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Sun, May 17
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Sunday, May 17, 2026
11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
ET
Registration Open
11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
ET
Registration Open
Sponsored By
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Calix Connexions@Local at Fiber Connect
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Calix Connexions@Local at Fiber Connect
Location: Suwannee 1-2
Hosted By
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Scaling a Shared Fiber Future: A Full Day on Open Access
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Scaling a Shared Fiber Future: A Full Day on Open Access
Location: Desoto 4-5
Hosted By
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Tech & Tee Times: An Afternoon Focused on the Everyday Game
Sponsor Speaker:
Paul Breakman (he/him/his)
– Adtran
Sponsor Speaker:
Jacki Miskimins
– Vantage Point Solutions
Sponsor Speaker:
Barry Walton
– Corning Optical Communications
Sponsor Speaker:
Doug Payauys
– Adtran
Sponsor Speaker:
Benjamin Blackwell
– Corning
Sponsor Speaker:
Ash Brown
– Adtran
12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Tech & Tee Times: An Afternoon Focused on the Everyday Game
Location: Desoto 1-2
Sponsor Speaker:
Paul Breakman (he/him/his)
– Adtran
Sponsor Speaker:
Jacki Miskimins
– Vantage Point Solutions
Sponsor Speaker:
Barry Walton
– Corning Optical Communications
Sponsor Speaker:
Doug Payauys
– Adtran
Sponsor Speaker:
Benjamin Blackwell
– Corning
Sponsor Speaker:
Ash Brown
– Adtran
Hosted By
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
ET
Support, Amplified: See How to Use AI to Transform Your Support Team
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
ET
Support, Amplified: See How to Use AI to Transform Your Support Team
Location: Desoto 3
Hosted By
1:30 PM - 4:55 PM
ET
LATAM
1:30 PM - 4:55 PM
ET
LATAM
Location: Lafayette 2
1:30 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Welcome and Introduction
Location: Lafayette 2
Host:
Edna G. Pruess (she/her/hers)
– Fiber Broadband Association
LATAM
1:40 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Addressing the Gaps in Broadband Delivery
Location: Lafayette 2
Panelist:
Flavio Lang
– Emerging International
Panelist:
Wanda Perez
– Liberty of Puerto Rico & USVI
Panelist:
Pedro Direne
– Ookla
Panelist:
Jorge Vergara Castillo
– Telemex
Panelist:
Jonas Aldao
– Personal
LATAM
2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
ET
Evolution of Fiber Broadband QoE and QoS in Latin America
Location: Lafayette 2
Speaker:
Lourenço Lanfranchi
– Ookla
LATAM
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
ET
Fiber to the Data Center and Edge Compute
Location: Lafayette 2
Panelist:
Eduardo Jedruch
– CommScope
Panelist:
Hugo Zanon (he/him/his)
– Data Horizon Americas
Panelist:
Rogerio Lopes
– Sumitomo
LATAM
4:10 PM - 4:20 PM
ET
Break
Location: Lafayette 2
LATAM
4:20 PM - 4:50 PM
ET
How AI Agents are changing how we work
Location: Lafayette 2
Speaker:
Marcelo Christianini
– Oracle Latin America
LATAM
4:50 PM - 4:55 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Location: Lafayette 2
Host:
Edna G. Pruess (she/her/hers)
– Fiber Broadband Association
LATAM
1:30 PM - 5:15 PM
ET
FBA Fiber Starter Toolkit
1:30 PM - 5:15 PM
ET
FBA Fiber Starter Toolkit
Location: Escambia
1:30 PM - 1:35 PM
ET
Welcome and introduction
Location: Escambia
Host:
Quinn Jordan
Toolkit
1:35 PM - 2:25 PM
ET
Construction Junction: What's Your Function
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Doug Mohney (he/him/his)
– Fiber Forward magazine
Panelist:
James King (he/him/his)
– Millennium
Panelist:
Bob Whitman
– Corning Optical Communications
Panelist:
Nicholas Pena (he/him/his)
– Fibersmith
Panelist:
Dennis Nolan
– Vice President of Operations
Toolkit
2:25 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Break
Location: Escambia
Toolkit
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
ET
FTTH Basics and Network Design
Location: Escambia
Panelist:
Mark Boxer
– Lightera
Panelist:
Jeff Bush
– Lightera
Toolkit
3:00 PM - 3:40 PM
ET
New Market 101: Tools and Tips to Make Market Entry Seamless
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Jade Piros de Carvalho
– Socket Fiber
Panelist:
Michael Woodard (he/him/his)
– NTI, a Network Connex Company
Panelist:
Luke Oborny
– Nex-Tech
Panelist:
Kevin Bush (he/him/his)
– Surf Internet
Panelist:
Collin Rose
– DayStarr Communications
Toolkit
3:40 PM - 3:45 PM
ET
Break
Location: Escambia
Toolkit
3:45 PM - 4:25 PM
ET
OSP Common Obstacles and How to Avoid
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Rebecca Denman
– UniTek Global Services
Panelist:
Josh Summit
– Shentel/GloFiber
Panelist:
Will Platt
– BHC
Panelist:
Ryan Kudera (he/him/his)
– Finley USA
Panelist:
Jon W. Owen
– RSMI North America, Inc.
