2023 Agenda

Full Breakfast Buffet

• 7:00 am to 8:00 am
• Plaza Ballroom

Conference Registration

• 7:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Plaza Registration

What’s Next with BEAD?

With NTIA expected to make BEAD funding allocations at the end of June, this session will discuss what’s next, as the process gets handed over to the states to implement … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Moderator: Steve Coran
• Speakers: Paul Garnett, Carol Mattey, Nick Alexander

Beyond Gigabit Speeds: A Vendor’s Perspective

While much of the attention on broadband deployment centers around speed and bandwidth, this panel of Nokia experts will discuss ground-breaking innovations in technology that go beyond gigabit speeds. The … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Moderator: David Eckard
• Speakers: Gino Dion, Andrew Bender, Dr. Dora van Veen

Achieving ISP Scale: The Power of Integrating Geospatial Information & Design

As organizations look to scale their organizations rapidly, many are finding that existing systems are unable to achieve the necessary scale to design and manage their ever-growing networks. In Utah, … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Moderator: Ed Barrett
• Speakers: John Monday, Jon Bingham, Tom Brooks, Craig Gooding
• Governor's Square 14

Closing the Digital Divide: The Role of Community Wi-Fi in Providing Connectivity to School-Age Children

In today’s world, access to the internet is crucial for students to succeed academically. However, many students lack reliable access to the internet, leaving them at a disadvantage when it … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Moderator: Candice Mayberry Storsveen
• Speakers: Robert Beiersdorf, Tanna Hanna, Tim Twohig

Fiber Expansion: When Fiber Gets Everywhere, It Means it Can Go Anywhere

To help close the digital equity gap, we need to take a look at home passed and homes connected as the first two critical steps. These two steps will have … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Speakers: Kevin Morgan, Quinn Jordan, Josh Wehe

State Broadband Leads Discuss BEAD (Part 1)

With the expected release of the state BEAD allocation amounts by NTIA on June 30, this is your first opportunity to hear directly from the States on all things BEAD. … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Moderator: Lori Adams
• Speakers: Rebecca Dilg, Matt Schmit, Thomas Tyler

Cybersecurity and BEAD

Billions of dollars will be handed out in BEAD dollars. But are you aware of the 300+ pages the NTIA has issues as guidelines for BEAD recipients? Your State will … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Moderator: Michael Mercer
• Speakers: Jay Harmon, Ian Sampson

Peaks and Valleys of Public Private Partnerships

Please join us for a panel discussion on the topic of Private Public Partnerships.  Here we will discuss the benefits of service provider and public agency partnerships, legal challenges, ownership, … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 pm
• Moderator: Melanie Goodman
• Speakers: Misti Willock, Denise Barrera, Kimball Sekaquaptewa
• Governor's Square 14

Open Access: The Art of Possible

Learn about open access, economics, and actual real life examples of what’s happening with a model that isn’t just mythical anymore. Our panel of experts will provide insight, entertainment, and … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Moderator: Brian Hollister
• Speakers: Jeff Engman, Ben Kley, Jack Waters, Warren Woodward

Bridging the Digital Divide: Utilizing Community Dialogue’s to Capitalize on BEAD Investments

In this panel, we will explore the ways in which community dialogues can be used to capitalize on BEAD investments and build a bridge in the digital divide. We will … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Speakers: Ashley Coffey, Miranda Hutchison

BEAD funding; Who’s Building?

The Telecommunications Industry is in an economic boom like we have never seen before. Public and private funds are rolling in and millions of miles of fiber needs to be … Read more

• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
• Moderator: Danny Reed
• Speakers: Salvador J. Acuna, Duke Horan, Davis Miller

Broadband after BEAD: Planning for the Long Term

The BEAD program has been called a “once in a lifetime” and “once in a generation” opportunity for connectivity. While true it represents the largest public investment in broadband in … Read more

• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
• Speakers: Christopher Ali, PhD

Building a Sustainable Digital Equity Ecosystem in Your Community

https://mountainconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dean-MC-Digital-Equity-slides.pptxAchieving digital equity – a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy – requires effort … Read more

• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
• Moderator: Curtis Dean
• Speakers: Patrick Mulhearn, Karisa Tashjian, Donald Michael
• Governor's Square 14

Democratizing Network Interconnection: Why Internet Exchange Points Are Needed in Small Cities and Towns Across America

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are facilities where local ISPs, transport networks, content networks, cloud services, education networks, and others exchange data traffic.  They exist predominantly in major metros like New … Read more

• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
• Moderator: Jeff Gavlinski
• Speakers: Brent Legg, Hunter Newby

Next Generation Broadband Network

In a moment where broadband connectivity means much more than simply connecting people to the internet and represents a fundamental instrument of social, economic and educational development to so many … Read more

• 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
• Moderator: Vini Santos
• Speakers: Scott Jackson, Niall Robinson

Broadband Funding: An Overview of Funding Opportunities

By June 2023, there will be a lot of buzz and excitement about the BEAD program as they announce state allocations on June 30th. The USDA ReConnect program may be … Read more

• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
• Moderator: Mike Lasky
• Speakers: Megan Beresford, Russell Elliott, Mike Ellison

What’s Next with Wi-Fi 6E

Demands for fast and reliable internet at home continue to grow, and many are ready to take things to the next level with multi-gig services. As everything in the home … Read more

• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
• Speakers: Andrew Cuellar, Patrick Moreno, Niall Robinson

Building Regional Partnerships to Connect Communities

Larimer County (County) encompasses diverse communities across the front range – from rural mountain towns to dense cities nestled along the foothills. Growth in the region has emphasized the need … Read more

• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
• Moderator: Nathan Hoople
• Speakers: Chad Crager, Mark Pfaffinger, Brieana Reed-Harmel
• Governor's Square 14

Telehealth – Take It To the Pilot

Telehealth is a “Killer App” not just because it’s awesome technology, but also it’s great marketing! The universal need for healthcare and wellness often justifies the return on investment for … Read more

• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
• Moderator: Craig Settles
• Speakers: Matt Larsen, Deb Fuglie

Anchor Institutions: The Key to BEAD’s Success

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act focuses on bringing high-speed broadband to unserved households and gigabit capacity to anchor institutions. These are not contradictory goals. Connecting the schools, libraries, and … Read more

• 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm
• Moderator: John Windhausen
• Speakers: Denise Shorey, Judson Cary, Tim Miles, Andrew Moore

Exploring the Fabric

The BEAD “Fabric” v1 has 113,501,003 locations that are mapped to traditional census blocks and to a hexagonal grid system. The latter provides a dramatically improvised level of detail in … Read more

• 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
• Moderator: J. Randolph Luening
• Speakers: Dianne Connery, Casey Lide, Paul Narro

How mmWave Wireless is a Cost Effective Way to Provide Gigabit Speed Internet

Introducing the different aspects of mmWave wireless (license free 60GHx and lightly licensed 70/80GHz) and how these frequencies are ideal for providing Gigabit speed internet to single family homes as … Read more

• 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
• Speakers: Alex Doorduyn, Josh Kinabrew

Introducing the Front Range GigaPoP and BiSON West

Scott Baily (UCAR), Corey Bryndal (Region 10) and Nate Walowitz (Project Thor) will provide an introduction to the Front Range GigaPoP (FRGP), which has been fulfilling the high bandwidth and … Read more

• 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
• Speakers: Corey Bryndal, Scott Baily, Nate Walowitz
• Governor's Square 14

Seizing the Opportunity: Leveraging Federal Broadband Funds

The US Treasury has noted “mapping and data gathering” as an eligible expense for publicly-funded fiber expansion projects. This session will explore some best practices across various project owners, including, … Read more

• 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
• Speakers: Andrew Eubank, Brian Mefford

Mobile Apps for Today’s Service Providers

Connectivity on the go is essential for supporting the demands of your customers, mobile applications increase productivity for technicians and transmits field activity back to your OSS system in seconds. … Read more

• 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
• Speakers: Glenn Paul, Lindsay Randazzo

Overcoming ROW and Permitting Challenges in Rural America

In the rural areas of the United States, the permitting and rights of way processes often present significant challenges for various stakeholders involved in infrastructure development and public projects. These … Read more

