About this Testimony:The Board of Trade has been a strong supporter of small cell infrastructure deployment in Washington D.C. to expand 5G internet access, which will provide better wireless service for first responders, allow for better education resources for students, and help grow community connectivity. On July 18, Danial Flores, GWBOT’s Vice President of Government Relations, submitted a testimony at D.C. Council’s Public Space Committee hearing.
Good morning and thank you to the Public Space Committee for allowing me to testify this morning on the importance of small cells in Washington, D.C.
My name is Daniel Flores, Vice President, Government Relations. I’m speaking today on behalf of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, which represents all industry sectors in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and northern Virginia. For over 130 years, we have prided ourselves on our non-partisan commitment to the businesses that make our region thrive.
One of our top priorities as an organization is to support innovative solutions that improve our economy here in the DMV – and we believe that the proposal under consideration is one of those innovative solutions.
Considering we’re all joining this meeting via Zoom this morning, we all know just how important connectivity is to conducting business in our modern world. Innovative technology and connectivity have been proven to create better access to health, transportation, education and more.
But in pockets of the DMV, particularly high-traffic areas like downtown D.C., it can sometimes be hard to access cellular service. We commend the Public Space Committee for taking action in 2019 to allow the installation of small cells on existing infrastructure, but more must be done to ensure that all of D.C. has ready access to cell service.
The proposal before the Public Space Committee would allow small cells to be installed as standalone poles. An estimated 80 poles are needed to greatly improve connectivity throughout the District, and these poles would be as unobtrusive as the light poles or the Capital Bike Share stands we have all grown used to seeing throughout the city. This commonsense solution doesn’t even cost any taxpayer funding; rather, the carriers will cover the costs of installing the small cells and bringing greater connectivity to the District. It’s a win for businesses, for residents, for visitors, and for our government.
Without the installation of new small cells, D.C. runs the risk of falling behind in today’s digital economy at time when mobile data consumption is growing exponentially. Average monthly mobile data usage in North America is expected to grow by 216% per smartphone by 2028, and 5G networks will carry an estimated 69% of total mobile data traffic. Wireless “smart cities” will see $160 billion in benefits and savings through things like lower energy use and congestion. Throughout the United States, 5G connectivity is expected to drive up sales by $2.7 trillion and add up to $1.5 trillion to the U.S. GDP by 2025. Closer to home, the 5G economy is estimated to provide over $8.6 billion in economic benefits to D.C. and over 23,000 jobs.
The Greater Washington Board of Trade urges the Public Space Committee to approve the installation of standalone small cells throughout the District. Thank you for your consideration.
After a 12-year hiatus, the Potomac Conference met at the Catholic University of America on July 9 to discuss the region’s economy, transportation, and security, focusing on one key point – public safety.
The Conference – co-hosted by the Greater Washington Board of Trade (GWBOT), the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP), the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), and the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (Consortium) – brought together leaders in the region’s government, law enforcement, non-profit, private, and academic sectors, where they had the opportunity to address the critical issue of ensuring safe communities while strengthening economic growth.
The morning began with welcome remarks from Kathy Hollinger, President and CEO of GWP, who thanked sponsors and partners before introducing the Keynote Speaker. Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer delivered his Keynote Address, providing attendees with an overview of the national landscape and climate of public safety.
Andrew Flagel, President and CEO of the Consortium, also provided insight on the role of the region’s universities in promoting public safety before introducing a data-driven discussion on violence impacting the region, presented by Hanna Love of the Brookings Institute.
Love introduced her work at the Brookings Metro’s Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking, showcasing both the perceptions and realities of crime in the region. While local perceptions of crime spoke to a fear of its intensification, crime trends in downtown D.C. did not dramatically change. It was also made clear that place matters regarding types of crime and the necessary responses. Love called attention to a multifaceted approach to reducing crime, focusing on investments in economic stability, housing, access to quality education, and the built environment.
Strategies, Resources, and Building Community Trust for Public Safety
The Executive Director of COG, Clark Mercer, addressed the importance of partnerships between local governments and institutions before introducing a panel that illustrated such cross-sector collaboration. Moderated by Elliott Ferguson, President & CEO of Destination DC, the panel included Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Transit Chief Michael Anzallo of WMATA, and President Peter Kilpatrick of Catholic University.
