In this Fiber for Breakfast, Peggy Schaffer, Executive Director of ConnectMaine Authority, will discuss securing $28 million in NTIA grant money and key partnerships she has made for the benefit of her state and its residents. The NTIA Broadband Infrastructure grant was built on a history of community engagement, sophisticated data and targeting, and collaborations with industry partners. This webinar will highlight how Maine is building on this successful model as it develops its strategy for Capital Projects funds, BEAD, Middle Mile and DEA programs.

Webinar Guest:

Peggy Shaffer is the Executive Director of the ConnectME Authority, Maine’s program to expand broadband to unserved areas of the state. As Director, Peggy does all the normal things a director does including budgets, grant processes, and public outreach. Critical to Maine’s program is understanding the continually changing landscape of broadband and creating strategies to meet those challenges. State programs are a continuous process improvement effort. This past year Peggy has led ConnectMaine in developing a Verification and Validation process for infrastructure grants, a Broadband Intelligence Platform, and a structure to support communities in the development of Broadband Utility Districts and a successful application to the NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program. Prior to joining ConnectME, Peggy was the Small Business Advocate in the Secretary of State’s office and served as the Co-chair for the Maine Broadband Coalition. Using her 20 years of political work from serving as the lobbyist for the Department of Economic and Community Development as well as Chief of Staff in the Maine State Senate, Peggy brings an understanding that this work requires multiple strategies to be successful, including a good sense of humor.

Wireline network operators, generally assisted by government funding, are beginning to extend their broadband services beyond metro areas, and potentially into outright rural areas. This extension of their networks beyond the reach of the edge central offices of the metro network will create a new network segment – the middle mile network, sometimes called the second-mile network. This new network segment will raise new networking challenges as it carries a mix of services that were previously served by separate networks that were terminated in a metro central office; any special network treatment was performed in the access network, not transport. In addition, vendors are introducing new (and sometimes novel) optical transport formats to minimize costs in this new network environment. This complexity in the aggregation network calls for network design and control specific to this new second mile network. Join us for Fiber for Breakfast with Rick Talbot, Principal Analyst at ACG Research, to learn more.

Guest Bio:

Rick Talbot, Principal Analyst at ACG Research, for the Intelligent Optical Networking and 5G RAN xHaul practices, combines expertise in network access, transport (particularly optical networking) and switching technologies, including Software-Defined Networking (SDN), and a deep understanding of the telecommunications industry competitive landscape, business (and regulatory) issues and economic trends to provide a comprehensive view of the industry. He gained this broad experience in over 40 years of technical marketing and sales engineering roles at network systems vendors as well as network architecture design roles at service providers.

Rick holds an MBA degree from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Engineering science degree from Trinity University. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

The fiber network market continues to burn hot for digital infrastructure investors as well as service providers seeking capital to fund upgrades and expansions. No matter where you sit in the ecosystem, the observations and insights of Broadband Success Partners will be an eye-opener. Having completed over 30 technical due diligence projects, Jack Burton and David Strauss of Broadband Success Partners will share what they’ve seen and, in some cases, wished they hadn’t. Their document analyses, management interviews and physical inspections of a wide variety of networks have yielded a vast and valuable volume of dos and don’ts. While a good number of the assets they’ve investigated pass with flying colors, others do not. The red and yellow flags they’ve uncovered are proof positive that present and potential network owners and stakeholders should not take anything for granted.

Guest Bios:

David Strauss and Jack Burton co-founded Broadband Success Partners – a consultancy focused on the technology and operations needs of digital infrastructure investors and service providers. Clients include Alinda, Antin, CBRE Caledon, GI Partners, Grain, I Squared, Macquarie, Post Road Group, American Broadband and Surf Broadband.

David has authored research-based reports on Edge Computing and Network Automation for Ciena as well as a report on Managed Wi-Fi for Calix. Previously, David designed and executed the first go-to-market plan for Comcast Business’ Metro Ethernet services.

Jack has completed over 30 network due diligence evaluations. Jack has also authored numerous white papers for clients such as Adtran, Calix, Ciena, Corning and Vecima. Previously, Jack was Senior Director of Systems Engineering for Altice USA and Cablevision Systems. His projects included Voice Over IP, Business Services, Advanced Access Networks, and Optical Transport.

The Covid pandemic has spurred changes across many industries and U.S. businesses have implemented new technologies to meet these new challenges. Please join us for Fiber for Breakfast with Independence Research founder and principal analyst, Matt Davis, who will share recent survey findings that analyze which telecom and IT technologies saw the biggest changes as we enter the “new normal”. The study examines core telecom services including broadband, managed WiFi, internet back-up and unified communications in addition to IT services ranging from E-Commerce to Cybersecurity.

Guest Bio:

Matt Davis is the founder and principal analyst at Independence Research LLC. where his research is focused on technology, telecom and broadband internet services, with a focus on U.S. fiber technology deployment.