• 4:50 pm to 5:30 pm
• Speakers: Scott Horne, Dean Mischke, Ovidiu Viorica

AI: A Game Saver in the Broadband Workforce Shortage

The broadband industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled employees to manage and operate their networks, which results in longer lead times for service delivery and slower response times to … Read more

• 4:50 pm to 5:30 pm
• Speakers: Rhyan Neble

Don’t Let Your Community Members Slip Through the Broadband Cracks; Case Studies on Increasing Digital Inclusion

Community based broadband is meant to serve the entire community. What happens when specific community members are not included in broadband access? Those who are housing unstable, struggling financially, don’t … Read more

• 4:50 pm to 5:30 pm
• Moderator: Cassie Bair
• Speakers: Melanie Colletti, Tony Frank, Tracy Treece
• Governor's Square 14

Breaking Down Barriers: Middle Mile as a Keystone to Networking the Underserved

Today the internet is not only important for social interaction, online purchases, or entertainment but it is also a critical tool for virtual medicine, remote learning, and business. Fiber optic … Read more

• 4:50 pm to 5:30 pm
• Moderator: Mike Vermeer
• Speakers: C. Steven Lucero, Javier Martin, Leigh Wade, Bob Wagner

Middle Mile Deployment Model for Rural Operators

Traditionally large companies have built middle mile networks by laying limited count fiber across thousands of miles and opening it for access at a premium price. This model has worked … Read more

• 4:50 pm to 5:30 pm
• Moderator: Sachin Gupta
• Speakers: Sarah Bleau, James Tanneberger

Conference Registration

• 7:00 am to 2:00 pm
• Plaza Registration

Full Breakfast Buffet

• 7:00 am to 8:00 am
• Plaza Ballroom

State Broadband Leads Discuss BEAD (Part 2)

Part 2: With the expected release of the state BEAD allocation amounts by NTIA on June 30, this is your first opportunity to hear directly from the States on all … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Moderator: Jennifer Fritzsche
• Speakers: Sandip Bhowmick, Ramón S. Hobdey-Sánchez, Andrea Pacheco

Alternative but Effective Broadband Solutions: Public Utility and Special Purpose Districts

Join us to discuss how communities are banding together to create special purpose districts for utilities such as Broadband. Washington Public Utility Districts, Vermont Communication Union Districts, and Main Broadband … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Moderator: Angela Bennink
• Speakers: Ellie de Villiers

Financing Your Network

This session will review various financing security mechanisms and structures that have been utilized to finance both public and private fiber networks. Utilizing municipal bond capability, when legally available as … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: Laura Lewis, Dean Lundell, David Robertson, Shaye Ruitenbeek
• Governor's Square 14

Broadband Marketing Is Boring. But It Doesn’t Have to Be…

The “exceptional service,” “ultra-fast speeds” and “100% fiber network” you offer are exactly what your competition touts about themselves. So, in an increasingly crowded market, how can you stand out? … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: Chelsea Radich, Jordan Wehe

Beyond the Build

Building a broadband network is just the first step. Public-private partnerships for broadband deployment need long-term partners with a proven track record, scale for continued investment and innovation, and a … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: David Don, Teralyn Dorst, Jessie Hawthorn

Why Rural Electric Co-Ops should be Dominating the Rural Broadband Market

Rural communities have historically been an afterthought when it comes to America’s modernization efforts. Broadband internet service is essential to modern life, providing benefits such as: improved healthcare, enhanced learning … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Moderator: Josh Leonard
• Speakers: Casey Lide, Ashley Poling

400G Transport Extension into Middle-Mile Networks

The past couple of years have seen a change in the capacity of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) platforms going into the network. Service providers are now turning to new … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Moderator: Rick Talbot
• Speakers: Vini Santos, Tim Doiron, Earl Kennedy

So You Want To Build and Operate a New Broadband Network

There’s a lot of building of broadband network builds on the horizon. In this panel, you’ll hear from muni and local multiple operators and communities about their own broadband journeys. … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Moderator: Christopher Mitchell
• Speakers: Doug Seacat, Dennis Pappas, Brad Welch
• Governor's Square 14

