Mississippi is the 42nd most connected State in the nation. Sally Doty, Director of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi, and Quinn Jordan, Executive Director of the Mississippi Broadband Association, are working to change lives in Mississippi with fiber. Sally and Quinn will share the actions underway to catapult the State from the back of the pack to leaders in connectivity and economic development.

Presenters:
Sally Doty, Director, Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi
Quinn Jordan, Executive Director, Mississippi Broadband Association

Power Utilities built fiber networks early to support the critical services they provide. Join the panel to hear about how utilities have used fiber in the past and their plans to serve their communities in the future. In this Fiber for Breakfast, FBA President and CEO, Gary Bolton, will lead a panel discussion diving into the challenges and opportunities that Power Utilities see during this tumultuous time of broadband growth.

Webinar Panelists:

Pete Hoffswell, Superintendent of Broadband Services, Holland Board of Public Works
Katie Espeseth, Vice President of New Products, EPB
George Stegall, Connectivity Manager, Alabama Power

Traditionally, P3 has been synonymous with public-private partnerships, but when it comes to navigating the complex world of building broadband networks in 2023, Mears Broadband is redefining the term with a new P3 model and philosophy that focuses on people, partnerships, and preparation.

Mears Broadband President Trent Edwards will discuss Mears’ P3 model as it relates to solving key construction issues, including labor shortages, delays, and cost overruns, that new owner operators are facing as they look to build fiber broadband networks.

Presenter: Trent Edwards, President, Mears Broadband Division

Fiber Connect 2023 is all about disruption and the role fiber broadband plays in enabling markets, companies, and communities to evolve, create and alter market dynamics in new and exciting ways. This year, we’ve added six Operator Light Talks where leading network operators will detail how their networks allow customers to shift market paradigms, create opportunity, and underpin customer experience. During The State Broadband Summit, attendees will hear firsthand from broadband officers, state legislators, and county commissioners about their plans to leverage NTIA Bead funds to close the digital divide.

Webinar Presenters:

• Joseph “JJ” Jones, President, On Trac, Inc. and FBA Board Chair
• Rich Williams, Program Director, Fiber Connect Conference

In this Fiber for Breakfast, hear from John Schulz, Director of Sustainability Integration, about how AT&T’s plans for fiber expansion can open doors to solutions that help transform how we live and work and how that can help reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. In this role, John works with customers, technology collaborators, AT&T Business, and leading independent third parties to identify how AT&T connectivity can help address climate change. John began his AT&T career in the Corporate Real Estate group and migrated into leadership roles with the Energy and Corporate Sustainability organizations.

Webinar Guest: John Schulz, Director of Sustainability Integration, AT&T.

While fiber is the undisputed king of broadband technologies, fixed wireless is a valuable tool in the toolbox of connectivity options. However not all wireless is created equal – and there is a stark difference between the use cases for licensed and unlicensed wireless spectrum. In a recent white paper commissioned by FBA, Larry Thompson, PE, CEO of Vantage Point Solutions, argues that the limitations of unlicensed wireless are too great to be worthy of investment from public funds such as BEAD. Join us for a lively discussion about the arguments made in the white paper, as well as other technology considerations important for the national discussion on broadband funding investments.

Webinar Guest: Larry Thompson, PE, Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Point Solutions

The Fiber Broadband Association has embarked on new research that looks into the economic impact fiber has in a community. Join us on Fiber for Breakfast and see how fiber to the home has impacted a community in Westfield, Massachusetts, and why fiber was brought to the community, the challenges, timeline, and benefits since deployment. This session will also examine ways fiber is helping to enable new migration trends to more rural areas and improving personal productivity and proving economic value to the community.

Panelists:

• Mary Jander, Sr. Analyst and Editor, Futuriom
• Deborah Kish, Vice President of Research and Workforce Development, Fiber Broadband Association

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has three grant programs funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law (https://www.internetforall.gov/program/digital-equity-act-programs). Join us for Fiber for Breakfast as Angela Thi Bennett, Digital Equity Director at NTIA, breaks down the details of the Digital Equity Act, which provided $2.75 billion to establish these grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion, and why this work is so important and who are most impacted. Angela will also discuss tribal broadband and highlight a request for comment opportunity in the Digital Equity RFC.

Panelist: Angela Thi Bennet, Digital Equity Director, NTIA

Digital Equity Act Info Sheet

Internet for All Map (with State Broadband Office and NTIA contact information as well as BEAD program status and progress)

As states prepare for BEAD allocations and USDA finalizes the next ReConnect rounds, our nation’s Electric Cooperatives continue to analyze their futures in the Broadband arena. Electric Cooperatives will have a crossroads between actively providing services or playing a more supporting role in their communities, with one common theme, Make Ready.

Make Ready involves the effort and funding needed to utilize existing power poles to support added infrastructure to deploy broadband and can make or break a fiber broadband deployment plan.

Panelist: Ryan Kudera, Senior Consultant, Finley Engineering

The activity and buzz around fiber network buildouts and upgrades were on full display in 2022. Now that the final numbers are in, just how big of a year was it for fiber equipment purchases in the US? And what does the future hold for new technologies, including 25G, 50G, and 100G PON? Tune in to Fiber for Breakfast to hear from Jeff Heynen, Vice President for Broadband Access & Home Networking Market Research at Dell’Oro Group.

Panelist: Jeff Heynen, Vice President for Broadband Access & Home Networking Market Research, Dell’Oro Group

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Capitol Projects Fund provides$10 billion to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects that enable work, education,and health monitoring. A key priority of this program is to make funding available for reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure and other digital connectivity technology projects. To date, the Capital Projects Fund has awarded nearly $4.8 billion to states that will be invested in high-speed internet infrastructure estimated to reach over 1.4 million homes and businesses. In this Fiber for Breakfast, Joseph Wender will discuss how Treasury’s work is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to achieve the goal of deploying high-speed internet to those without access and lowering costs for those who cannot afford it.

Panelist: Joseph Wender, Director, Capital Projects Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury