...GVF’s Board of Directors, which will now build upon the international association’s gains by presiding over initiatives that further expand cost-effective access to fixed and mobile communications services worldwide. The election, which attracted the largest number of candidates in GVF’s 15-year history, comes at a time of not only unprecedented satellite industry growth in enterprise and consumer markets, but also as major challenges arise in market access, spectrum defense, interference prevention, and the need for greater awareness of the commercial, economic and political advantages that satellite communications provide.

GVF’s Board elections were held in New York City, in conjunction with the SATCON Conference & Exhibition, where nine nominees sought five Board seats. Four previous Board Members were re-elected, including David Provencher of COBHAM Satcom, Arunas Slekys of Hughes, Jay Yass of Intelsat, and Nancy Eskenazi of SES. Newly elected Jonas Eneberg of Inmarsat also joins the GVF Board. The five newly-elected Directors join two seated Board Members: Simon Gray of EUTELSAT and David Bettinger of iDirect.

"We extend our appreciation to those companies who sought election to the GVF Board, and we congratulate the new and re-elected Directors,” said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF. "Never before in the association’s history have the stakes been higher for the GVF Board: Demand from consumer and vertical-enterprise markets are at all-time highs, and our industry is stepping up to make sure that the user community continues to receive the most competitive service in the world.”

The diversity and expertise of the GVF Board, which includes satellite operators and Earth station manufacturers from the industry’s fixed and mobile communications sectors, will enable the association to address major challenges, including:

• Spectrum Defense: Wireless interests are mounting a renewed global effort to secure fixed and mobile satellite spectrum. GVF has launched a campaign to preserve its use for the satellite industry and for its customers (www.spectrum-security-initiative.com).
• Skills Building: With tens of thousands of Earth stations now being installed each month, the need for training of technicians is increasing exponentially. GVF’s Certification program is expanding to meet that requirement (www.gvf.org/training/training.html).
• Earth Station Compliance: The satellite industry’s success is attracting more terminal manufacturers, and a proliferation of product types. GVF’s Earth Station Compliance Framework enables effective testing and approvals processes (www.gvf.org/approvals.html).
• Improved Market Access and Regulatory Conditions: Protectionist policies and unnecessarily expensive licensing conditions continue to threaten affordable access to satellite communications. The GVF Regulatory Working Group is working overtime to promote progressive reform (www.gvf.org/regulatory.html).

Heightened Awareness: From disaster preparedness to community connectivity and from oil & gas to maritime, military and Internet service provision, the importance of communicating the satellite industry’s value proposition is greater than ever before. GVF is elevating the industry profile through events, the media and online platforms (www.gvf.org).

Companies involved in the provision of satellite communications systems and services are eligible to join GVF and to support these and other industry programs. There are two Membership categories: Full GVF Members are eligible to nominate, vote, and to become elected to the GVF Board of Directors; Associate Members are able to participate in all other GVF activities.