Brian Rathbone

Broadband Planner
Broadband Catalysts

Brian Rathbone spent most of his 25-year technology career in the private sector consulting for mid-sized companies, manufacturers, dot coms, and NASCAR teams. In 2010, while working with a small wireless ISP (WISP), Brian was hired by the non-profit e-NC Authority as Technical Assistance Director for 31 counties in Western, North Carolina. He continued this work at the statewide level in the North Carolina Department of Commerce Broadband Division (NC Broadband). Rathbone was a driving force behind the development of the North Carolina open-source broadband map and created the original prototype.

In 2014, Brian realized a long-time dream of writing fiction full-time as a bestselling self-published author. When the opportunity to contribute to a Broadband Planning Primer and Toolkit for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) came along, Rathbone couldn’t resist. A new company, Broadband Catalysts, grew out of this effort and is now participating in the Cool and Connected program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service, EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities, and the Appalachian Regional Commission. In concert with this effort, Rathbone has spearheaded the development of an open-source, nationwide broadband availability and citizen-sourced demand aggregation and mapping system. http://map.broadbandcatalysts.com