Broadband Nation Expo 2024: Full Schedule

8:30am EDT

Chairperson’s Welcome

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:30am - 8:35am EDT

Speakers

Alejandro Piñero

Group Director, Broadband, Questex

Alejandro Piñero is Group Director for Broadband and Streaming at Questex family. As part of this role, Alejandro oversees the strategic direction and product strategy for portfolios such as Broadband Nation and StreamTV. Prior to joining Questex, Alejandro was Senior Research Manager... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:30am - 8:35am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

8:55am EDT

Keynote - Broadband Industry Update - Regulatory, Funding and Deployment State of Play

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:55am - 9:20am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Speakers

Will Arbuckle

Senior Policy Advisor, NTIA

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:55am - 9:20am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

9:20am EDT

State Roundtable - Funding Update & Roll-Out Plans and Strategy

Thursday October 10, 2024 9:20am - 10:00am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Discussing state broadband plans.
Deployment challenges and roadblocks.
Next steps in the road to bridging the digital divide.

Moderators

Jade Piros de Carvalho

Vice President of Broadband Advocacy and Partnerships, Bonfire Infrastructure Group

Speakers

Joshua Breitbart

Senior Vice President, ConnectALL Office, Empire State Development

Joshua Breitbart is the Senior Vice President, ConnectALL, at Empire State Development. In that role, he serves as Director of the Division of Broadband Access, overseeing the statewide digital equity plan and administering over $1 billion in public investments across the state. Joshua... Read More →

Michael Baldino

Director & General Counsel, Massachusetts Broadband Institute

Michael Baldino was named Director and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Mass Tech Collaborative in January 2019.  Michael comes to MBI with a wealth of public sector policy experience. He served in Mass Tech’s Legal Department for over 23... Read More →

Greg Bathrick

Area Vice President, Commercial Development, Calix

With over 25 years in the broadband industry, Greg Bathrick joined Calix in 2014 and is currently the Area Vice President of Broadband Development. He assists broadband service providers and rural communities in finding government grants and private equity. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical... Read More →

Brian Newby

State Broadband Program Director, North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT)

Brian Newby, broadband program director for the state of North Dakota, joined the state's broadband office as it was in the process of being created in early 2023. Since then, his primary focus has been on developing the state's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. North Dakota is to receive $130.16 million through BEAD and, as of this writing, the state is awaiting NT... Read More →

Brian Mitchell

Director of the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT), State of Nevada Broadband Office

Brian Mitchell serves as the Director of the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT), the State of Nevada's Broadband Office, and oversees the planning, mapping and procurement of broadband infrastructure. Brian leads the State's High Speed Nevada Initiative, a $500 million... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 9:20am - 10:00am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

Qtag featuredsessions

10:00am EDT

Keynote by CommScope

Thursday October 10, 2024 10:00am - 10:20am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Speakers

John Chamberlain

VP, Technology CCS, CommScope

John Chamberlain is the Vice President of Technology for CommScopes CCS segment and is the technology lead for passive Fiber Cable, Connectivity, Data Center and Enterprise businesses.Mr. Chamberlain has previously served at CommScope in CTO, R&D, Product Line Management and Manufacturing... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 10:00am - 10:20am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

11:20am EDT

Partner Keynote - What's Next? Leveraging Investments in Broadband

Thursday October 10, 2024 11:20am - 11:40am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Speakers

Erin Scarborough

Senior Vice President, Mass Markets Product Management, AT&T

Erin Scarborough leads the team responsible for managing and innovating AT&T’s product portfolio across broadband and mobility, as well as leading fiber and wireless 5G investment initiatives; through participating in government funding programs and public private partnerships... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 11:20am - 11:40am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

11:40am EDT

Partner Keynote - Beyond the Build-Out: Defining the next era of ISP innovation

Thursday October 10, 2024 11:40am - 12:00pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Speakers