Diversity and Inclusion in the Broadband Realm

The broadband industry has historically lacked the diversity that is reflected in our country as a whole. The pandemic made clear that not only are minority groups less likely to … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Moderator: Megan Beresford
• Speakers: Fields Jackson, Jr., Tonia Martinez, Sandra Parker-Murray, Shannan Williams-Mitchem

Things to Consider when Building a Community Wireless Broadband Network

The digital divide didn’t happen overnight, the pandemic just brought it into light. SmartWAVE has been building community wireless broadband networks since 2014. Throughout the years we have seen many … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Speakers: Caroline Brown, Steven Capps, Kevin Macumber

Scoring the Technical Strength of BEAD Subgrant Applications

Based on 50+ Network Evaluations Now that the State Broadband Offices know the BEAD funding they’ll receive, this operational question becomes even more important: How will the technical quality of … Read more

• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
• Speakers: Randy Kinsey, Jay Rolls

Super-Charged Broadband Marketing with AI-Driven Analytics

Broadband competitors are entering the market more frequently, so a marketing team equipped with analytics intelligence is essential to deliver a message that stands out. How empowered is your marketing … Read more

• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
• Moderator: Ashley Brown
• Speakers: Todd Way, Eddie Andrews

The Alpine Loop – Western Colorado’s Middle Mile Network

Learn about the unprecedented cooperation of local governments and their industry partners to build a fiber network connecting five regions in anticipation of serving last mile investments. Leaders from the … Read more

• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
• Moderator: Corey Bryndal
• Speakers: Shak Powers, Jamaica Watts
• Governor's Square 14

Network Build and Operate 2.0: Technology Shaping the Delivery and Operation of Future-Proof Networks

The broadband industry is set for the largest-ever U.S. infrastructure investment. The demand for high-quality future proof networks far outpaces the speed and scale at which telecommunications networks can be … Read more

• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
• Moderator: Barry Walton
• Speakers: John George, Doug Payauys, Sam Pratt

A History of Strong Women Leaders: Understanding How Women Leaders Rose In Telecom and Broadband

Since the breakup of AT&T, strong women have found success within the telecommunications industry. Many of members of the first large influx of women to graduate and law schools filled … Read more

• 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
• Moderator: Heather Gold
• Speakers: Deb Socia, Jill Canfield, Angie Kronenberg

State Broadband Leads Discuss BEAD (Part 3)

Part 3: With the expected release of the state BEAD allocation amounts by NTIA on June 30, this is your first opportunity to hear directly from the States on all … Read more

• 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Moderator: Brian Hurley
• Speakers: Tamarah Holmes, PhD, Bree Maki, Ovidiu Viorica

Project THOR and NWCCOG Community Broadband Program Updates

An update on Project THOR, share successful partner stories/experiences and provide an overview of our new network architecture to expand our capabilities to deliver additional services. This would highlight how … Read more

• 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Moderator: Nate Walowitz
• Speakers: Kevin Aoki, Kristin Brownson, Jeff Krueger, Tim Miles
• Governor's Square 14

City Utilities and the Utility Lease Model – A Success Story

How Electric Utilities can establish Territory-wide Fiber Connectivity Discover how City Utilities of Springfield, MO achieved the successful completion of its 1,100-mile fiber network ahead of schedule. Join us to … Read more

• 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Moderator: Eric Coursey
• Speakers: Jeff Bertholdi, Andrew Hurry, Patrick Thibeault

When is Congress Going to End the Free Ride?

Edge providers grab all the subscription revenue from our customers while pushing millions of dollars of network upgrade costs to us. When we enlarge our pipe’s capacity, Big Streamers use … Read more

• 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Speakers: Andy Ehrlich, Jeff England, Mark Gailey

Hiring Our Heroes: Finding the Hidden Gem to Augment Your Workforce

In this panel, you will hear from companies that train/place and employ our Veterans as they leave their military careers and seek to become reintegrated into civilian life. These individuals … Read more

• 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm
• Moderator: Nic Lindner
• Speakers: Kelley Dunne, Anthony V. Montoya, Mark Morgan