WCAI Honors Best in Industry and Government with Annual Awards

Recognizing achievements of some of the brightest minds in the industry and government, WCAI last night presented its annual awards at the Networking Dinner held as part of the WCAI International Symposium @ 4G World. The Government Leadership Award went to Julius Knapp, who heads the Office of Engineering and Technology at the FCC. Dr. Mohammad Shakouri, Corporate VP, Innovation and Marketing at WCAI member Alvarion was presented with the Innovation Achievement Award. Dr. Vinton Cerf VP & Chief Internet Evangelist at WCAI member Google was recognized with the Industry Service Award.

Since becoming OET Chief at the FCC in 2006, Julie Knapp has worked to unleash new spectrum for wireless broadband and improve the utilization of existing spectrum. Mr. Knapp spearheaded the DTV white spaces proceeding to create an entirely new ecosystem for advanced unlicensed devices. He also created the unique, light licensing regime in the 3.65 GHz band and pioneered the power spectral density approach to power limits in the 700 MHz and other bands.

"Julie's contributions during his time as Chief of OET are alone deserving of recognition -- but they are only a part of Julie's legacy," said WCAI President Fred Campbell when presenting the award. "Julie has been with the FCC for 36 years, and has held numerous leadership roles in the OET during that time. From my own experience working with Julie at the FCC, I know that nobody works harder and nobody cares more about the role that engineering and technology play in the agency's work."

Presenting the award to Mo Shakouri, Mr. Campbell said: "Mo has been instrumental in growing WiMAX into a multi-billion dollar industry, and he is widely recognized as a global voice for 4G technologies. He has also been a voice for innovation at Alvarion, a global 4G communications leader with the industry's most extensive customer base. Mo is truly an innovation leader in every sense of the word."

Last but not least, WCAI was honored to recognize Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the Internet, for his distinguished industry service. Mr. Cerf's achievements are numerous and include the development of the first commercial email system connected to the Internet, and funding and formation of ICANN from the start. During his time at Google, Mr. Cerf has become well-known for his predictions on how technology will affect future society, including such areas as artificial intelligence, the advent of IPv6 and the transformation of the television industry and its delivery model.

We congratulate the honorees and thank them for their tireless work and contribution to the success of the wireless broadband industry!