Toolkit
4:25 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Break
Location: Escambia
Toolkit
4:30 PM - 5:10 PM
ET
Now You've Built It, Will They Come
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Doug Mohney (he/him/his)
– Fiber Forward magazine
Panelist:
Ashley Church (she/her/hers)
– GFiber
Panelist:
Lexi Christensen (she/her/hers)
– UTOPIA Fiber
Panelist:
Sarah Davis (she/her/hers)
– Fidium
Panelist:
Christine Marion
– NIVO, Inspired by Digicom
Toolkit
5:10 PM - 5:15 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Location: Escambia
Host:
Quinn Jordan
Toolkit
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Marketing & Customer Experience
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Marketing & Customer Experience
Location: Lafayette 4
1:30 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Welcome and Introduction
Location: Lafayette 4
Host:
Max Hahn
– Fiber Broadband Association
Marketing
1:40 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Marketing Metrics That Matter: The Numbers Every CMO Should Track
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Shapur Izadiyar
– Calix
Panelist:
Linda Richardson
– CMO Architect
Panelist:
Shiloh Vance
– INDATEL Services
Panelist:
Kim McKinley
– TAK Communications
Panelist:
Kim Smithers (she/her/hers)
– IQFiber
Marketing
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM
ET
Break
Location: Lafayette 4
Marketing
2:40 PM - 3:30 PM
ET
The Power of Local
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Stacie McDonald (she/her/hers)
– Harry Marketing
Panelist:
Mitchell Shook
– Advanced Stream
Panelist:
Jess George
– GFiber
Panelist:
Joseph Tierney (he/him/his)
– Lantech Communications LLC
Panelist:
Nicole Paterson (she/her/hers)
– Execulink Telecom
Marketing
3:30 PM - 3:40 PM
ET
Break
Location: Lafayette 4
Marketing
3:40 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Driving Subscriber Growth: Marketing Strategies for Fiber Expansion
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Derek Kelly
– Lumos
Panelist:
Jeff Auman
– Truvista Fiber
Panelist:
Meghan Woodlief
– Fidium
Panelist:
Maggie Basgall
– Nex-Tech
Panelist:
Ashley Gustafson
– GoNetSpeed
Marketing
4:30 PM - 4:40 PM
ET
Break
Location: Lafayette 4
Marketing
4:40 PM - 5:25 PM
ET
Winning Customer Loyalty: Proven Strategies to Reduce Churn in Broadband
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Katherine Songster
– Harry Marketing
Panelist:
Jessica Tuatonga (she/her/hers)
– Utopia Fiber
Panelist:
Stacey Thomas (she/her/hers)
– TEC
Panelist:
Mary Savery
– Savery Solutions
Panelist:
Dan Siemon (he/him/his)
– Preseem (Aterlo Networks Inc)
Marketing
5:25 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Location: Lafayette 4
Host:
Max Hahn
– Fiber Broadband Association
3:00 PM - 4:50 PM
ET
AI Foundations for Infrastructure Leaders
3:00 PM - 4:50 PM
ET
AI Foundations for Infrastructure Leaders
Location: Lafayette 3
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
ET
AI Fundamentals Part 1 - The Technology: AI, Neural Networks, tokens, training, inference and fiber in the machine
Location: Lafayette 3
Speaker:
Allan Isfan
– AI Squared
AI
4:00 PM - 4:50 PM
ET
AI Fundamentals Part 2 - The Applications: Practical AI hands on demonstrations of prompting, video, image generation and agents.
Location: Lafayette 3
Speaker:
Allan Isfan
– AI Squared
AI
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Omdia Insights: What Leading Fiber Providers Are Doing Differently
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Omdia Insights: What Leading Fiber Providers Are Doing Differently
Location: Desoto 3
Hosted By
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
New Member & First Time Attendee Meet Up
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
New Member & First Time Attendee Meet Up
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
ET
Opening Reception
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
ET
Opening Reception
9:00 PM - 10:30 PM
ET
Fiber Under 40 Meet Up
9:00 PM - 10:30 PM
ET
Fiber Under 40 Meet Up
Monday, May 18, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
Location: Coastal Ballroom
Sponsored By
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
LATAM Breakfast Meet Up
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
LATAM Breakfast Meet Up
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
ET
Registration Open
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
ET
Registration Open
Sponsored By
8:00 AM - 12:05 PM
ET
General Session: Kickoff and Community
8:00 AM - 8:05 AM
ET
Welcome to Fiber Connect
Speaker:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
8:05 AM - 8:10 AM
ET
Welcome to Florida/Orlando
8:10 AM - 8:30 AM
ET
State of the Association and Board/Committee Chair Recognition
Speaker:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Chairwoman's Award
Speaker:
Ash Brown
– Adtran
8:40 AM - 8:45 AM
ET
Keynote Introduction (Calix)
8:45 AM - 9:10 AM
ET
Opening Keynote
9:10 AM - 9:40 AM
ET
Coming to Americas: Connecting Communities from Tip to Tip
Moderator:
Juanita Clark
– Digital Council Africa
Panelist:
Kalai Kalaichelvan (he/him/his)
– PomeGran
Panelist:
Greg Wilson (he/him/his)
– Ripple Fiber
Panelist:
Wanda Perez
– Liberty of Puerto Rico & USVI
Panelist:
Jonas Aldao
– Personal
9:40 AM - 10:10 AM
ET
Back to the Future: Early Gig Network Providers
Moderator:
Jeremy Harris
– Adtran
Panelist:
Katie Espeseth (she/her/hers)
– EPB
Panelist:
Conley Freeman
– C Spire
Panelist:
Jenna Wandres
– GFiber
Panelist:
Jim Kronebusch
– Schurz Broadband Group
10:10 AM - 10:20 AM
ET
Sip and Stretch
10:20 AM - 10:40 AM
ET
Operator Light Talk: Taking Rural Vitality Light Years Ahead
Speaker:
Claude Aiken (he/him/his)
– NextLink Internet
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM
ET
Tomorrowland: Building Smart Communities
Moderator:
Roger Timmerman
– UTOPIA Fiber
Panelist:
Teresa McGaughey (she/her/hers)
– Calix
Panelist:
Todd Heyne
– ALLO Fiber
Panelist:
Derek Kelly
– Lumos
Panelist:
Paul Fleming (he/him/his)
– Wecom Fiber
11:10 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Fiber Feud Preliminaries
12:00 PM - 12:05 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Speaker:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Attendee Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Attendee Lunch
Location: Expo Hall
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Broadband Boomers: BEAD’s Senior Moment
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Broadband Boomers: BEAD’s Senior Moment
Moderator:
Joseph Wender
– Schools Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition
Panelist:
Deborah Kish
– Fiber Broadband Association
Panelist:
Thomas Kamber (he/him/his)
– Older Adults Technology Services at AARP
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
ET
Women of Fiber Connect Lunch
Speaker:
Abby Rogers
– YMCA of the USA
Speaker:
Ramsey Alwin
– National Council on Aging
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
ET
Women of Fiber Connect Lunch
Speaker:
Abby Rogers
– YMCA of the USA
Speaker:
Ramsey Alwin
– National Council on Aging
12:00 PM - 6:30 PM
ET
Expo Hall Open
12:00 PM - 6:30 PM
ET
Expo Hall Open
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Breakout Sessions
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Building Fiber Connectivity to Support AI
Location: Lafayette 3
Moderator:
Roger Entner
– Recon Analytics
Panelist:
Pete Bley
– Ciena
Panelist:
Joe W. Baeumel
– KGPCo
Panelist:
David Eckard
– Nokia
Panelist:
Jordan Gross
– Lumen
Data Center
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Construction Considerations with New and Existing Builds
Location: Desoto 4-5
Moderator:
Mike Render
– RVA LLC
Panelist:
Josh Summit
– Shentel/GloFiber
Panelist:
Patrick Thibeault
– The Broadband Group
Panelist:
Adam Kersnowski
– AirWorks Solutions Inc
Panelist:
Brandon Hines
– Velox
Outside Plant Considerations
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Creating a Framework for Operational Simplicity and Service Scale
Location: Lafayette 2
Moderator:
Heather Moyer (she/her/hers)
– HNM Systems
Panelist:
Hani Elmalky
– GFiber
Panelist:
Mik Cox
– Plume
Panelist:
Katherine Latham
– Talman Consultants, LLC
Panelist:
Bill Brungardt (he/him/his)
– BHC
Service Provider Ecosystem
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Engineering Best Practices
Location: Desoto 3
Speaker:
Scott Casey
– Spatial Business Systems
Speaker:
Alli Bone
– Horrocks
FBA Research Read Out
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Identifying Gaps in Existing Network Footprints
Location: Desoto 1-2
Moderator:
Ron Westfall
– HyperFRAME Research
Panelist:
Patrick Mulhearn
– Ripple Fiber
Panelist:
Paul Breakman (he/him/his)
– Adtran
Panelist:
Lauren Marcucci (she/her/hers)
– BHC
Panelist:
Cole McAndrew
– Virginia Office of Broadband
Deployment Best Practices
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Key Factors in Driving Subscriber Growth and Reducing Churn
Location: Lafayette 5
Moderator:
John Fletcher (he/him/his)
– S&P Global
Panelist:
Kevin Bush (he/him/his)
– Surf Internet
Panelist:
Teresa McGaughey (she/her/hers)
– Calix
Panelist:
Josh Orlowitz
– Bonfire
Panelist:
Ned Brody
– Actifai
Fiber Economics
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Local Advocacy and Legislative Partnerships in Rural Deployments
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Colby Humphrey
– The Pew Charitable Trusts
Panelist:
Mitch Hibbard (he/him/his)
– Peñasco Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Panelist:
Evan Feinman
– Feinman Strategic Network
Panelist:
Joanne Hovis (she/her/hers)
– CTC Technology & Energy
Panelist:
Kevin F. Czaicki
– Millennium
Local Considerations
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Scaling the Open Access Model
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Jaimie Lenderman (she/her/hers)
– Omdia
Panelist:
Jeff Erwin
– UTOPIA Fiber
Panelist:
Jason Jenkins
– SilverLight Fiber Networks
Panelist:
Jeff Gasper
– Southern Tier Network
Panelist:
Adam Puckett (he/him/his)
– COS Systems
Open Access
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Common Construction Roadblocks and How to Avoid Them
Location: Desoto 4-5
Moderator:
Hayden Beeson
– ISE Magazine
Panelist:
Jeffrey Beavers
– National Electrical Contractors Association
Panelist:
Luiz Fuschini
– Nedia Fiber
Panelist:
Chris Brooks (he/him/his)
– GoNetspeed
Panelist:
Jason Moore
– RouteThis
Outside Plant Considerations
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Connecting Technology Innovation to Real-World Business Outcomes
Location: Lafayette 5
Moderator:
Brad J. Randall (he/him/his)
– Total Telecom
Panelist:
Meaghan Kappel (she/her/hers)
