words, ideas and hopes become tangible action in the form of building new networks. We’re providing the tools that turn aspiration into reality,” Brian explains.

Before coming to VETRO, Brian founded Connected Nation, a nonprofit focused on enriching community broadband access, and served as the organization’s Chairman and CEO for nearly a decade. During his time at Connected Nation, Brian led the spin out of CNX, a collaborative platform for establishing broadband public/private partnerships focused on enabling public entities to organize and share assets that support network deployment with private partners. CNX provided the nexus where Brian first met and worked with the founders of VETRO, together developing a 5G asset management software solution.

Brian’s work with broadband funding has been an emotional journey. Of this deep connection to his long time advocacy, Brian says, “I heard someone say recently that they take neither pride nor consolation in having sounded the call for better broadband infrastructure for so long without an adequate response from either the public or private sector. Over the years, I have both shared that frustration and maintained hope that solutions were not out of reach.”

With his arrival at VETRO during the global pandemic, Brian notes that his excitement about the renewed interest in infrastructure is more profound than ever, particularly when it comes to offering practical, attainable solutions to states, local communities, and private solutions providers alike. “Demonstrating how communities can truly use data to build the best networks with a platform like VETRO FiberMap is a move beyond theory to a tangible solution.”

The VETRO FiberMap platform is increasingly relied upon by both grant applicants and State broadband program leaders, who now have a single platform of record for broadband mapping, planning, decision-support, and visibility for grant-funded projects.

“Brian is a uniquely capable and talented Broadband Strategist,” said VETRO CEO Will Mitchell. “His experience cuts across all levels of the public sector, but also ties deeply into the private sector. As a result Brian is perfectly positioned to bring VETRO technology into public private partnerships from the top down and from the community up. We could not be more excited to have him join our team.”

Brian will extend VETRO’s presence in the South Eastern US from an office located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

VETRO will be unveiling new public sector initiatives under Brian’s leadership in the coming weeks.

Welcome, Brian! Connect with Brian on LinkedIn or Twitter. 

Watch Brian’s Testimonial for Better Broadband for All: