Sarasota firm calls on former Verizon lobbyist

SARASOTA — National rural telecommunications lobbyist Shirley Bloomfield, who has also worked for Qwest and Verizon, has been named to the advisory board of Sarasota-based wireless communication firm xG Technology.

Bloomfield is currently CEO of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association — The Rural Broadband Association, according to a release. Bloomfield has also worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional aide to former U.S. Rep David Obey, D-Wisconsin, in addition to lobbying work with telecom giants Qwest and Verizon. Bloomfield was senior vice president of federal relations at Qwest, which CenturyLink bought in 2011. She was later named vice president of federal relations for Verizon.

At xG, Bloomfield will advise the firm on its mission to bring its patented system for Internet-based phone calls to more rural markets. Sarasota-based xG has more than 200 patents and pending patent applications worldwide, including 60 in the United States.