The three panelists answered several questions regarding their roles in public safety and crime reduction and provided insight on what was being done within their institutions to address the issues. A key point was the importance of partnerships between law enforcement, private and public institutions, and the Greater Washington community at-large.
Chief Smith emphasized the MPD’s Real Time Crime Center and its new community camera sharing program, CameraConnect DC, through which anyone can connect their security cameras to help law enforcement more accurately solve cases and obtain footage.
“One of the things that we’ve launched with the Real Time Crime Center is the ability to be able to connect your cameras,” said Chief Smith. “We are asking you, your partners, your business, please connect your cameras to our Real Time Crime Center. If you have business, mom-and-pop stores, we really want to use your cameras.”
Strategizing for a Thriving Region Workshop
Emergency Communications: First Net Case Study
The workshop portion of the day, focused around discussing and amplifying resources for a thriving region, was moderated and led by Jack McDougle, President and CEO of GWBOT. The first discussion centered on FirstNet – or First Responder Network Authority – a nationwide communication network for first responders overseen by Congress and AT&T. Melissa Ayala, Assistant VP of Government Programs at AT&T, provided updates on a new phase of FirstNet, including standalone 5G and expanded coverage. Many attendees expressed the need for closing the communication gap about public safety updates between organizations and law enforcement, reinforcing a core theme of the conference – public safety goes beyond policing.
Prevent Gun Violence: Research, Empowerment, Strategies and Solutions
The second workshop focused on gun violence and the role of businesses and communities to provide resources and support for its mitigation. Dr. Joseph Richardson laid out data collected through his work as Co-Director of PROGRESS at the University of Maryland, an initiative centered around preventing gun violence with multi-disciplinary, community-based approaches.
Key metrics stood out from this presentation, including a sobering view on the differences in life expectancy within D.C. itself – one loses 21 years of life expectancy in a 41-minute metro ride across the city from Northwest D.C. to Southeast D.C., according to Richardson’s work on contributing factors that lead to this statistic, which include disparities in economic investments and violent crime in these parts of the District.
Dr. Richardson also shared severe discrepancies in the cost of homicides versus investment in research and implementation, with gun violence costing America over $500B per year but only about $25 million invested in 2020 by the federal government in prevention research.
Attendees shared local stories and company ventures looking to combat this issue by providing after-school programs and gainful employment opportunities, giving those at risk another option beyond resorting to gun violence. Businesses have a responsibility to provide opportunities, many affirmed, with ideas such as increasing involvement to the community and opening hiring to those not “traditionally employable” discussed.
Barriers to Retaining and Attracting Business to the Region
The final workshop began with remarks from Colleen Hawkinson, Executive Director of the DC BID Council, and Shawn Townsend, President & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Hawkinson reaffirmed the importance of public-private partnerships, especially in the DC BID council towards fostering DC’s Business Improvement Districts, while Townsend relayed the hospitality industry’s continued post-pandemic struggles, but also the sector’s focus on economic development and safety.
The workshop included suggestions such as promoting downtown safety and economic growth by recovering vacant spaces, making these vacancies attractive for businesses. The discussion centered again on providing accessible jobs for young people and creating pathways within those jobs for credential building, school programs, and career growth.
The Greater Washington Board of Trade was thrilled to help host and collaborate on this landmark event with our partners, multilateral institutions, businesses, and agencies in the region. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Potomac Conference to facilitate cross-sector dialogue in the region and explore innovative, actionable approaches to enhancing community safety and economic stability.
As of July 1, 2024, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia residents have seen a wave of new legislation take effect across various sectors that have an impact on their daily lives. These changes reflect the region’s commitment to addressing issues and improving the quality of life for those who live within it. These new laws represent an attempt to meet evolving challenges and opportunities throughout the area.
Maryland:
During the 90-day 2024 session, Governor Moore signed 1,049 bills into law, including:
SB 1113: is a model for state-level ticketing reform as it bans speculative ticketing and makes resale platforms accountable for any speculative tickets sold or listed on their site. Additionally, the bill requires all-in pricing throughout the purchasing process and codifies that a ticket is a license and not property.
SB 244/HB 238: This legislation amends the Maryland Clean Indoor Act and makes vaping illegal in indoor public places, public transportation, and places of work.
HB 4: Prohibits institutions of higher education that receive state funds from considering a legacy preference or donor preference as criteria for admissions at the institution.
