As NTIA BEAD funds start to flow, the industry will gather to debate, discuss, and share ideas on how to close the digital equity gap

The Fiber Broadband Association today announced it will host The State Broadband Summit on Wednesday, August 23, at Fiber Connect 2023 in Orlando, Fla. As state broadband offices submit their five-year broadband plans, the Summit will bring together critical players from within the fiber broadband ecosystem to explore the best path forward.

“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, presented in partnership with Calix, will feature engaging 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 from April McClain-Delaney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce, NTIA
• “The Five-Year Plan” panel, featuring 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, featuring 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 with 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, featuring 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, featuring 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.

The full Fiber Connect 2023 conference runs August 20-23, and will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Those interested in attending can register for a full conference pass that includes the State Broadband Summit, or a one-day pass is now available to attend Wednesday’s State Broadband Summit only.

For more information about the State Broadband Summit or the full Fiber Connect 2023 conference, visit fiberconnect.fiberbroadband.org.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

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