General Sessions

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Monday, July 29, 2024
8:00 AM – 8:02 AM CT
Welcome to Fiber Connect 2024
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB
8:02 AM – 8:10 AM CT
Welcome to Tennessee
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
8:10 AM CT
Chairman Introduction
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB
8:10 AM – 8:15 AM CT
Chairman's Award
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Jimmy Todd – Nex-Tech
8:15 AM – 8:25 AM CT
State of the Association
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Gary Bolton – FBA
8:25 AM – 8:35 AM CT
FBA Board Recognition (Including Presentation of Committee Chairs)
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Gary Bolton – FBA
8:35 AM CT
Diamond Sponsor Remarks, Introduce Keynote
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Matt Collins (he/him/his) – Calix
8:35 AM – 9:00 AM CT
Fireside Chat
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Marissa Mitrovich (she/her/hers) – FBA
Keynote Speaker: Alan Davidson – US Department of Commerce - NTIA
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM CT
Operator Light Talk: Accelerating Fiber in America
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Eric J. Lia – Verizon
9:20 AM – 9:45 AM CT
Keynote: Quantum Leap: Enhancing Fiber Optic Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s Technologies
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Duncan Earl (he/him/his) – Qubitekk
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM CT
Break
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Performer: Emma Zinck
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM CT
Panel: Changing the Value Creation Paradigm: Moving Forward Once the Digital Equity Gap is Closed
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Matt Collins (he/him/his) – Calix
Panelist: Tamarah Holmes, PhD (she/her/hers) – Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Panelist: Neith Myrick (he/him/his) – Ting Internet
Panelist: Shane West – TDS Telecom
Panelist: Scott R. Hendrix (he/him/his) – Tombigbee Fiber
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM CT
Panel: Middle Mile Networks: Defining the Road Ahead
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Sachin Gupta – Centranet
Panelist: Charles Vogt – DZS
Panelist: Will Miller – AFL
Panelist: Doug Maglothin – Diamond State Networks
Panelist: Tad Deriso – Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation
11:15 AM – 11:35 AM CT
Operator Light Talk: Evolving Faster
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Robert Bridgham (he/him/his) – Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority
11:35 AM – 11:40 AM CT
Day 1 Closing Remarks
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
8:00 AM – 8:08 AM CT
Day 1 Recap Video, Welcome, Fiber Lifetime Achievement Award
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Gary Bolton – FBA
8:08 AM CT
Fiber Lifetime Achievement Award Recepient
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
8:08 AM – 8:23 AM CT
Chairman's Remarks
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Jimmy Todd – Nex-Tech
8:24 AM – 8:42 AM CT
Operator Light Talk: Working 9 to 5: The People Behind UTOPIA Fiber
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Kim McKinley – UTOPIA Fiber / FBA
Speaker: Nicole Cottle – Utopia Fiber
8:42 AM – 8:45 AM CT
Diamond Sponsor Remarks
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Ash Brown – Adtran
8:45 AM – 9:10 AM CT
Keynote: Land O’Lakes Planting Fiber for Sustainable Returns
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Teddy Bekele (he/him/his) – Land O' Lakes
9:10 AM – 9:40 AM CT
Panel: Applying AI to Network Operations: Strategies to Optimize Network Functions and Growth
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Robert Conger – Adtran
Panelist: Rima Alameddine – IonQ
Panelist: Scott Pell – TEC
Panelist: Prabhu Maragathavannan (he/him/his) – Ubiquity
Panelist: Jason Thune – Hawaiian Telcom
9:40 AM – 9:58 AM CT
Operator Light Talk: Faith, Family, Culture & Broadband - Preserving Language with Fiber Connectivity
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Robert Griffin – Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
9:58 AM – 10:20 AM CT
Break
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Performer: Clare Cunningham – Clare Cunningham Music
10:20 AM – 10:50 AM CT
Live! Fiber For Breakfast
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Gary Bolton – FBA
Speaker: Sean Henry (he/him/his) – Nashville Predators
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM CT
Operator Light Talk: Breaking Barriers with Fiber
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Brian Bond (he/him/his) – Brightspeed
11:10 AM – 11:40 AM CT
Panel: Innovation and Disruption: Where Fiber Goes Next!
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Derek Kelly – Lumos
Panelist: Sandy Motley – Nokia
Panelist: Kevin Sheehan (he/him/his) – Ciena
Panelist: Liz Hsu (she/her/hers) – GFiber
Panelist: Gaurav Juneja (he/him/his) – Consolidated Communications
11:40 AM – 11:45 AM CT
Day 2 Closing Remarks
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
8:00 AM – 11:20 AM CT
State Broadband Summit
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
8:00 AM – 8:05 AM CT
Welcome and Day 2 Recap Video
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB
8:05 AM CT
Keynote Introduction
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Bruce Hembree – Ciena
8:05 AM – 8:30 AM CT
Keynote
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Andy Berke – U.S. Department of Agriculture
8:30 AM – 9:10 AM CT
Panel: Federal Broadband Policy: How Fiber Fits Communities
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Marissa Mitrovich (she/her/hers) – FBA
Panelist: Chris Champion – C Spire
Panelist: Melissa Mann (she/her/hers) – Lumen
Panelist: Cristina Chou (she/her/hers) – Altice USA
Panelist: Rhonda Johnson – AT&T
9:10 AM – 9:40 AM CT
Fireside Chat: Working Together Federal Interagency Permitting Opportunities and Solutions
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Patrick Mulhearn (he/him/his) – Ting Internet
Panelist: Jennifer Mallard – The Permitting Council
Panelist: Craig Litteken – The Permitting Council
Panelist: Jill Springer (she/her/hers) – Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth, NTIA
9:40 AM – 10:15 AM CT
State Broadband Officer Roundtable: Update from the States
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Scott Jackson – Graybar
Panelist: Taylre Beaty – Tennessee Economic & Community Development
Panelist: Sally Doty (she/her/hers) – Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM)
Panelist: Jim Stritzinger – South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff
Panelist: Kelly Workman – West Virginia Department of Economic Development
10:15 AM CT
Fireside Chat Introduction
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Josh Snow – Trace Fiber Networks/ Chickasaw Nation
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM CT
Fireside Chat: Tribal Broadband: The How, When, and Where
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Robert Griffin – Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Speaker: Margaret Gutierrez – NTIA, OICG, U.S. Department of Commerce
10:45 AM CT
Panel Introduction
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Trey Hall – Ciena
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM CT
Panel: Deployment Challenges and Opportunities: Streamlining Last Mile Connectivity
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Moderator: Brendan O'Boyle – PLP.com
Panelist: Jeff Manning – Shentel (Glo Fiber)
Panelist: Katie Espeseth (she/her/hers) – EPB
Panelist: Rod Hanson – Cityside Fiber
Panelist: Paul Griswold – GoNetspeed
11:15 AM – 11:20 AM CT
Day 3 Closing Remarks
Location: Delta Ballroom A, Level 2
Speaker: Evann Freeman (he/him/his) – EPB