The Pava LaPere Innovation Acceleration Grant Program: It was established to provide grants to technology-based startup companies founded by students of postsecondary institutions by providing grants to these businesses located within the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metropolitan areas. The program is named in honor of Pava LaPere, founder, and CEO of Baltimore-based startup EcoMap Technologies, who was tragically killed last year.
Virginia:
Simultaneously in Virgina, several significant recent changes have gone into effect, including multiple bipartisan gun reform efforts, changes to higher education, impacts on commerce, etc. that were signed into law by Governor Youngkin. These include:
HB 22/SB 210: Bans devices known as “auto sears” that convert firearms to automatically shoot more than one shot without manual reloading.
Lucia’s Law (HB 36/SB 44): Gun owners will be charged with a felony if they allow a child who poses a potential risk to have access to a firearm. Lucia’s Law was spurred by the 2021 tragic killing of Lucia Bremer, a 13-year-old who another teen fatally shot while she was walking home in Henrico County.
SB 480: A new law concerning Virginia’s public utilities – electric, gas, water, and wastewater- these services cannot be disconnected to a residence during an official state of emergency – and 30 days after- even if a customer is behind on bills or fees. The law goes on to state that utilities cannot cut off service when temperatures are at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit and on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, and the day before a state holiday.
HB 48: Virginia codified similar legislation to the legacy admissions ban in Maryland with the passage of legislation in the state that will now stop public universities and colleges from giving applicants who are related to alumni or donors of the school a boost in their admissions process.
SB 336: State and local law enforcement can now place photo speed monitoring devices at intersections deemed to be “high-risk”, which requires it to be part of or adjacent to an intersection with a marked crosswalk in which a traffic fatality took place in since January 2014.
HB 790: Bans on the sale of liquid nicotine/tobacco products over the internet and through vending machines is now prohibited.
HB 525: Removes Richmond from the list of Virginia’s eligible host cities for a casino, grants the city of Petersburg the ability to hold a vote for a casino project in November, and blocks cities that fail to get a casino project passed by voters for three years.
Washington, D.C.:
Fair Shot Minimum Wage Act of 2016:The law, passed in 2016, includes provisions to further increase minimum wage in subsequent years. Therefore, in Washington, D.C., the minimum wage has increased as of July 1 from $17.00 to $17.50 per hour for non-tipped workers and $10.00 for tipped workers, a $2 increase making it the highest minimum wage in the United States. The wage increases have gone into effect, regardless of the size of the business.
Ashley White “AW” Quinn was recently named the Senior Program Manager at the Greater Washington Board of Trade to continue our organization’s need to serve our members in a quick-moving, always-evolving business environment.
AW graduated from Grove City College in western Pennsylvania, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in communication studies. She has since honed her skills in event management, working in the nonprofit sector and the financial district in D.C. Most recently, she served as Events Manager for the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, where she planned 100+ high-quality and consistently profitable programs, meetings, and special events ranging from networking socials to industry-specific events to 500+ person galas each year.
AW hopes to bring the same passion for thought leadership, member engagement, and community vitality to her new role with GWBOT. Although a Nashville, TN native, she has called the DMV area home for over eight years and currently lives in Leesburg, VA.
The Board of Trade enjoyed connecting and convening with the region’s business community at our annual Regional Chambers Dinner on Tuesday, June 4, in Bethesda, for chambers of commerce located in suburban Maryland, Washington D.C., and Northern Virginia.
Discussions between chambers included addressing the need to invest further as a region in transportation and infrastructure to drive mutual ambitions that will lead to economic and workforce growth across Greater Washington.
The chambers demonstrated their resilience and adaptability by discussing how to address business vacancies in downtown areas still felt after the COVID pandemic. They agreed that furthering engagement with local businesses is key to creating vibrant community involvement that can lead to success in our region.
The chambers also discussed enhancing their organizations by focusing on their strengths without spreading themselves too thin. This is important in today’s business culture and climate, which can sometimes create a feeling of having to do everything and be everywhere at once.
The Board of Trade’s new Senior Vice President of Policy, Shayla Moon, addressed policy and legislative efforts across the region that impact our region and our members and how we strategically address these critical issues. This includes further commitments to our priorities of focus surrounding regional transportation, work and talent, economic sustainability, technology, and health and wellness.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the regional chambers that joined us for our Regional Chambers Dinner. Your presence and contributions are truly valued and appreciated.
Did you know? According to the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, there are more than 7,500 chambers of commerce in the United States.
Sean Drake was recently named Vice President for Policy at the Greater Washington Board of Trade to continue our organization’s efforts to positively impact our members and the region’s business community.
With over a decade of government affairs and policy experience, Sean previously worked as Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy for the International Hearing Society. In this role, he led all government affairs, advocacy, payer advocacy, and policy efforts for the association in the wake of the FDA’s over-the-counter hearing aid policy, which succeeded in expanding access to critical healthcare services for veterans at VA medical centers, including issues related to Medicare and Medicaid Policies.
Sean’s additional professional experience has also allowed him to engage in policy efforts at the city, state, and federal levels, which will be invaluable to the Board of Trade as we push forward on our organization’s goals and initiatives.
Sean’s hiring further expands the work of our growing policy department at the Board of Trade after our organization recently hired Shayla Moon as our Senior Vice President of Policy to lead the department.
Sean is originally from Sarasota, Florida, and is a proud graduate of Florida State University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in political science and international affairs. He also has a Master’s in Public Administration from Penn State University.
With five generations in the current workforce, we’re experiencing a pivotal moment for every generation to come together and shape the future of workplace culture. That’s why business professionals from their early 80s to late 20s convened at the Tower Club Tysons Corner in Vienna, Virginia, on May 17th for the start of our 2024 TD Morning Star Speaker Series. Renowned expert Annie Griffiths from National Geographic captivated the audience by sharing how humor, body language, sincerity, and deeper listening can build a bridge to anyone.
With her decades of experience with National Geographic and her extensive global adventures, Annie offered a unique perspective on how different generations can learn from each other, bridge cultural divides, and foster a more collaborative and communicative workplace. Annie’s personal experiences of entering the workforce and learning from colleagues older and younger than her over the years were a highlight of the event.
From Annie’s speech, our members gleaned a wealth of practical information. She dispelled assumptions, emphasized the importance of building genuine connections, and highlighted the value of mentorship. Annie’s unique perspective helped those in attendance begin to explore how these principles can be applied in our professional environments. While our May 17th session featured an inspiring keynote, our upcoming June 7th workshop will be hands-on and designed to delve deeper into practical strategies for fostering collaboration.
Some additional key takeaways and principles were:
Never underestimate a person’s pride and resilience. People can care passionately about similar and different things. Understanding this can help form cultural and generational understanding in the workplace.
Sometimes, it’s okay to be an “idiot” to learn and understand people from other generations. Making conclusions about colleagues before you know and understand them can limit what you can learn from them.
Don’t assume people cannot learn or think of something that could be specific from one generation to another. As Annie stated, people can learn to do incredible things and are resilient when faced with wanting to understand someone or something when given the chance.
Register now for the second installment of the 2024 TD Bank Morning Star series – an interactive workshop on mastering inter-generational collaboration on June 7th: https://bit.ly/4bkiwvn.
Thank you to the TD Bank team and Terry Kenny, TD’s Market President of the Mid-South Region, for sponsoring the Morning Star Speaker Series. These Morning Star events have helped inspire workforce development and culture in the Greater Washington region for the last 17 years.
Shayla Moon was recently named Senior Vice President for Policy of the Greater Washington Board of Trade to continue our organization’s efforts to engage regional leaders regarding policies and legislation that impact our members and the region’s business community.
Shayla brings an extensive background in public policy, having served in various roles, including Senior Director of Economic and Housing Policy for the National Urban League, Senior Legislative Affairs Specialist for the Department of Commerce, and several trade associations and nonprofit organizations. Her public policy career has included efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina with City Year Inc., issue advocacy on Nuclear Arms Reduction (New START Treaty), ratification of the U.N. CEDAW Treaty, as well as content theft and diversity policy for the Motion Picture Association of America/Creative Future.
Shayla is also an honorably discharged United States Air Force veteran who is actively involved with several civil rights and women’s organizations. She serves on the board of Friends of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son and dog, gaming, skiing, collecting sneakers, and listening to classic jazz and hip-hop records.
The Board of Trade looks forward to the great work that lies ahead for Shayla and our policy department. And to continue the work we have done that creates value for our region’s business community and for our members.
