Editor's Choice Track
A potpourri of subjects we at Broadband Communities want you to be up on from marketing to mapping to co-op trailblazers on the road to bringing broadband to their communities.
| Tuesday, April 9 |
General Session
The Big Picture
Moderator: Steve Ross, Editor-at-Large, Broadband Communities
Hear what's on the minds of the experts Broadband Communities turns to when we want to know about multifamily, economic development and rural broadband issues.
Moderator:
Steve Ross - Editor-at-Large, Broadband Communities
Presenters:
Jim Baller – President, Baller Stokes & Lide, PC
Bryan Rader – President, UpStream Network
Drew Clark – Chairman and Publisher, BroadbandBreakfast.com; President, Rural Telecommunications Congress
| Wednesday, April 10 |
Cornerstone Awards Luncheon
Sponsored by Verizon
Keynote Address by:
Jannine Miller – Senior Advisor for Rural Infrastructure, USDA
Track Session
Marketing: The Secret Key to Deployment Success
Successful broadband deployment is much more than good GIS information and the right hardware – it calls for the strategic use of marketing during every step of the process. In this session, carriers who have successfully used marketing skills will explain why it made the deployment more efficient and effective. Attendees will hear learn from these experts how to:
- Communicate the roll out plan to your community, setting expectations for success.
- Develop a successful marketing business plan including media and investment that builds anticipation and increases take rates.
- Engage post deployment marketing efforts to improve customer satisfaction and reduce churn.
Co-Moderators:
Carl Meyerhoefer – Sr. Director, Strategic & Solutions Marketing
Heather Burnett Gold – CEO, HBG Strategies, LLC
Presenter:
Mike Keyser – CEO, BARC Electric Cooperative
Angela Imming – Director of Technology and Innovation, City of Highland, IL
Will Aycock – General Manager, Greenlight Community Broadband, Wilson, North Carolina
| Thursday, April 11 |
Track Session
Mapping Matters
Today’s mapping solutions help network designers create more efficient designs for fiber networks – and create them faster than ever before. These same platforms can also guide deployers in deciding when and where to build, help with sales and marketing, make operations more efficient and make troubleshooting a breeze. Learn how the new generation of mapping tools is making fiber networks successful – and find out what they can do for you.
Moderator:
Sean Buckley – Associate Editor, Broadband Communities
Presenters:
Jonathan Crawford – Manager, Business Development and Strategic Relationships
Will Mitchell – CEO, Co-Founder, Vetro FiberMap
Fabion Kauker – Product Architect, 3-GIS
Kevin Wynne – Manager, Americas, Comsof
Track Session
Co-op Trailblazers: The Good. The Bad and the Ugly on the Way to a Deployment
No one said it was easy… A roundup of co-op successes on the road to broadband deployment as well as some stumbles and decisions not to move forward – all with interesting, and valuable stories to tell. This session expands beyond electric co-ops to cover examples like the partnership between a water and a telephone co-op; the expansion of telcos into CLEC areas and a look at electric and telco partnerships. The key: co-ops by definition are cooperation experts. They are locally run and managed – and local needs and desires are top priorities. And their secret sauce? They clearly know and understand their marketplace.
Moderator:
Kristy Szabo – Director of Consulting, Vantage Point
Presenters:
Michael Wachtmann – Technology Solutions Manager, RTC Fiber Communications, Indiana
Mark Batman – President & CEO, Marshall County REMC, Indiana
Barry Adair – Executive Vice President & General Manager, Wabash Communications
Track Session
Show and Tell: Consultants and Vendors Strut Their Stuff
Our popular potpourri of novel but tested broadband solutions brings together consultants, software vendors and equipment vendors for an interactive panel. Expect short presentations, no blatant sales pitches and a lot of time for audience participation.
Moderator:
Sean Buckley – Associate Editor, Broadband Communities
Presenters:
Scot Bohaychyk – Sr. Application Engineer, Carrier Group, Clearfield
Kurt Raaflaub – Head of Strategic Solutions Marketing, Adtran
Dan Flemming – Co-Founder, Render Networks
Kevin Dundon – Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Alianza
General Session
Exhibit Hall Luncheon, Keynote Presentation and the “Must be Present to Win” $5,000 Drawing
Big Cash Drawing During Thursday’s Exhibit Hall Lunch: To qualify, players must visit each participating drawing sponsor to obtain their signature or stamp. Once all boxes are filled, please turn in to the registration desk where your entry will be verified. This drawing is only for attendees. Vendors cannot participate. Only one submission per person. Must be present to win.
Introduction:
Jim Baller - President, Baller Stokes & Lids, PC
Keynoter:
Susan Crawford – John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
The Coming Tech Revolution – And Why America Might Miss It
That’s the title of fiber broadband champion and Harvard Law School professor Susan Crawford’s new book – and what you’ll hear her address at Thursday’s working lunch. The great promise of cheap, ultra-fast fiber-optic connectivity is limitless communications capacity that will radically transform everything from business, education and medical care to urban and rural problem-solving. Why might America miss out? Crawford notes that 84 percent of homes here are still connected to the internet through far more limited copper wire. China, on the other hand, is installing some 20,000 FTTH connections daily. Crawford has lots to say about the whys of America’s sluggish and haphazard efforts to switch to fiber and about the ways we can fix it. She’ll share them and follow up with a Q&A and book signing.
Book signing immediately following.
Sponsored by CTC
April 8-11, 2019
Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas
Look who you'll meet at the Summit
| Unique Opportunity to Network with Broadband Systems Operators* *Includes Telcos - Private, CLECs, ILECs; Cable Operators; Wireless Broadband Operators, Property Managers, Developers, Owners, REITs, Universities, Colleges |
49% | |
| Equipment Manufacturers, Suppliers, Distributors | 17% | |
| Government/Legal | 12% | |
| Consultants, Contractors | 10% | |
| System Installers, Service Providers | 8% | |
| Financial Advisers, Institutions, Investors | 3% |