– PwC
Panelist:
Ashley Travers (she/her/hers)
– KGPco
Panelist:
George Stegall
– Kinetic Ventures
Panelist:
Anis Khemakhem
– Clearfield
Fiber Economics
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Edge Compute and Digital Transformation Across Sectors
Location: Lafayette 3
Moderator:
Sean P. Buckley (he/him/his)
– Lightwave/Broadband Tech Report
Panelist:
Jesse Martin
– Dura-Line
Panelist:
Stephen Rose
– Render Networks
Panelist:
Rob Worden
– Vision Net
Panelist:
David Tanis
– AFL
Data Center
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Improving Project Efficiency through Collaboration, Clarity, and Proactive Engagement
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Colby Humphrey
– The Pew Charitable Trusts
Panelist:
Laura Kocher (she/her/hers)
– Great Plains Communications
Panelist:
Amanda Griffith (she/her/hers)
– 123NET
Panelist:
Louis Panzer (he/him/his)
– NC811.org
Panelist:
Collin Rose
– DayStarr Communications
Local Considerations
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Leveraging Federal Programs to Scale Connectivity
Location: Desoto 1-2
Moderator:
Craig Corbin
– Broadband Universe
Panelist:
HeidiJoy Harnegie
– MaxxSouth
Panelist:
Joe Jensen
– Corning
Panelist:
Jade Piros de Carvalho
– Socket Fiber
Panelist:
Loren Brace
– UtiliSource, LLC
Deployment Best Practices
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Permitting Best Practices (Local Permitting for Local Fiber Network Projects: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)
Location: Desoto 3
Speaker:
Eddie D. Lowe
– Corning
FBA Research Read Out
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Public/Private Partnerships and Open Access Networks
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Ryan Koontz
– Needham & Company
Panelist:
Pete Hoffswell
– Holland Board of Public Works
Panelist:
Mitchell Shook
– Advanced Stream
Panelist:
Amanda Molina
– JSI
Panelist:
Ashley Poling
– COS Systems
Open Access
1:50 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
Teamwork Dreamwork: Know What You Need
Location: Lafayette 2
Moderator:
Jack S. Burton
– BSP
Panelist:
David Freytag
– TEC
Panelist:
Rick Perkins
– GOCare
Panelist:
Jordan Roberts
– Unico
Panelist:
Marc Campagna
– gaiia
Service Provider Ecosystem
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
What’s Beyond XGS-PON and Why?
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
ET
What’s Beyond XGS-PON and Why?
Location: Lafayette 1
Host:
Craig Thomas (he/him/his)
– The Broadband Forum
Speaker:
Dr. Frank Effenberger
– Futurewei
Speaker:
Mike Emmendorfer (he/him/his)
– Calix
Speaker:
Andreas Flach
– Nokia
Speaker:
Gwenn Amice (he/him/his)
– EXFO
Speaker:
Jeff Heynen
– Dell'Oro Group
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Smart Community Expo Theater
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Smart Community Expo Theater
1:00 PM - 1:40 PM
ET
Developing Anchor Institutions
Moderator:
Butch Brock (he/him/his)
– Dragonfly Internet
Panelist:
Laura King
– Utopia Fiber
Panelist:
Zach McLemore (he/him/his)
– CVEC Fiber
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
ET
Sponsor Demo
2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
ET
Public Safety Services and Fiber
Moderator:
Keely Portway
– Fibre Systems
Panelist:
Nicole Cottle
– Utopia Fiber
Panelist:
Drew Pappas
– Bonfire
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM
ET
Sponsor Demo
Speaker:
Joe W. Baeumel
– KGPCo
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
ET
Community Economics and Fiber Broadband
Moderator:
Kimberly Maki
– Broadband Library Magazine
Panelist:
Donald Ray (he/him/his)
– BAM Broadband
Panelist:
Kim Smithers (she/her/hers)
– IQFiber
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Sponsor Demo
1:20 PM - 1:35 PM
ET
Smarter Design for a Faster and Better Build
1:20 PM - 1:35 PM
ET
Smarter Design for a Faster and Better Build
Exhibitor Presenter:
Marc-André Boucher (he/him/his)
– Yungo
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
ET
BREAK
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
ET
BREAK
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
The C-Suite Forum
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
The C-Suite Forum
2:30 PM - 2:35 PM
ET
Welcome
Speaker:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
2:35 PM - 2:40 PM
ET
Sponsor Welcome
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM
ET
European View and Update
Speaker:
Vincent Garnier (he/him/his)
– FTTH Council Europe
3:15 PM - 3:40 PM
ET
Fireside Chat: Quantum's Leap Light Years Ahead
Moderator:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
Panelist:
Jacky Wu
– Brightspeed
3:40 PM - 4:10 PM
ET
Public Safety: Fighting Fire with Fiber
Moderator:
Bobbie J. Gilbert
– Ripple Fiber
Panelist:
Todd Way (he/him/his)
– Douglas Fast Net
Panelist:
Tim Ludwar
– SaskTel
Panelist:
Jason Thune
– Hawaiian Telcom
4:10 PM - 4:35 PM
ET
Fireside Chat: Lucky LEO and What Comes Next
Moderator:
Kathryn de Wit (she/her/hers)
– The Pew Charitable Trusts
Panelist:
Christopher Ali, PhD (he/him/his)
– Penn State University
4:35 PM - 4:40 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Speaker:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
4:40 PM - 5:30 PM
ET
Networking Reception
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
What Technologies Are Driving the Managed Home/Building?