Harjot Singh Saluja

CEO, Reach

Harjot Singh Saluja is the CEO of Reach, a platform company disrupting telecom and adjacent industries by revolutionizing how subscription-based services are launched and scaled. Under his leadership, Reach has built a scalable ecosystem of APIs, technology modules, and third-party... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 11:40am - 12:00pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

12:00pm EDT

Leaders' Roundtable - From Underground Fiber to Satellites - How Tech Will Bridge the Digital Divide

Thursday October 10, 2024 12:00pm - 12:40pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Pros and cons of all access technology available for remote and rural communities.
Demystifying network architecture technology.
Cost per pass and mitigation strategies to reduce cost.

Moderators

Alex Besen

Founder & CEO, The Besen Group LLC

Alex Besen is the Founder & CEO of The Besen Group LLC. He provides strategic advisory, business development, market research and training services in the mobile data industry.He has over 30 years of hands-on experience in the mobile industry working for operators and vendors in North... Read More →

Speakers

Vini Santos

Solutions Marketing Senior Advisor, Broadband & 5G, Ciena

Vinicius (Vini) Santos is part of Ciena's Global Solutions Marketing team, responsible for business development involving advanced solutions like Next Generation Broadband and Private 5G. He has over 25 years of experience supporting the telecommunication market in Brazil, Italy... Read More →

Martin Marshall

Senior Sales Engineer, Eutelsat/OneWeb

I am a Senior Sales Engineer for OneWeb based in Anchorage, Alaska. I have spent the last 25 years in the telecommunications industry, with the last decade focused on innovation and deployment of emerging technologies. Since joining OneWeb, I have supported our broadband deployments... Read More →

Michael O'Rielly

President, MPORielly Consulting

Jason Livingood

Vice President, Technology Policy, Product & Standards, Comcast

Jason Livingood serves as Vice President of Technology Policy, Product & Standards at Comcast. He leads Comcast’s efforts in developing & deploying new open standards, supporting applied R&D via collaboration with the research community, engaging with governments, regulators, and... Read More →

Tomasz Staszek

Head of BSS Consulting, Comarch

Tomasz is a visionary telecommunications industry leader, spearheading innovative Business Support System (BSS) initiatives as the Head of BSS Solutions at Comarch. With a keen focus on critical modules such as Billing, Product Catalog, Order Management and Customer Relationship Management... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 12:00pm - 12:40pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

Qtag featuredsessions

2:00pm EDT

Keynote- The Power of Middle Mile Networks

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Speakers

Kendra Jo Grindle

Community & Regional Partnerships Senior Manager, Maine Connectivity Authority

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:00pm - 2:20pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

2:20pm EDT

Keynote - AI-Powered Fiber Deployment with amAIz: Maximizing Impact and Efficiency

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:20pm - 2:40pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Explore the transformative impact of Amdocs' amAIz platform in driving fiber deployment strategies that meet today’s bandwidth demands. This session will showcase how AI, powered by amAIz, can enhance customer experiences, reduce costs, and boost employee productivity while improving network operations. Learn how these advancements help organizations achieve their revenue goals and stay ahead in a competitive market. Discover the future of fiber deployment with the cutting-edge AI solutions offered by Amdocs' amAIz platform.

Speakers

Kiran Vemireddi

Head of Solution Sales Architecture, Amdocs

Kiran Vemireddi is a proven Technology leader in the telecommunications industry. He has driven large scale IT and Network transformation programs at major Telecom/Cable operators across the Americas. Kiran is responsible for the growth and program success at the Communications, Media... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:20pm - 2:40pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

2:40pm EDT

Panel - Middle Mile Networks - Building the Backbone of America's Broadband

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:40pm - 3:10pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Permitting & local deployment challenges.
Technology innovation.
Funding & Regulation.

