Penny M. Speake
Penny’s expertise is in the areas of right of way management, broadband deployment, small cell wireless and pole attachment structures. She routinely works with multi-disciplinary teams as outside counsel for municipalities assisting them in navigating the legal, financial, engineering and technical aspects in negotiations with broadband and telecommunication providers. She has assisted clients in drafting contracts, updating ordinances, permitting processes, and policies for the effective management of broadband and telecommunications networks.
Penny has served as a subject matter expert to assist in pro-municipal legislation for Missouri municipalities regarding small cell wireless deployments. She has made multiple presentations regarding telecommunications and broadband issues including: In 2017, at the Utility Issues Summit in West Memphis, Arkansas, “Pole Attachments.” In 2018 she presented at the Kansas Municipal Electric Agency (KMEA) “Pole and Small Cell Attachments.” Also, in 2018 she presented a portion of a webinar for the American Public Power Association (APPA) Academy, “Lessons Learned from the Field: Wireless Deployment Best Practices and Issues. In 2019, Penny presented to the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA), “Pole Attachment Issues.” Most recently, in 2024, Penny presented at the APPA Legal and Regulatory conference “Navigating ROW and Regulatory Issues with Fiber Network Installations.”
Penny received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, from Southwest Missouri State University, now Missouri State University, and her Juris Doctor degree, as a Fisse Scholar, from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. While attending law school, she was awarded the ALI-ABA Environmental Law National Scholarship and was one of four students selected to serve in the Federal Civil Litigation Clinic. Most recently, she was named an honoree for the 2025 Missouri Women’s Justice Awards for her contributions in Innovation & Technology.