Before forming Independence Research in 2016, Matt founded the Broadband Access Technology practice at Yankee Group focusing on the deployment of broadband services worldwide. In 2006, Matt joined IDC, where he led the Consumer and SMB research practices focusing on service provider telecom and internet strategy.

The Covid pandemic has spurred changes across many industries and U.S. businesses have implemented new technologies to meet these new challenges. Please join us for Fiber for Breakfast with Independence Research founder and principal analyst, Matt Davis, who will share recent survey findings that analyze which telecom and IT technologies saw the biggest changes as we enter the “new normal”. The study examines core telecom services including broadband, managed WiFi, internet back-up and unified communications in addition to IT services ranging from E-Commerce to Cybersecurity.

Guest Bio:

Matt Davis is the founder and principal analyst at Independence Research LLC. where his research is focused on technology, telecom and broadband internet services, with a focus on U.S. fiber technology deployment.

Before forming Independence Research in 2016, Matt founded the Broadband Access Technology practice at Yankee Group focusing on the deployment of broadband services worldwide. In 2006, Matt joined IDC, where he led the Consumer and SMB research practices focusing on service provider telecom and internet strategy.

What do maps, partnerships, and a governor who champions opportunities regardless of zip code have in common? It’s a recipe to make Georgia one of the leading states to efficiently and effectively distribute transformational public funding to close the digital divide. Georgia is charting its way forward through a meticulous commitment to high-quality service data and by offering relentless assistance to providers, local communities, and state agencies to move together with a common goal in mind. Join us for Fiber for Breakfast with Josh Hildebrandt, Director of Broadband Initiatives at Georgia Technology Authority, to learn about the current broadband environment and how to do work in the Peach State in the months and years ahead.

Guest Bio:

Josh Hildebrandt serves as the Director of Broadband Initiatives at the Georgia Technology Authority, focusing solely on Georgia’s broadband deployment strategy and connectivity funding mechanisms and supporting local communities and providers in their expansion efforts. Before starting at GTA, Josh worked at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources where he oversaw the agency’s legislative and public policy efforts, communications, and external affairs. Prior to joining DNR, Josh served in Governor Brian Kemp’s administration as the Policy Advisor for rural initiatives including agriculture, natural resources and technology. Josh is a graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

There is no question committed fiber passings and fiber deployments in the US have surged in the last couple of years. But just how much has spending on FTTH equipment increased, which technologies are currently at the heart of these deployments, and which technologies will operators use in the next five years? How much additional spending growth should the industry expect to see in the next five years? Dell’Oro Group’s Vice President of Broadband Access and Home Networking, Jeff Heynen, will share his latest forecast updates and projections for FTTH equipment and will help quantify the current and future fiber surge.

Presenter Bio:

Jeff Heynen joined Dell’Oro Group in 2018 and is responsible for the Broadband Access and Home Networking market research program. Jeff has expanded the Broadband Access and Home Networking areas to include fixed wireless CPE, virtual CCAP, Remote PHY, remote MACPHY, and DOCSIS 4.0 infrastructure. Jeff’s research and analysis has been widely cited in leading trade and business publications. He is a frequent expert judge and invited speaker at industry conferences and events.

Between 2018 and 2020, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG) and Region 10 created open access middle mile transport networks to support unserved and underserved communities in NW and Western Colorado. These networks were funded initially by local investment and matching grants by the State of Colorado. These networks have become invaluable in expanding the availability of last mile broadband to rural residents, businesses, education, and community anchor institutions. In April 2022, they received additional grant funding from State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs to connect dispersed networks to serve more communities and deliver affordable, reliable, accessible middle mile broadband to more communities. Nate Walowitz, Regional Broadband Director at NWCCOG, will share how this elevates their ability to support last mile provider goals to deliver 100/20 Mbps and 100/100 Mbps service to more unserved rural communities.

Presenter Bio:

Nate Walowitz is an innovative telecommunications and technology program executive and serves as the Regional Broadband Program Director for the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG). http://nwccog.org/programs/broadband/ Since 2014, his technical advisory services to local governments has led to the deployment of broadband to unserved areas and bringing over $37M in state matching grant funds to NW Colorado community broadband projects. Most recently, NWCCOG was previously awarded a $1M matching grant to build out an open access, resilient middle mile network across 10 counties in NW Colorado. This funding been supplemented by an additional $5.5m in state grant funding to continue to the extension and interconnection of two existing publicly owned open access middle mile transport network for benefit of many Colorado communities west of Denver. Prior to NWCCOG, Nate spent years consulting to industry and governments providing innovation business solutions in IT, wireless deployment, terrestrial networks and applications.

