Vernon (Vern) L. Fotheringham
Mr. Fotheringham is a recognized industry leader and entrepreneur in the field of wireless and broadband communications. Throughout his career he has been a catalyst for innovation and change in the competitive telecommunications field through direct entrepreneurial activities, as an advisor or influencer on many successful projects, a public policy and regulatory advocate for new telecommunications service rules and standards, and as an inventor and creator of new and innovative services.
Presently, he is the Chairman of CTB Group, Inc. the pioneer in transforming television broadcasting into hybrid broadcast-broadband mobile content delivery networks leveraging the efficiencies of cellular multi-frequency architecture. Previously he was the President and CEO of ADAPTIX, Inc. a world leader in the development of next generation OFDMA broadband wireless system technologies. In 2003 Mr. Fotheringham was recruited as the President and CEO of Broadstorm, Inc. a wireless broadband equipment manufacturer that post a management buyout of the assets became ADAPTIX, Inc. which pioneered the core OFDMA technologies now used in both the IEEE 802.16(e) Mobile WiMAX and LTE standards for 4G cellular networks.
Highlights of his prior career activities include: direct participation with the development and international expansion of the cellular telephone industry, the creation of the mobile satellite industry (Omninet, AMSC & NORCOM); capturing a license for air-to-ground communications services (Claircom / AT&T Wireless); winning the first GSM license in Hong Kong (SmarTone); pioneering in the Digital Audio Radio Service (founder of Digital Satellite Broadcasting Corporation); and, pioneering the millimetric microwave industry with the creation of both Advanced Radio Telecom (now FiberTower) as a service provider and WavTrace a pioneering point-to-multipoint broadband wireless equipment manufacturer (now owned by Harris Corporation).
Mr. Fotheringham has served on the boards of numerous public and private companies. He currently serves on the board of directors of: CTB Group, Inc., CTB Spectrum Services, LLC, Cellular Terrestrial Broadcasting, LLC and SDR Holdings, LLC. He is also a co-founder of VEMAC, Ltd. a Japan and England based manufacturer of high performance road-legal sports and racing cars.
Previously, he managed the growth of several start-up telecommunications ventures into significant scale enterprises. These include: Bazillion, Inc. a nationwide provider of VoIP and DSL services to the consumer and SOHO market. Earlier, he was the founder, chairman and CEO of Advanced Radio Telecom Corporation (ART), a public broadband service company that held broadband radio spectrum licenses in 207 major U.S. markets, plus five nationwide European licenses. Prior to ART, Mr. Fotheringham was president and CEO of NORCOM Networks Corporation, a nationwide mobile satellite packet data communications company that was sold to Telenor the PTT of Norway, and which was subsequently merged with Wireless Matrix, Inc. Earlier, he was the vice president of marketing for Omninet Corporation, a pioneering mobile satellite data communications business that merged with Qualcomm.
Mr. Fotheringham received his BA from California State University, Fullerton, and pursued post-graduate studies at both CSUF in the Masters of Public Administration program, and the Claremont Graduate Schools. He is the co-author of "Wireless Broadband: Conflict and Convergence" published by IEEE/Wiley in November 2008, about the multifaceted evolution of wireless broadband technology, its applications and convergence.