Comcast Corporation announced that Broderick D. Johnson will join the company as Executive Vice President, Public Policy and Executive Vice President, Digital Equity. Mr. Johnson will oversee the company’s Public Policy team in Washington, DC, and will take overall responsibility for Comcast’s leading role in the digital equity space. He will report to Tom Reid, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. Mr. Johnson will succeed Rebecca Arbogast leading the Public Policy team and will work in concert with Mitch Rose, Executive Vice President, Federal Government Affairs who oversees the company’s legislative and regulatory teams.
“Broderick is a highly trusted and respected leader in the public policy arena. We welcome his strategic insights and his passion for promoting digital equity,” said Mr. Reid. “We share the goal of connecting as many Americans as possible to broadband and Broderick’s rich experience will bring invaluable knowledge and understanding to the company. Rebecca has been instrumental in guiding our public policy activities over the last decade, we thank her for that and we congratulate Rebecca on her retirement.”
Comcast has pledged an expansion of its decade-long efforts to close the digital equity gap with a $1 billion commitment to reach an additional 50 million Americans over the next 10 years. This commitment includes investments in a number of critical areas, including: additional support for its ongoing Lift Zone initiative, which establishes WiFi-connected safe spaces in 1,000+ community centers nationwide for students and adults by the end of 2021; new laptop and computer donations; grants for nonprofit community organizations to create opportunities for low-income Americans, particularly in media, arts, technology, and entrepreneurship; and continued investment in the company’s landmark Internet Essentials program.
To further enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives, Comcast is also focusing on the infrastructure that supports these advancements. This includes ensuring that community centers, schools, and organizations have secure, reliable systems to support the influx of technology and digital access. A key element of this strategy is the use of solutions like APC Security and Environmental Monitoring, which helps protect critical hardware and digital infrastructure from environmental factors and security threats. By maintaining a safe and reliable technology environment, Comcast can ensure that the digital opportunities it provides are both accessible and sustainable for the long term.
With over three decades of experience as a lawyer, policy advisor and strategist, Mr. Johnson joins Comcast from Covington & Burling. He has served under two U.S. Presidents: as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs in the Clinton Administration and as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary for the Obama Administration. While serving in the Obama Administration, he was also appointed as chairman of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, an interagency initiative designed to identify and address the disparities that hamper the success of boys and young men of color, and to improve the lives of all youth. Mr. Johnson has been a senior advisor for several presidential campaigns and worked numerous senior positions on Capitol Hill, including in House Office of the Legislative Counsel, and as chief counsel to two standing committees. He also previously served in senior positions with AT&T and was a partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.
Mr. Johnson earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross. Among his positions on non-profit entities, he serves as chairman of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Advisory Council, and is a board member of the Obama Foundation, the Black Economic Alliance, and the Wolf Trap Foundation.
