BROADBAND PROJECTS ARE GETTING BIGGER: CONFERENCE TO TACKLE FUNDING, SUPPLY CHAIN, MAJOR POLICY CHANGES IN MDU SPACE, PRECISION AGRICULTURE, AND MORE!
REFRESHED AGENDA WITH OVER 100 DYNAMIC SPEAKERS, PLUS, TWO MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR MUNI BROADBAND!
(Houston, TX….) The broadband industry continues its white-hot streak this year with scores of new, larger projects coming to fruition at a break-neck pace. On May 2-5, over 1,000 municipal officials, network operators, service providers, technologists, suppliers, consultants, and thought leaders will convene in Houston for the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit. The dynamic industry event, produced annually by Broadband Communities Magazine, returns with a refreshed agenda including brand-new original topics, many new, provocative speakers, and a sold-out trade show floor that can’t be beat.
“With billions about to flow and many new projects moving forward, this is the most important year ever for the broadband industry,” said Barbara DeGarmo, CEO, Broadband Communities. “We’ve spent months putting together this year’s agenda, chocked full of fresh content, to reflect broadband’s changing landscape,” she added.
DeGarmo announced that Dr. William Aderholdt, one of the nation’s leading voices in precision agriculture and director of the Grand Farm Project Management Office in North Dakota, will deliver the keynote address this year at the Summit’s Cornerstone Luncheon. Aderholdt will explain why farms will need to produce 60-to-100 percent more per acre to prevent food insecurity, and how that lofty goal can only be reached through unprecedented investment in precision agriculture. She also announced that Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7) will deliver the summit’s opening keynote on broadband expansion in the Lonestar State and a broadband update from Capitol Hill. DeGarmo added that attendees will hear from federal funders including NTIA, the Rural Utility Service, and Department of the Treasury at the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit.
“Broadband Communities is supportive of all models of broadband expansion, and I’m particularly excited to share that there will be a major announcement made at the Cornerstone Luncheon to further advance community broadband in the United States,” noted DeGarmo. “Attendees will be the first-in-the-nation to know,” she explained.
Additional highlights of the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit include:
More on the historic partnership between the Golden State Connection Authority and UTOPIA Fiber to build a municipal Open Access network in 38 of California’s rural counties—the largest project in the nation;
Unpacking significant new FCC requirements for MDU owners and ISPs;
Hearing from the federal funders: NTIA, RUS, and the Treasury;
How state broadband offices are getting ready to deploy funding; and
Best practices in grant funding.
Plus new this year: White-Hot Topics in Short 20-Minute Intervals:
Spirited conversation on today’s hottest topics including: overbuilding, microtrenching, mapping, and supply chain, and more! Hosted by INCOMPAS’ Angie Kronenberg.
CLE Credit For Attorneys (Reciprocal Through the Texas Bar Association):
A three-hour workshop exploring the multitude of key legal issues affecting public broadband initiatives and partnerships, hosted by broadband legal star, Jim Baller.
And For Beginners:
How to Build Your Broadband Community: A multi-panel workshop hosted by industry legend Heather B. Gold.
This year’s Broadband Communities Summit is Chaired by Jim Baller, Partner, Keller & Heckman; Kevin Donnelly, Vice President of Government Affairs, Technology & Strategic Initiatives, National Multifamily Housing Council; Heather B. Gold, Vice President, External Affairs, Mears Construction; Bob Knight, President & CEO, Harrison Edwards and Commissioner, Economic & Community Development, Town of Ridgefield, CT; Hilda Legg, President, Hilda Legg Strategies and former Rural Utility Service Administrator; Kimberly McKinley, Deputy Director and Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber; and Linda Willey, Vice President, Business Services, Camden.
Tickets are selling quickly for the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit, which will be held May 2-5 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, Texas. For tickets, room reservations, and to view the complete agenda, please visit www.bbcmag.com.
