Nov 14, 2023

Erik Hunsinger Appointed President & Chief Operating Officer of GoldenStateNet

GoldenStateNet (GSN) today announced the appointment of Erik Hunsinger as President and Chief Operating Officer of GoldenStateNet (GSN). Hunsinger formerly served as Vice President of Infrastructure at GSN and was part of the inaugural team of technology leaders who helped launch GSN in September of 2021. He is the second networking leader to serve in the top role at GSN.

Hunsinger came to GSN with more than two decades of relationships and experiences in advanced networks in private industry. Hunsinger also served in a similar role at the Corporation for Education Initiatives in California (CENIC), which serves 12,000 institutions – schools, libraries, colleges and universities, health care institutions, Tribes, scientific and cultural organizations among them – and 20 million Californians.

Hunsinger succeeds Tony Naughtin, a nationally known entrepreneur responsible for launching several highly successful networking ventures, all of which were breakthrough companies in the history of the Internet. Naughtin also has previously worked with CENIC for over three years.

GSN has been serving as the third-party administrator (TPA) for the $3.8 billion California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI) since 2021. TPA is working with California Department of Technology (CDT) to develop and design the open-access middle-mile broadband network for California in order to bring broadband to everyone throughout the State of California.

Naughtin, who served as GSN’s inaugural President and COO, will return to CENIC where he will assist the organization and its partners in the launch of several new significant ventures to advance networking, scientific research, and support for health care institutions. “It has been a great honor to serve as GSN’s President and COO since the inception of the MMBI program,” said Naughtin. “I’ve appreciated having the opportunity to help create a strong foundation on which the State can develop the middle mile network that is essential to enabling digital equity for the many Californians who remain unserved or under-served with broadband services up to this point. With significant progress made, we are now at the right juncture to make this transition and I wish my colleagues working on the MMBI at GSN, CENIC, and the State of California all the best in continuing on with the delivery of this critically important program.”

“GSN is in a great place to succeed in its contribution to solving the digital divide because of the foundation that Tony Naughtin laid in creating the GSN organization and attracting the stellar team he has assembled,” said Hunsinger. “Digital equity is among the most pressing issues across the United States and is essential for critical access to areas like education, health care, employment, economic opportunity and innovation,” continued Hunsinger. “I’m honored to continue working with the State of California in this new role to tackle this problem. It is the most interesting and challenging project I have had in my career.”

With the framework Naughtin ushered in, Hunsinger and the GSN team are poised to deliver on the state’s world-class infrastructure for the residents of California.

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