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

8:00 am – 8:45 am

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

12:45 pm – 2:00 pm

Cornerstone Awards Luncheon

Sponsored by Verizon

Keynote Address by:
Jannine Miller
– Senior Advisor for Rural Infrastructure, USDA


2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

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

9:10 am -10:00 am

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


10:10 am – 11:00 am

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


11:10 am – 12:00 pm

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


12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

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

Photo Gallery

Here's a glance at last year's Summit.

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%

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