Broadband offices are busy preparing for their own state challenge process to determine where BEAD funding will be directed. There are unserved areas that all can agree on but others where there is stark disagreement regarding the level of service provided to consumers. Local governments, nonprofits and ISPs will have the opportunity to work with state broadband offices to target communities that the FCC’s map may have misclassified. Crowdsource speed testing will play an important role, particularly with states that are developing their own criteria for determining grant eligibility, as allowed within NTIA rules.

Guest Presenter: Bryan Darr, Vice President – Government Affairs, Ookla

The Connect and Literacy fund is designed to help close the digital divide in MS through affordable connectivity, digital literacy and device distribution. These actions will help ensure individuals have access to affordable connectivity and play a major role in the sustainability of those networks that are being made possible by both private and public capital across our nation.

“There has to be a balance struck between network affordability and profitability in order to sustain rural broadband.” Quinn Jordan.

Guest Presenter: Quinn Jordan, Executive Director, Mississippi Broadband Association (MSBA)

Quantum, the science that Einstein described as “spooky action at a distance”, is making headlines globally as researchers, scientists and product developers rush to bring powerful practical applications to bear. In this session, you’ll learn the basic differences between classical and quantum technologies, what capabilities quantum is likely to usher in, and who stands to benefit the most from tools that are estimated to offer $1.3 trillion in value by 2035.

Guest Presenter: Dr. Duncan Earl, Co-Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer at quantum networking company Qubitekk

After a blockbuster year for PON equipment purchases in 2022, are North American service providers continuing their spending spree or taking a breather. This webinar will detail the fiber purchasing and technology trends for North American operators, including XGS-PON and 25GS-PON, and how cable operators are using fiber to expand their residential broadband networks.

Guest Presenter: Jeff Heynen, Vice President, Broadband Access & Home Networking

Fiber buildout throughout the United States will not solve the digital divide alone. Though high-speed internet access is essential, we will only see success if we acknowledge and address non-deployment barriers. Inclusion must be built in from the beginning, not as an afterthought. Angela Siefer presents NDIA’s (potentially blasphemous) position in the fiber community and why implementing people-first digital inclusion solutions will be key to closing the digital divide.

Guest Presenter: Angela Siefer, Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance

In this Fiber for Breakfast, hear from Nadja Turek, Director of Sustainability, about altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell) and Hawaiian Telcom’s unique climate action plans to reduce each company’s carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, on the road to net-zero emissions by 2040. We all need this urgency and order of magnitude reduction to meet Paris Climate Accord targets and hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Nadja will discuss key carbon reduction (and business efficiency and resiliency) actions, including transitioning customers from copper to fiber solutions and powering down the copper network. She also oversees the company’s climate risk assessments in the Midwest and Hawaii. In her role, Nadja works internally with the network, fleet, and real estate experts and externally with technology, community, and finance collaborators to address climate change. Nadja’s background combines environmental sustainability with mission and operational resiliency.

Guest Presenter: Nadja Turek, PE, Sustainability Director, altafiber and Hawaiian Telcom

A nationally recognized expert in the environmental and infrastructure fields, Eric Beightel brings more than 20 years of experience to the Permitting Council. Beightel’s extensive public and private sector experience honed his command of the National Environmental Policy Act and his capacity for solving complex environmental permitting problems on the local, state and national level. His federal experience includes serving as a senior environmental policy advisor at the Department of Transportation and as a policy advisor at the Office of Management and Budget, where he developed an expertise in federal permitting and the review for major infrastructure projects. Beightel went on to work for WSP, USA as a senior director and vice president, and HDR, Inc. as an Associate vice president and national lead for Infrastructure Policy and Environmental Strategy.

Presenter: Eric Beightel, Executive Director, Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council

Over the past 5 years, satisfaction with home internet providers has risen for the whole industry, particularly for Fiber-based providers (10 pts). The higher speed tiers and network quality offered to customers today drive the rise in satisfaction. Still, not all consumers want or are even aware of higher speeds and Gigabit speed tiers. Others believe they can cut the Fiber internet cord and get by with 5G unlimited plans or free WiFi. As the Fiber industry is poised to expand, it may need to go beyond the focus on speed and adopt targeted campaigns to attract and retain very different sets of customers.

Guest Presenter: Dritan Nesho, Global CEO, HarrisX

Security is the top of mind for business decision-makers as sophisticated cybersecurity attacks can disrupt the entire business. The Futurum Group and Dell collaborated on a survey to better understand the threats that organizations must address and develop better security strategies. Today organizations must prioritize cybersecurity investment to prevent business disruption and protect business outcomes. As such, strengthening the overall security posture requires organizations to give fiber technology and capabilities topmost consideration since they deliver robust and unique security capabilities and benefits to any organization.

Guest Presenter: Ron Westfall, Research Director, The Futurum Group

While much of the attention of the industry is on the BEAD program, the NTIA has already allocated $930 million of the Middle Mile Infrastructure fund, and construction on these Middle Mile Networks will be beginning soon. But what, specifically, do we mean by the Middle Mile Network. This session of Fiber for Breakfast examines the Middle Mile Network from its definition to practical aspects of connecting broadband access networks to the Internet.

We will survey:

• The NTIA’s definition of Middle Mile Infrastructure,
• The common understanding of Middle Mile Networks as the connection between access networks and the Internet,
• The requirements that Middle Mile Networks must meet,
• How the introduction of IP functionality into access networks affects Middle Mile Networks, and
• How the introduction of 100 Mb/s capacity for all lines served by a central office causes the data traffic aggregated onto the Middle Mile Network to mushroom into terabits/sec of traffic.

As access networks are transformed to provide the requisite capacity to meet federal requirements, the Middle Mile Networks will need to be transformed, too.

Guest Presenter: Rick Talbot, Principal Analyst, ACG

John Gabriel, Senior Advisor at the Center for Employment Opportunities, will address the deeply rooted biases and misconceptions that often keep those with past criminal records locked out of the workforce. This webinar will provide attendees with a general overview of the criminal legal system, how to incorporate transferable skills earned in nontraditional places of employment into a resume, and how to utilize fair chance hiring principles to build the business case on why hiring people with past convictions is good for business. This session will be interactive, hands-on, and community members will walk away with the knowledge to incorporate into practice.

Guest Presenter: John C Gabriel, Senior Advisor – External Affairs, Center for Employment Opportunities

The U.S. does not rank near the top 10 countries in broadband speeds or availability, so $100B in new U.S. Federal subsidies is set to close the Digital Divide and make broadband ubiquitous to the 20% of homes that need access. A decade-long investment cycle will likely transform the fiber access industry as it competes for capital with new cable, wireless, and satellite technologies. Further, new broadband operators, such as municipalities and electric power co-ops, are joining the frenzy with traditional telco and cable providers. But somehow, 2023 started with a “thud” for some suppliers. What happened? How do investors think about the opportunity for operators and suppliers now?

Guest Presenter: Ryan Koontz, Managing Director, Needham & Co