Moderators

Alex Jeffery

Senior Public Policy Manager, Vernonburg Group

Alex serves as Senior Public Policy Manager at Vernonburg Group. At Vernonburg Group, Alex develops policy papers and reports for clients (most recently Vernonburg Group’s report “Achieving Internet for All: Socioeconomics and Fixed Broadband in the United States”), leads stakeholder engagement efforts around broadband policy issues on behalf of clients, crafts advocacy strategies, and supports Vernonburg Group’s business development activities.Prior to joining Vernonburg Group, Alex had years of experience advocating specifically on technology and telecommunications policy issues. While at the Glen Ec... Read More →

Speakers

Jeff Wilson

Manager for Systems Engineering and Principal Architect for Rural Regional Service Providers,, Ribbon

Laurel Leverrier

Assistant Administrator, Telecommunications Programs, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Laurel Leverrier is the Assistant Administrator of the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, Telecommunications Programs, where she oversees RUS' $6 billion portfolio of telecommunications loans and grants.

Greg Cotton

Senior Manager, Field and Network Sales Engineering, Fujitsu

Greg is the Senior Manager of Field and Network Sales Engineering at Fujitsu Network Communications. He is a seasoned telecom professional with over 24 years of experience including a diverse background spanning product management, quality engineering, sales engineering, and management... Read More →

Nate Walowitz

Regional Broadband Program Director, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments

Originally from the east coast and more recently from Evergreen, Nate Walowitz has over 20 years of experience designing, and developing communication solutions for government and public safety enterprise clients. He’s guided the selection and implementation of new approaches for... Read More →

Joel Daly

SVP Government Affairs and Product Strategy, Zayo

Joel Daly is a seasoned entrepreneur and technology executive with a 25-year track record. He currently holds the position of SVP Government Affairs and Product Strategy at Zayo, where he successfully secured NTIA Middle Mile Awards totaling $93M. Over the past 5 years at Zayo, Joel... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 2:40pm - 3:10pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

Qtag featuredsessions

4:00pm EDT

Panel - Construction & Engineering Networks to Reach Everyone

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:00pm - 4:35pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Pitfalls & considerations when planning network construction in remote & rural areas
Common challenges and misconceptions
Labor qualifications

Moderators

David Strauss

Principal, Broadband Success Partners

Mr. Strauss is the co-founder of Broadband Success Partners – the leading digital infrastructure M&A technical advisor and due diligence specialist. The firm has completed over 90 technical due diligence engagements for over 60 clients including Antin, Brookfield, CBRE, DigitalBridge... Read More →

Speakers

Bryan W. Horn

Director, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

Bryan W. Horn serves as the Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. He brings 29 years of business and legal experience to the Youngkin Administration in the fields of residential, commercial and industrial construction, commercial and business litigation... Read More →

Tom Brooks

Director, GIS & Solutions Engineering, Render Networks

A 17 year veteran of the industry based in Richmond, VA, Tom has a background in GIS for OSP management and construction. He joined Render in 2020, initially helping to establish their delivery team before shifting his focus to solutions engineering. With expertise in fiber construction... Read More →

Tom Perrone

COO, GoNetSpeed

Thomas Perrone serves as GoNetspeed’s Chief Operations Officer. Based in Southport North Carolina, Tom is one of GoNetspeed’s founders and oversees all administrative, operational and construction functions of the company’s full footprint.With 25+ years of experience in the... Read More →

Vincent Cioci

CEO, Luck Grove

Vincent serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Luck Grove, an engineering and construction company for the telecom and utility industries. After accepting a role at Luck Grove, Vincent quickly rose through the ranks by developing new streams of revenue for the company and being... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:00pm - 4:35pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

4:35pm EDT

Fireside Chat- Making Sense of the Converged Broadband and Entertainment Landscape

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:35pm - 4:55pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Overcoming market challenges for fast entry and scaling
Leveraging partnerships to accelerate time-to-market
Driving success with exceptional customer experiences

Moderators

Chris Huppertz

Vice President & General Manager, Bob Gold & Associates

Chris Huppertz is a visionary PR and Marketing executive with over 11 years in telecommunications, media, and technology industries. As Vice President & General Manager at Bob Gold & Associates, Chris is renowned for his business acumen and innovative approach, delivering award-winning... Read More →

Speakers

Reid Jenkins

Vice President, Strategic Business, CSG, CSG

Reid Jenkins is Vice President, Strategic Business at CSG, responsible for the company's Communications, Media and Technology business unit. In his 10+ years at CSG, Reid has been pivotal in establishing consistency in how the company meets and exceeds customer goals and objectives... Read More →

Rick Fernandez

Director, Product Management, CSG, CSG

Rick Fernandez is Director, Product Management at CSG, responsible for the company's ACP offering and leading its fiber solutions and go-to-market strategy. In his 20 years at CSG, Rick has built high-performing, cross-functional teams that solve complex process, system and application... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:35pm - 4:55pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

4:55pm EDT

Fireside Chat – Leveraging Vendor Relationships to Navigate BABA Compliance for BEAD

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:55pm - 5:15pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Moderators

Alejandro Piñero

Group Director, Broadband, Questex

Speakers

Josh Simer

Market Strategy and Innovation Manager for Service Providers and Multiple System Operators, AFL

Josh Simer is AFL’s market strategy & innovation manager for service providers and multiple system operators (MSOs). He has been in the optical fiber and ICT industries for 16 years, prior to which he was a US Army Infantry Officer. Simer has served and continues to serve in a variety... Read More →

Will Miller

Program Manager, Strategic Programs, Broadband, AFL

Will Miller, Program Manager, Strategic Programs, Broadband at AFL, boasts over 15 years of expertise in fiber optic cable and connectivity across multiple manufacturers. With a diverse career encompassing pivotal roles in field engineering, applications engineering, and product line... Read More →

Thursday October 10, 2024 4:55pm - 5:15pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Track: Fiber for All

8:30am EDT

Leader's Roundtable - Building the Broadband Workforce

Friday October 11, 2024 8:30am - 9:00am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Understanding the need for a larger and more skilled workforce.
Programs to attract and retrain talent.
How to make broadband cool again.

Moderators

Tommy Clift

Editor, Broadband Nation

Tommy Clift is a multi-disciplined writer, musician and creator. Within tech, he has covered topics in telecom, diversity and inclusion, cybersecurity, AI, cloud technologies, and more. Tommy is a graduate of Colorado University Denver with a degree in music business and a minor in... Read More →

Speakers

Peter Voderberg

Chief, BroadbandOhio, Ohio Department of Development

Peter serves as the Chief of BroadbandOhio, an office within the Department of Development dedicated to bringing high-speed internet service to every resident in Ohio. Created by Governor Mike DeWine, it serves as the access point for industry and the public for coordinating the state’s... Read More →

Aaron Banks

City Council President, City of Jackson, MS

Pastor and spiritual shepherd, a teacher of teachers, ministerial and business visionary, motivational speaker, political consultant and grassroots organizer Aaron B. Banks is known for his gift to empower and mobilize people to prove what is acceptable unto the Lord. Aaron B. Banks... Read More →

Edyn Rolls

Chief Strategic Officer, Oklahoma Broadband Office

Edyn Rolls is a dynamic leader in the public and private sectors with experience in various roles. She is currently serving as the Director of Broadband Strategy at the Oklahoma Broadband Office, where she is responsible for implementing the State Broadband Plan. In this role, Edyn... Read More →

Todd Jackson

Director, Workforce Development, Fiber Broadband Association

Todd joined the Fiber Broadband Association as the Director of Workforce Development in July 2023 after working as the Market President and President of Workforce Development for an Internet Service Provider Startup and the City of Westerville, where he served the community as Chief... Read More →

Friday October 11, 2024 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

9:00am EDT

Keynote - Why Broadband Matters

Friday October 11, 2024 9:00am - 9:20am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Community Impact Stories.
Financial benefits for constituents.