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
What Technologies are Driving the Managed Home/Building?
Location: Lafayette 1
Host:
Ken Pyle
– The Broadband Forum
Speaker:
Ilan Migdal (he/him/his)
– Friendly Technologies
Speaker:
Troy Cross
– Ozmo
Speaker:
Sonya Goodanetz (she/her/hers)
– Incognito Software
Speaker:
Jim Kronebusch
– Schurz Broadband Group
Speaker:
Justin W. Nelson
– UNH InterOperability Lab
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Network Demands: Dream a Little Stream
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Network Demands: Dream a Little Stream
3:00 PM - 3:05 PM
ET
Welcome
Host:
Quinn Jordan
3:05 PM - 3:25 PM
ET
Sponsor Keynote
3:25 PM - 3:55 PM
ET
Fireside Chat
Moderator:
Craig Corbin
– Broadband Universe
Panelist:
Maria Mendoza
– Xperi Corporation/Tivo
3:55 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Panel: Game On! Latency, Jitter, and the Gamer Life
Moderator:
Alzbeta Fellenbaum (she/her/hers)
– Omdia
Panelist:
Antwon Alsobrook
– eCommunity Holdings
Panelist:
Alex King (he/him/his)
– Blue Ridge Mountain EMC
Panelist:
Scott Sampson
– Powder Communications
Panelist:
Ari Schnitzer
– Fidium
Streaming
4:30 PM - 4:55 PM
ET
Fireside Chat: Game On!: Building Brighter Futures
Moderator:
Jeff Baumgartner
– Light Reading
Panelist:
Tali Kulbeda (she/her/hers)
– Brightspeed
4:55 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Precision Agriculture: Seeding Broadband Futures
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Precision Agriculture: Seeding Broadband Futures
3:00 PM - 3:05 PM
ET
Welcome
Host:
Quinn Jordan
Precision Agriculture
3:05 PM - 3:25 PM
ET
Sponsor Keynote
Precision Agriculture
3:25 PM - 3:55 PM
ET
Fireside Chat
Moderator:
Curtis Dean (he/him/his)
– Community Broadband Action Network
Panelist:
John Greene, Jr.
– USDA Rural Development
Precision Agriculture
3:55 PM - 4:30 PM
ET
Fiber to the Last Acre – Providing Farms with a High-Capacity Edge
Moderator:
Pete Pizzutillo (he/him/his)
– VETRO
Panelist:
Josh Etheridge
– EPC
Panelist:
Chris Crowe (he/him/his)
– t3 Broadband
Panelist:
Luiz Fuschini
– Nedia Fiber
Precision Agriculture
4:30 PM - 4:55 PM
ET
Fireside Chat
Panelist:
Autumn Lankford Higgins
– American Farm Bureau Federation
Moderator:
Kevin Driscoll
– Netceed
Precision Agriculture
4:55 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Host:
Quinn Jordan
Precision Agriculture
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
ET
Women of Fiber Connect Meet Up
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
ET
Women of Fiber Connect Meet Up
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Canadian Breakfast Meet Up
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Canadian Breakfast Meet Up
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
ET
Registration Open
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
ET
Registration Open
Sponsored By
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
Location: Expo Hall
Sponsored By
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Expo Hall Open
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Expo Hall Open
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Breakout Sessions
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Actionable Blueprints for Practical, Scalable, and Repeatable MDU Deployment Plans
Location: Lafayette 5
Moderator:
Craig Corbin
– Broadband Universe
Panelist:
Mark Evans
– Fidium
Panelist:
Roger Vaughn
– Hexatronic
Panelist:
Mark Boxer
– Lightera
Panelist:
Hy Huynh
– Harmonic
MDU
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Broadband Business from the Ground Up
Location: Desoto 1-2
Moderator:
Roger Entner
– Recon Analytics
Panelist:
Chris Stebner
– NEO Connect
Panelist:
Kristin Jimenez
– TAK Broadband
Panelist:
John George
– Lightera
Panelist:
Karen J. White
– Michael Baker International
Deployment Best Practices
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Creating Strong Financial Foundations that Support Service Expansion to Remote and Harder-to-Reach Communities
Location: Lafayette 3
Panelist:
Alex King (he/him/his)
– Blue Ridge Mountain EMC
Panelist:
James D. Taylor
– Red Buffalo Thunder Consulting
Panelist:
Jim Zou
– Adtran
Panelist:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
Moderator:
Revati Prasad
– Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Network Expansion
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Delivering Affordable, Reliable Fiber-based Connectivity to Rural Tribal Communities
Location: Lafayette 2
Panelist:
Andrew Metcalfe
– Native Network, Inc
Panelist:
Robert Griffin
– Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Panelist:
Alice Sanchez (she/her/hers)
– Cisco
