James Farstad is the founder and President of rClient, LLC, a U.S. based, international technology consulting firm has more than 24 years of experience in strategic planning and the management of complex technology initiatives. He is also a Senior Research Fellow with Yankee Group, a global independent technology research and consulting firm providing insight and counsel to the builders, operators and users of connectivity solutions. Mr. Farstad’s clients include local government, telecommunications providers, and financial service, educational, manufacturing, and healthcare organizations. Mr. Farstad is a frequent public speaker on a wide range of technology, business and community topics.
Mr. Farstad is Chairman of the Board of Intermedia Arts; a past-President of the Minnesota Telecommunications Association (MTA); and a former board member of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants (STC). During his tenure with the STC, Mr. Farstad produced “Breaking the Sound Barrier”, a video production exploring technology solutions to simplify electronic communications for the deaf and hearing impaired. The video and a companion technical document were distributed to more than 1000 technology consultants and telecommunications equipment distributors to promote the inclusion of adaptive technology in telecommunications projects worldwide. Mr. Farstad is also a member of the selection committee for the 2007 Best of WiMAX World Europe Awards and will lead the evaluation process for the Muni Broadband Collaborative Deployment category.
He is active in the municipal wireless marketplace and a regular participant in the Digital Cities Conventions sponsored by the Wireless Internet Institute (W2i), an international think tank exploring wireless Internet technologies, best practices, and sustainable implementation models for the deployment of wireless Internet technologies. Mr. Farstad currently serves as the Program Manager for the Wireless Minneapolis Broadband Initiative which will roll out a City scale Internet access, multi purpose applications, digital inclusion and adaptive technologies and a community portal network in late 2007.