Please join us for Fiber for Breakfast with OzarksGo General Manager, Steven Bandy. OzarksGo began fiber construction in 2016 and completed construction within our electric cooperative footprint in 2021. In 2019, they made the decision to expedite the project with the goal to complete construction one year ahead of original forecasts. During the peak of the acceleration of the project, OzarksGo completed over 1,100 new fiber to the home installations per month. This accelerated pace became a necessity to meet increased demand during the Covid -19 pandemic.

With the completion of the initial project, OzarksGo continues to find ways to expand our broadband footprint by utilizing state and federal funding opportunities. They have enhanced their mission-driven initiative at OzarksGo by joining with 13 other Arkansas Cooperatives to form Diamond State Network (DSN). DSN will ultimately bridge the networks together creating one of the largest middle mile networks throughout the state of Arkansas.

Webinar Presenter:

Steven Bandy has over 20 years of utility experience from the field to management level that has included leadership roles in engineering, operations, customer service, billing and dispatch. In his previous positions, Steven worked for independently-owned utility companies focused on distribution of natural gas and also a diversified company with both natural gas and electric customers. Steven joined Ozarks Electric Cooperative in 2016 as VP of Member Relations. He was promoted to General Manager of OzarksGo in February 2019. As General Manager, Steven works to provide the superior services of all-fiber gigabit internet, high-definition television and long-distance phone services to Ozarks Electric’s members. He manages the fiber network that provides these services and the additional benefits of smart grid management that ultimately increases the reliability of Ozarks’ entire electric system.

Join us for Fiber for Breakfast with Stephen Alexander, CTO at Ciena. Continued advances in DWDM and Coherent Optical Systems have allowed over a 100X improvement in the amount of information that can be carried over optical fiber. Total capacities of 30, 50 and even 60 Tb/s are now routinely designed into long-haul networks. System size and power consumption are much reduced, and these same technologies are now being applied to regional and local networks. This Terabit Edge will be one of the key enablers delivering the high-bandwidth low-latency services needed for our long sought-for work, learn, play anything-from-anywhere digital experience.

Webinar Presenter:

Stephen Alexander is currently Ciena’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. From 1982 until joining Ciena in 1994, he was Assistant Leader of the Optical Communications Technology Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He is an IEEE Fellow and is a recipient of the IEEE Communications Society Industrial Innovation Award. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Telecom Industry Solutions (ATIS). He has served as a member of them FCC Technological Advisory Council and is Chairman of the Long-range Planning committee for the Conference on Optical Fiber Communication (OFC.) Mr. Alexander is an Electrical Engineering graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been granted 23 patents and has authored a text on Optical Communication Receiver Design as well as numerous conference presentations and journal articles.

In this Fiber for Breakfast, join Ookla’s Vice President of Smart Communities, Bryan Darr. Now that the infrastructure bill is law, the hard work really begins. Determining how and where billions of dollars will be spent is a challenge in and of itself. Past mapping efforts have fallen well short of expectations and patience is running thin with lawmakers to get their underserved citizens connected with fast, reliable service. The long-term goal is to map connectivity to every building in the nation, but that will take time. Crowdsourced network performance data provides immediate insights into existing online experiences and will assist in targeting communities where the need for broadband infrastructure projects can be quickly justified. The ongoing inflow of this data will also provide immediate evidence of improved service without the wait of current federal reporting requirements.

Guest Bio:

Bryan Darr is the VP of Smart Communities at Ookla. His focus is on bringing Ookla’s vast network performance and coverage intelligence to the public sector and to the telecom infrastructure industry. State and local governments are hard at work protecting the public interest and ensuring digital inclusion, while simultaneously working with network providers on 5G and IoT deployments necessary to stay competitive, increase efficiencies and create smarter communities that provide a higher quality of life for all. Bryan has spent most of his professional life in the wireless industry, beginning his career in cellular as a sales representative for Cellular One of Memphis in 1985. After discovering his customers were having difficulty traveling with their phones, he founded Mosaik in 1988 (originally branded as American Roamer) and began developing consumer roaming guides. Soon, Mosaik was researching and designing mobile operator coverage maps enabling them to market the reach of their mobile networks. In June 2018, Mosaik was acquired by Ookla. Bryan currently serves on CTIA’s Smart Cities Steering Committee.

It is time to update our understanding of the primary factors directly affecting end-user internet performance. For over thirty years, industry and policymakers have collectively missed a key factor that drives end users’ internet quality of experience (QoE). In this Fiber for Breakfast presentation, Douglas Sicker, Ph.D., Executive Director & Chair of the Technical Working Group, BITAG (Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group), and Greg White, Distinguished Technologist, CableLabs, will define latency and its relationship to throughput and speed. Douglas and Greg will also describe the impact that latency has on user experience for applications and consider the sources/contributors to latency as well as metrics and methods for characterizing latency. They will close by discussing the current and future technologies to reduce latency.

Panelists:

Douglas C. Sicker, Ph.D., Executive Director & Chair of the Technical Working Group, BITAG

Greg White, Distinguished Technologist, CableLabs