Panelist:
Angela Diahkah
– Jemez Pueblo Tribal Network
Moderator:
Jennifer Burkhalter (she/her/hers)
– NTTA/Ponderosa
Tribal Broadband
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Maintaining Deployment Standards Across Diverse Regions
Location: Desoto 4-5
Moderator:
Jim Carroll
– Converge! Digest
Panelist:
Joe Kunz
– GFiber
Panelist:
Mike Vermeer
– Panduit
Panelist:
Jason Fuller
– CHR Solutions
Panelist:
Deb Rand
– Kinetic Ventures
Outside Plant Considerations
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Marketing Strategies to Boost Loyalty and Reduce Churn
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
James Krstolich
– Ideatek
Panelist:
Jennifer Alexander
– Circet USA
Panelist:
Mark Watkins
– Shentel / Glo Fiber
Panelist:
Glenn Paul
– Innovative Systems
Panelist:
Dustin Schlaefli (he/him/his)
– Nex-Tech
Marketing
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Rural Collaboration, Infrastructure Planning, and Sustaining Affordable, High-performance Middle Mile Broadband
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Kimberly Maki
– Broadband Library Magazine
Panelist:
Jim Meyers
– NM Fiber Network
Panelist:
Casey Lide
– Keller & Heckman
Panelist:
Jen Wade
– RSM US LLP
Panelist:
Eric Bathras
– Maryland Department of Information Technology
Middle Mile
8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
ET
Underappreciated Need to Enable AI and Data Center Growth
Location: Desoto 3
Speaker:
Mike Render
– RVA LLC
FBA Research Read Out
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
A Symbiotic Future: AI for Networks and Networks for AI
Location: Desoto 3
Speaker:
Mike Vermeer
– Panduit
FBA Research Read Out
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Balancing Speed, Cost, Quality and Community Collaboration
Location: Desoto 1-2
Moderator:
Ron Westfall
– HyperFRAME Research
Panelist:
Tom Perrone
– GoNetSpeed
Panelist:
David Hicks
– Render Networks
Panelist:
Amanda Hofer
– JSI
Panelist:
Jeremiah Sloan
– Vetro Fiber Map
Deployment Best Practices
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Connecting Marketing Investments to Adoption Goals and Revenue Growth
Location: Lafayette 4
Moderator:
Amber Rodriguez
– Surf Internet
Panelist:
Jill Marx (she/her/hers)
– Fort Collins Connexion
Panelist:
Lindsay Randazzo (she/her/hers)
– Innovative Systems
Panelist:
Tiffany Hess (she/her/hers)
– Race Communications
Panelist:
Curtis Dean (he/him/his)
– Community Broadband Action Network
Marketing
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Identifying and Overcoming Network Expansion Roadblocks
Location: Desoto 4-5
Moderator:
Jeff Heynen
– Dell'Oro Group
Panelist:
Andrew Wright (he/him/his)
– 3-GIS
Panelist:
Ryan B. Elswick (he/him/his)
– FiberWise Networks
Panelist:
Donald Ray (he/him/his)
– BAM Broadband
Panelist:
Brian S. Schrand (he/him/his)
– Clearfield
Outside Plant Considerations
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Rural and Regional Infrastructure Challenges: Key Factors to Keep Top of Mind
Location: Lafayette 3
Moderator:
Jaimie Lenderman (she/her/hers)
– Omdia
Panelist:
Aaron Weimer
– Wiring The Future Networks
Panelist:
Justin Suhr
– Great Plains Communications
Panelist:
Beni Blell (he/him/his)
– Emtelle
Panelist:
James Koursaris
– Praxedo
Network Expansion
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Transforming the MDU Connectivity Model
Location: Lafayette 5
Moderator:
Jeff Baumgartner
– Light Reading
Panelist:
Adam Bell (he/him/his)
– Internet Subway
Panelist:
Kevin Bourg (he/him/his)
– Corning
Panelist:
Mike White
– TAK Broadband
Panelist:
Matthew Brice (he/him/his)
– Prysmian
MDU
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Unlocking New Middle Mile Opportunities for ISPs and Community Networks
Location: Escambia
Moderator:
Tommy Clift (he/they)
– Fierce Network (Broadband Nation)
Panelist:
Lori Adams (she/her/hers)
– Nokia
Panelist:
Tom Vito
– MPV Group, LLC
Panelist:
Roger Timmerman
– UTOPIA Fiber
Panelist:
Robin Olds
– Cisco Systems
Middle Mile
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Working as a Sovereign Entity with Federal, State, and County Agencies and Suppliers
Location: Lafayette 2
Moderator:
Tzeitel Buchanan (she/her/hers)
– Lumen
Panelist:
David B. Fein (he/him/his)
– Chumash Enterprises
Panelist:
Josh Snow
– Trace Fiber Network
Panelist:
Claudia Tarbell (she/her/hers)
– Calix
Panelist:
Wayne Sekaquaptewa
– Hopi Telecommunications Inc
Tribal Broadband
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
What are the Steps to Migrate to an Automated and AI/ML Network?
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
What are the Steps to Migrate to an Automated and AI/ML Network?