Speakers

Darcie L. Houck

Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

Commissioner Darcie L. Houck was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) by Governor Gavin Newsom on Feb. 9, 2021. She formerly served as Chief Counsel for the California Energy Commission since 2019.Commissioner Houck was an Administrative Law Judge at the... Read More →

Friday October 11, 2024 9:00am - 9:20am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Keynote

9:20am EDT

Keynote by TWN Communications

Friday October 11, 2024 9:20am - 9:40am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Moderators

Diana Goovaerts

Executive Editor, Fierce Network

Speakers

Jonathan Adelstein

Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer, TWN Communications

Friday October 11, 2024 9:20am - 9:40am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Keynote

9:40am EDT

Fireside Chat with Verizon

Friday October 11, 2024 9:40am - 10:00am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Moderators

Dave Stehlin

Chief Executive Officer, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

Speakers

Kwame Trotman

SVP Wireline Center & Business Operations, Verizon

Kwame Trotman is Senior Vice President of Wireline Network Center & Business Operations (WNO), with responsibility for wireline network Business Operations, Operations Control Centers (OCC), the Fiber Solutions Center (FSC) and the local transport NOCs. His team is focused on leading... Read More →

Friday October 11, 2024 9:40am - 10:00am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

Keynote

10:00am EDT

Leader's Roundtable - Harnessing the Power of Electrical Co-ops to Deliver Broadband to All

Friday October 11, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Why co-ops have a natural role to play in connecting remote and rural networks.
Organizational switches and challenges in moving from electric utility to connectivity.
Benefits to the community & to the difficult economics of rural broadband.

Moderators

Cliff Johnson

Head of Rural Broadband Initiative, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Cliff Johnson is the Director of the NRECA’s Broadband Initiative, where he is responsible for working across the organization to lead the program’s design, development, and operation.Cliff joined the NRECA in January 2024 following six years at Bloomberg, where he led the marketing... Read More →

Speakers

Mike Malandro

President & CEO, Choptank Electric Cooperative

Mike Malandro is the President and CEO of Choptank Electric Cooperative and President of Choptank Fiber, a wholly owned subsidiary, located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Mike has worked in the electric utility industry since 1999 and has been with Electric Cooperatives since 2003... Read More →

Beau Jackson

CEO, White River Connect

Friday October 11, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session

11:15am EDT

Leader's Roundtable - Building Municipal Networks

Friday October 11, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT

Woodrow Wilson A

Current reach and impact of municipally run broadband networks.
Economic benefits to the community and the cities.
Overcoming regulatory and legal challenges to their deployment.

Moderators

Christopher Mitchell

Director, Community Broadband Networks, Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Christopher Mitchell is the Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) in Minneapolis. Mitchell is a leading national expert on community networks, Internet access, and local broadband policies.Mitchell built MuniNetworks.org... Read More →

Speakers

Vini Santos

Solutions Marketing Senior Advisor, Broadband & 5G, Ciena

Kendra Jo Grindle

Community & Regional Partnerships Senior Manager, Maine Connectivity Authority

Gigi Sohn

Executive Director, American Association for Public Broadband

Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and a Benton Senior Fellow & Public Advocate. She is the host of the “Tech on the Rocks Podcast.” Gigi sits on the Board of Directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.Gigi is one... Read More →

Sandip Bhowmick

Vice President of Infrastructure and State Broadband Director, Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)

Sandip Bhowmick currently serves as the Vice President of Infrastructure and State Broadband Director at the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). He is responsible for overseeing the planning, development, and expansion of broadband infrastructure throughout Arizona. Prior to his current... Read More →

Jason Mittler

FPUAnet Manager, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority

Jason Mittler has worked for Fort Pierce Utilities Authority for almost 22 years. He graduated from Indian River State College in 2014 with his Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management. He has over 18 years in engineering, planning and project management of utility infrastructure... Read More →

Friday October 11, 2024 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
Woodrow Wilson A

General Session