Jennifer A. Manner, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at EchoStar and Hughes, was recently named by Cablefax as one of the Most Powerful Women in the broadband and media industry for the second time––a distinction that recognizes her influence within the industry and her commitment to ensure other female execs grow and flourish.
As a lawyer and spectrum expert, Manner has spent more than 30 years honing her expertise in domestic and international telecommunications policy. She has forged international alliances, held senior positions in the United States government, developed the public safety chapter of the National Broadband Plan, liaised with the White House, represented the U.S. in international treaty negotiations and testified before Congress.
For the past decade, Manner has adeptly managed the global policy, regulatory and spectrum management efforts at EchoStar and Hughes. This past year, Manner obtained all required regulatory approvals for JUPITER™ 3, the largest commercial communications satellite ever launched. This complex process involved procuring licenses and authorizations in the U.S. and internationally, including obtaining licenses in a portion of the spectrum (@40 GHz) in which no other commercial satellite system has ever operated in the Americas. She is currently focused on obtaining all required approvals for our aeronautical broadband services and non-terrestrial network mobile satellite service network.
In addition to her focus on regulatory and policy issues, Manner mentors rising female leaders in the satellite/telecommunications industry. She founded the EchoStar/Hughes Women's Impact Network, a group within the company for women to participate in social and professional development opportunities, discuss career issues, connect with colleagues and receive mentorship from female executives. Manner is the chair for CITEL (Americas) region for the Network of Women at the International Telecommunication Union’s Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R) leading initiatives that encourage gender balance within the ITU and the telecommunications industry. In this role, she was instrumental in helping to pass the gender resolution recently adopted at the ITU’s Radiocommunication Assembly.
Perhaps Manner’s greatest gift––her X-Factor––is a natural storytelling ability and positive nature. She is passionate about her work and eager to share it with the world, through visuals and the oral and written word. Manner excels at bringing people together by telling a compelling story that drives real change.
There is no better evidence of her storytelling ability than her award-winning documentaries. Her most recent, When Wire Was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications, which premiered in February 2023 and is syndicated by American Public Television for PBS, puts the telecommunications revolution into historical context. The film explores three interconnected themes—innovation, competition and regulation—and the shifting balance among the three that sparked the telecommunications revolution, beginning in the early 1970s.
Manner has also published several books and scholarly articles on telecommunications issues, including spectrum and foreign market access. Her most recent book is Spectrum Wars: The Rise of 5G and Beyond (Artech House, 2021), a follow-up to her previous book, Spectrum Wars: The Policy and Technology Debate.
Whether serving on a panel discussion at a conference, encouraging other women leaders or chronicling the history of telecommunications, Manner is a force of nature, driving positive energy and inclusiveness in her wake.
Congratulations Jennifer, from the entire EchoStar/Hughes team, on receiving this well-deserved recognition! Check out the December issue of Cablefax the Magazine for Jennifer’s profile, along with the other most powerful women honorees for 2023.