Location: Lafayette 1
Host:
Ken Pyle
– The Broadband Forum
Speaker:
Dr. Frank Effenberger
– Futurewei
Speaker:
Randy R. Van Buren (he/him/his)
– Motive Software Solutions
Speaker:
Sireesha Kora
– Nokia
Speaker:
Teresa McGaughey (she/her/hers)
– Calix
Speaker:
Leonard Ciavattone
– Broadband Forum / Independent Software Consultant
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Smart Community Expo Theater
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Smart Community Expo Theater
8:30 AM - 9:10 AM
ET
MDUs & Campus Environments
Moderator:
Alzbeta Fellenbaum (she/her/hers)
– Omdia
Panelist:
Bryan J. Rader
– Pavlov Media
Panelist:
Michael Perry
– Lightera
9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Sponsor Demo
Moderator:
Michael Perry
– Lightera
9:40 AM - 10:20 AM
ET
Connected Communities, Connected Care
Panelist:
Michael D. Soileau (he/him/his)
– LFT Fiber
Panelist:
Tracy Doaks (she/her/hers)
– MCNC
Moderator:
Liz Coyne (she/her/hers)
– Fierce Network
10:25 AM - 10:40 AM
ET
Sponsor Demo
10:50 AM - 11:30 AM
ET
Emerging Smart City Technologies
Moderator:
Jeff Heynen
– Dell'Oro Group
Panelist:
Strider G. Denison
– Cityside Fiber
Panelist:
Stephen Rose
– Render Networks
Panelist:
Rob Laudati (he/him/his)
– Render Networks
11:35 AM - 11:50 AM
ET
Sponsor Demo
Sponsor Speaker:
Rob Laudati (he/him/his)
– Render Networks
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
ET
What Are the Considerations When Architecting a Monetized Network?
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
ET
What are the Considerations When Architecting a Monetized Network?
Location: Lafayette 1
Host:
Craig Thomas (he/him/his)
– The Broadband Forum
Speaker:
Sonya Goodanetz (she/her/hers)
– Incognito Software
Speaker:
Randy R. Van Buren (he/him/his)
– Motive Software Solutions
Speaker:
Alzbeta Fellenbaum (she/her/hers)
– Omdia
Speaker:
Lynn Hall
– Lynn Hall Consulting
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Telehealth & Broadband Summit: Byte a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Telehealth & Broadband Summit: Byte a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
ET
Welcome
Host:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
10:05 AM - 10:25 AM
ET
Sponsor Keynote
Speaker:
Aaron T. Maguregui (he/him/his)
– Foley & Lardner, LLP
Telehealth
10:25 AM - 10:50 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: Connecting to Better Health Outcomes in Rural America
Moderator:
Jimmy Todd
– Nex-Tech
Panelist:
Kevin Faughnder (he/him/his)
– Norton County Hospital
Telehealth
10:50 AM - 11:20 AM
ET
Panel: Fiber Diagnosis: Accessing Better Healthcare Options in America
Moderator:
Caroline Stratton (she/her/hers)
– Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
Panelist:
Ash Brown
– Adtran
Panelist:
Bo Coughlin
– eNCore
Panelist:
Sarah Sullivan (she/her/hers)
– The Broadband Council
Panelist:
Pamela Sherwood (she/her/hers)
– Brightspeed
Telehealth
11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: Deploying Medical Grade Broadband
Moderator:
Tracy Doaks (she/her/hers)
– MCNC
Panelist:
Dr. John Graham
– North Carolina Telehealth Network Association
Telehealth
11:45 AM - 11:50 AM
ET
Closing Remarks
Host:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
Telehealth
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Up Next in Broadband: Hyperscale Data Center and the Evolving Edge
10:00 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Up Next in Broadband: Hyperscale Data Center and the Evolving Edge
10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
ET
Welcome
Host:
Evann Freeman (he/him/his)
– EPB
10:05 AM - 10:25 AM
ET
Sponsor Keynote
10:25 AM - 10:50 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: A Data Center Without Connectivity is an Expensive Warehouse
Moderator:
Matt Vincent
– Data Center Frontier
Speaker:
Jeff Wabik
– DC BLOX
10:50 AM - 11:20 AM
ET
Panel: Data Center Innovations
Moderator:
Peter Cresse
– Entropy, Inc.
Panelist:
Jason Eichenholz
– Relativity Networks
Panelist:
Augustin Marty
– IQGeo
Panelist:
Brent Legg
– Connected Nation / IXP.us
Panelist:
Ryan Punt
– SDN Communications
HDC Edge
11:20 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
The Future of Fiber Infrastructure in the AI Era
Speaker:
Michael Dargue (he/him/his)
– Cartesian
11:45 AM - 11:50 AM
ET
Closing Remarks
Host:
Evann Freeman (he/him/his)
– EPB
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Broadband Policy Upload: Sustainable, Scalable Policy
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Broadband Policy Upload: Sustainable, Scalable Policy
10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
ET
Welcome
Host:
Marissa Mitrovich (she/her/hers)
– FBA
Policy
10:05 AM - 10:30 AM
ET
Keynote: Hyperscale Data Center Impact on Broadband Infrastructure Policy
Moderator:
Tinae Bluitt
– FBA
Keynote Speaker:
Dan Diorio (he/him/his)
– Data Center Coalition
Policy
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: Autonomous Vehicles and the Information Super Highway
Moderator:
Lukas Pietrzak
– FBA
Panelist:
Ian Clark
– Beep, inc.
