Christopher
Ali

Christopher Ali is the Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications and professor of telecommunications in Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. His research focuses on broadband policy and deployment, specifically in rural America, and media industries. Current projects include studying the digital divide at higher education institutions, digital equity, Americans’ investments into the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and broadband projects undertaken in the U.S. and abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ali’s research has appeared in leading academic journals, including Communication Theory, Media Culture & Society, and Telecommunications Policy. He also is the author of two books, “Media Localism: The Policies of Place” and “Farm Fresh Broadband: The Politics of Rural Connectivity.” Based on his expertise, Ali has been called on to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on broadband funding and policy programs. He has also briefed members of the House Democrats Task Force on Rural Broadband, the New York State Blue Ribbon Commission on Re-Imagining New York, and has presented before numerous state and county governments. He currently serves as chair of the Communication Law and Policy Division of the International Communication Association, associate editor of the journal Communication Law & Policy, and on the Federal Communication Commission’s Communication Equity and Diversity Council Working Group.