Baller’s journey as a broadband, economic development champion

James Baller, a longtime friend of the Broadband Communities Summit, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Broadband Communities Awards. The award, one of many now on Baller’s shelf, honors his decades of dedication to the advancement of connectivity in communities. While Baller, known to most as Jim, retired as a telecommunications partner from Keller & Heckman in 2024, his distinguished legacy of advocacy has left a lasting mark, including on the Broadband Communities Summit itself. Baller said he’s thankful that he has left an impact on the world of broadband. “I feel very, very fortunate that I’ve been able to be involved in the conversation on the policy level,” Baller said. He said he’s also grateful that he has been involved in so many successful projects. Baller says he hangs his hat on projects “that have actually worked, have done good, and have influenced others.”