Policy
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
ET
Panel: Policy Imperatives Impacting Telehealth, Precision Ag, and Aging
Moderator:
Chris Champion
– C Spire
Panelist:
Autumn Lankford Higgins
– American Farm Bureau Federation
Panelist:
Sara Raza
– University of Washington School of Law
Panelist:
Ramsey Alwin
– National Council on Aging
Panelist:
Aaron T. Maguregui (he/him/his)
– Foley & Lardner, LLP
Policy
11:30 AM - 11:55 AM
ET
Fireide Chat: Cybersecurity's New Frontier As New Communities are Connected
Moderator:
Jeanne Le Delaizir (she/her/hers)
– FBA
Panelist:
Sascha Meinrath, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
– Penn State University
Policy
11:55 AM - 12:00 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
Host:
Marissa Mitrovich (she/her/hers)
– FBA
Policy
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Attendee Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Attendee Lunch
Location: Coastal Ballroom
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Market Focus: How Fiber Fits in Funding Valuations
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
ET
Market Focus: How Fiber Fits in Funding Valuations
(not open to the public)
Moderator:
Jim Stegeman (he/him/his)
– CostQuest
Panelist:
Jon Wilkins (he/him/his)
– Quadra Partners
Panelist:
Danny Fuchs
– HR&A Advisors
Panelist:
Brian Mitchell
– ITG Communications
Executive Experience
1:00 PM - 5:05 PM
ET
General Session: Momentum and Scale
1:00 PM - 1:10 PM
ET
Welcome to Fiber Connect Day 2
Speaker:
Leo Garcia
– FloridaCommerce
1:10 PM - 1:20 PM
ET
Chairwomans Remarks
Speaker:
Ash Brown
– Adtran
1:20 PM - 1:25 PM
ET
Keynote Introduction (Adtran)
Speaker:
Jeremy Harris
– Adtran
1:25 PM - 1:50 PM
ET
Keynote 2
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
ET
Panel: Fast and Furious: Accelerating Network Deployments
Moderator:
Scott Jackson
– Graybar
Speaker:
Bob Whitman
– Corning Optical Communications
Speaker:
Bo Gresham
– DYCOM
Speaker:
Tommy Taylor
– Buckeye Broadband
Panelist:
Mark Davis
– Highline Fiber
2:20 PM - 2:45 PM
ET
Operator Light Talk
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
ET
Panel: Groundhog Day: Managing Network Expansion and Established Network Footprints
Moderator:
Kathryn de Wit (she/her/hers)
– The Pew Charitable Trusts
Speaker:
Michael Berry
– Foam Internet
Speaker:
Loren Rapp
– Sumitomo Electric Lightwave
Speaker:
Seth Arndorfer
– Dakota Carrier Network
Speaker:
David Eckard
– Nokia
3:15 PM - 3:35 PM
ET
Operator Light Talk
Speaker:
Allyson Mitchell (she/her/hers)
– Mohawk Networks
3:35 PM - 3:45 PM
ET
Sip and Stretch
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
ET
Live Fiber for Breakfast
Moderator:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
Speaker:
Josh Kim
– Starfront Observatories
4:15 PM - 4:35 PM
ET
Operator Light Talk
Speaker:
Scott R. Hendrix (he/him/his)
– Tombigbee Fiber
4:35 PM - 5:00 PM
ET
Fiber Feud Finals
5:00 PM - 5:05 PM
ET
Closing Remarks
2:20 PM - 2:45 PM
ET
Keynote
2:20 PM - 2:45 PM
ET
Keynote
Speaker:
Jeffrey M. Egler
– Noom
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
ET
Tribal Meet Up
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
ET
Tribal Meet Up
9:30 PM - 10:00 PM
ET
BREAK
9:30 PM - 10:00 PM
ET
BREAK
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
ET
Attendee Breakfast
Location: Coastal Ballroom
Sponsored By
7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
ET
Registration Open
7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
ET
Registration Open
Sponsored By
8:00 AM - 11:55 AM
ET
General Session: AI and the Emerging Tech Infrastructure Summit
8:00 AM - 8:05 AM
ET
Welcome to Fiber Connect Day 3
8:05 AM - 8:35 AM
ET
Keynote 3
Speaker:
Michio Kaku
8:35 AM - 8:50 AM
ET
Keynote Fireside Chat with Dr. Kaku
Speaker:
Michio Kaku
8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
ET
Panel: Interconnect Insights on the Photonics Enabling AI Factory Scale and Multi-Data Center Future
Moderator:
James Kelly
– Open Compute Project Foundation
Panelist:
Sherwin Cabatic
– NTT Devices America
Panelist:
Jonmichael Hands
– FarmGPU
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: TBD
Moderator:
Kelsey Ziser (she/her/hers)
– InformationWeek
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM
ET
Fireside Chat: TBD
Moderator:
Geno Flori
– Lumen
11:10 AM - 11:45 AM
ET
Panel: To Infinity and Beyond: AI, Quantum, and Telecom
Moderator:
Gary Bolton
– FBA
Panelist:
Eric Adolphe
– Forward Edge-AI
Panelist:
Amy Wheelus (she/her/hers)
– Gigapower
Panelist:
Mario Castro
– Cisco
11:45 AM - 11:50 AM
ET
Closing Remarks
Speaker:
Jessica Koch (she/her/hers)
– CBSOregon
8:05 AM - 8:10 AM
ET
Keynote Introduction
8:05 AM - 8:10 AM
ET
Keynote Introduction
Speaker:
Evann Freeman (he/him/his)
– EPB
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
ET
Panel: Reading Player One: Capacity and Energy Requirements to Scale AI
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
ET
Panel: Reading Player One: Capacity and Energy Requirements to Scale AI
Panelist:
Joshua Turiano (he/him/his)
– Blue Stream Fiber
Panelist:
Sarah Davis (she/her/hers)
– Fidium
Moderator:
Jen English (she/her/hers)
– Informa TechTarget
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