David P. Reed, Ph.D.
Broadband Technology • Telecommunications Policy • Spectrum Management • Internet Economics
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Senior research associate and Adjunct Professor
Senior research associate and Adjunct Professor
Computer Science Department
College of Engineering & Applied Science
University of Colorado Boulder
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow
Silicon Flatirons Center
University of Colorado Law School
Univerisy of Colorado Boulder
Google Scholar link
For more than thirty-five years, I have worked at the intersection of engineering, economics, and public policy to help shape the evolution of broadband communications.
My career has spanned government, industry, and academia ranging from pioneering fiber-to-the-home research at Carnegie Mellon University, to helping develop early spectrum policy at the Federal Communications Commission, to leading broadband technology strategy at CableLabs during the rapid expansion of broadband Internet. Today, I conduct research and teach graduate courses at the University of Colorado Boulder on broadband infrastructure, Internet performance, spectrum management, telecommunications policy, and the future of digital communications.
This experience has provided a rare opportunity to participate in nearly every major phase of the modern broadband era and has shaped an interdisciplinary perspective on how communications technologies, economics, and public policy influence the future of digital infrastructure.
research
research
Conducting interdisciplinary research on broadband infrastructure, Internet performance, broadband reliability, telecommunications economics, spectrum management, and digital divide policy. Current projects examine broadband measurement, network availability, next-generation wireless systems, and the evolution of broadband platforms. Learn more about my research →
graduate education
graduate education
Teaching graduate courses at the University of Colorado Boulder and developing online professional education through Coursera. My courses emphasize the intersection of engineering, economics, and public policy using real-world case studies and emerging communications technologies. Learn more about my teaching →
Professional service
Professional service
Supporting the communications research community through leadership roles with Silicon Flatirons, the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC), IEEE, and other national organizations, while contributing to conferences, workshops, and public-interest initiatives. Learn more about my service →
advisory and consulting
advisory and consulting
Providing independent technical and policy expertise to government agencies, industry, law firms, and nonprofit organizations in broadband technology, telecom policy, spectrum management, engineering economics, and expert technical analysis. Learn more about my advising and consulting →
Featured research
Featured research
Broadband after BEAD: The Emerging Policy Challenge of Network Availability (accepted to TPRC54 in September 2026)
Broadband Clearinghouse: An Open Dataset of Internet Performance Data
Longitudinal analysis of the FCC's Measuring Broadband America dataset (2011–2023) to characterize the evolution of broadband performance of broadband speed and latency over this time across major technology types (paper published in Telecommunications Policy Journal, June 2026)
Primer of a Spectrum Management Framework for Graduate Instruction and Career Development
recent and upcoming activities
recent and upcoming activities
August 10, 2026
Presentation of Broadband 101 seminar at the Mountain Connect Conference in Denver, Colorado
July 2026
As the Frontier Complicance Monitor, completed my Eighth Semi-Annual Frontier Compliance Report for the California Public Utilities Commission (my compliance reports are not publicly available, here is the public website of documents, rulings, and decisions associated with the the CPUC's approval of Frontier's bankruptcy in 2021)
June 2026
Completed development of free Coursera course for SpectrumX on Spectrum Management and Policy (to be released this fall)
May 2026
Taught CYBR 5420 Spectrum Management and Policy graduate course as a Maymester.
April 2026
Benchmarking Internet Progress: Longitudinal Analysis of the FCC's Measuring Broadband America Data, 2011-2023 paper published in Telecommunications Policy Journal
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