Since 2022, Washington Gas has teamed up with WUSA9 for multiple Recycle Days. On March 9, our Springfield, Virginia location volunteers welcomed hundreds of vehicles to drop off items rerouted from landfills to recycling facilities. All that behind-the-scenes work resulted in 26 tons of old paper being reclaimed for a new future.
Want to see something even more inspiring? Check out the cumulative results from our five sponsored Recycle Days.
📝 Paper: 252,000 pounds (129 tons) With the average ream of copy paper containing 500 sheets, 129 tons of paper equals over 25 million pages. That’s enough to stack as high as about 20 Washington Monuments and enough square footage to paper more than 270 U.S. football fields.
🖥️ Electronics: 133,000 pounds (60 tons)
Electronic devices are especially problematic in landfills. Their glass alone can take 1-2 million years to decompose, so every reclaimed electronic is a win. Rescuing old items can also reduce the high-energy needs of raw mining and first-time refining. For example, steel is 100% recyclable and can be repeatedly reused at the same quality, while recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing the metal from its original ore.
🌲Trees: 2,100 saved (equivalent)
When envisioning the 2,100 tree equivalents saved overall, picture preserving more than half of the 3,800 flowering cherry trees along the National Mall. Since trees love hydration, they’ll be extra happy to learn that the five combined Recycle Days have conserved more than 154,000 gallons of water.
We thank WUSA9 and everyone in the DMV for being outstanding partners in making small changes that led to staggering results. While we’re very proud of these initiatives, the planning and work toward our energy future are only getting started.
Trash & Trilemma
As we celebrate the immediate wins from Recycle Days, our world is also facing what is known as the Energy Trilemma. If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to the challenge of balancing our energy systems to be reliable and affordable while supporting climate goals, now and in the future.
Reliability means ensuring that energy supplies are consistent and dependable to run homes, businesses and services without interruptions. In 2023, the Washington Gas reliability rate was 99.86%.
Truly affordable energy must be equally available and cost-effective for all. The American Gas Association (AGA) confirms that using natural gas has saved families $125 billion over 10 years.
Supporting climate goals includes making intelligent, innovative energy decisions that support lower-carbon solutions and long-term efficiency. For example, Washington Gas is making a strategic investment of $1.7 billion over the next five years in pipeline modernization.
From Recycle Days to modernizing our infrastructure, these interlocking steps can help resolve the Energy Trilemma. Our distribution networks enable us to deliver natural gas today and can also provide a foundation for delivering lower-carbon solutions in the years ahead. In the short run, we will primarily pursue energy efficiency and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. These are ready-now technologies that we will continue to innovate into the future.
Recycling and RNG
While they may seem unrelated, recycling events and RNG share a common thread: transforming waste into wins. Just as recycling helps keep trash out of landfills, RNG technology can convert organic landfill waste into lower-carbon fuel options.
Renewable natural gas can be an exciting, powerful strategy for managing municipal landfill methane emissions. Landfills produce methane because of significant accumulations of biostock: a mix of food and landscape waste, biosolids, manure, digestate, sludges and other organic materials. (Yummy.)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, in 2019 alone, the food retail, food service and residential sectors generated 66 million tons of wasted food, with about 60% of this going to landfills. Municipal solid waste landfills, in 2021, generated about the same greenhouse gas emissions as 23.1 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. Now for the good news. Specialized facilities can collect and process biostock to create concentrated methane gas (RNG). When injected into natural gas pipelines, RNG can provide a readily available renewable energy source. Washington Gas has partnered with various companies to support safe RNG integration into our existing natural gas distribution infrastructure. Strategically located across the DMV service territory, these resources will help ensure reliable, affordable energy while supporting long-term climate goals.
From recycling to RNG, Washington Gas is proud to be the DMV’s modern energy partner. We will soon share more about our plans, including the 2024 results update for our Accelerated Pipeline Replacement Programs.
Please stay tuned, and thank you for 175 years of support. We are honored to provide the safe, reliable energy that powers the DMV.
This is a sponsored piece of content from a member organization at the Board of Trade and does not reflect the views of every member in our organization.
The Board of Trade’s advocacy, convening, and thought leadership activities support regional outcomes that will help Greater Washington grow and adapt for generations to come. The GWBOT Legislative Update shares legislation and policy insights from the Greater Washington region.
