Next week’s Fiber Connect 2023 conference, running August 20-23 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, will host the State Broadband Summit on Wednesday, August 23. The Summit will bring together critical players from within the fiber broadband ecosystem to explore the best path forward as state broadband offices submit their five-year plans.
“State-level policy and funding are critical and top-of-mind for so many of our members. So, we’ve created content that provides the tools needed to successfully navigate fiber network builds—both today and over the next decade,” said Evann Freeman, EPB Director of Government Relations and Fiber Broadband Association Conference Committee Chair. “The State Broadband Summit takes the conversation about fiber expansion to the next level by focusing on what happens once state funds are allocated and dives deeper into the role that state legislators and local communities will play in this process.”
The State Broadband Summit will feature content that explores the importance of local community support, the role of public/private partnerships, and insight into state, regional, and local policy challenges and opportunities. Attendees will also hear about case studies in creating statewide collations to speed fiber deployment and understand how to navigate the various federal funding programs available.
Speakers and sessions include the following:
- NTIA Update Keynote: April McClain-Delaney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce, NTIA
- “The Five-Year Plan” panel: Glen Howie, State Broadband Director, Arkansas Economic Development Commission; Thomas Tyler, Deputy Director, ConnectLA; Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director of Broadband Development, Kansas Department of Commerce; Drew Lovelace, Director of Operations, Connect New Mexico; and moderated by Evann Freeman, Director of Government Relations, EPB.
- “Creating Coalitions to Move Fiber Forward” panel: John Greene, CEO, New Lisbon Holdings; James Tanneberger, Co-Founder, Board Chairman, Accord Telecommunications Collaborative; August Zehner, Managing Partner, MyTRA Consulting; Katie Espeseth, EVP, New Products, EPB; and moderated by Jimmy Todd, CEO/General Manager, Nex-Tech.
- Permitting Fireside Chat: Claude Aiken, Chief Strategy Officer/ Chief Legal Officer, NextLink Internet; Ariane Schaffer, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google Fiber; and moderated by Marissa Mitrovich, Vice President of Public Policy, FBA.
- “State Broadband Policy: Walking the Halls with Legislators” panel: Representative Phillip Pratt, Kentucky House of Representatives; Representative Louis Riggs, Missouri House of Representatives; and moderated by Kathryn de Wit, Project Director, Broadband Access Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts.
- “Rationalizing Broadband Funding Options” panel: Lakeisha Hood Moise, State Director for Florida & U.S. Virgin Islands, USDA Rural Development; Nicolette Gerald, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Treasury; Morgan Rodman, Executive Director, White House Council on Native American Affairs at the Department of the Interior; Savin Ven Johnson, Deputy Director, Office of Block Grant Assistance, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and moderated by Carol Mattey, Principal, Mattey Consulting.
Those interested in attending can register for a full conference pass that includes the State Broadband Summit, or a one-day pass is available to attend Wednesday’s State Broadband Summit only.
Reader Interactions