Agenda

Conference Registration

Conference Registration will take place in the Foyer opposite the Waterfront Restaurant.

• 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
• Harbor Foyer

Exhibitor Setup

• 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
• Ballroom 1

Breakfast

Please note that a full breakfast is served.

• 7:00 am to 8:00 am
• Wisconsin Ballroom

Conference Registration

• 7:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Harbor Foyer

Bringing Fiber to Rural America: Harnessing the Power of the Public-Private Partnership

If it could have been done, it would have been done…but it hasn’t.  It’s no secret that bringing fiber to rural America remains one of the nation’s biggest challenges.  Fiber-based … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Speakers: David Ficken
• Shore Room

Broadband Infrastructure’s Impact on Smart Buildings and Connected Developments

The way we are living is changing and therefore the places in which we live must change too.  As a society, we are becoming more reliant on technology and data.  … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Speakers: Rob Brunner
• Sandbar

The State of Economic Development in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is Wisconsin’s lead economic development organization. WEDC’s mission is to advance and maximize opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in … Read more

• 10:00 am to 10:45 am
• Speakers: Vincent A. Rice
• Northshore

Building a Collaborative Planning Approach to Weave Your Fiber Dreams

There are “local champions” in communities across North America, the “dreamers” who just want to build a fiber network, but lack knowledge and know-how to get it done. This talk … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Speakers: Patrick Edwards
• Shore Room

History Will Reward Open Access Networks

As Open Access networks begin to proliferate, the results will prove out that open access networks produce significantly better outcomes for consumers than the traditional ISP incumbent model. This talk … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Speakers: Jeff Christensen
• Sandbar

Upper Midwest: Servicing Diverse Communities as a Regional Provider

Serving rural and regional communities takes more than simply laying fiber in the ground and providing broadband. You must have a mindset that understands how well your business ties to … Read more

• 11:00 am to 11:45 am
• Speakers: Petro Tsarehradsky
• Northshore

Why Municipal Networks and Co-ops Should be Preferred, Not Last Resorts

This panel will examine how municipal and cooperative networks can provide unique benefits to communities that privately-owned networks may not. Too often, these non-profit models have been considered a last … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Brett Schuppner, Christopher Mitchell, Katie Kenbaum
• Shore Room

Best Practices for Smart City Connectivity

Urban and rural areas are evolving to cater to changes in technology while presenting new opportunities for improved public safety, connectivity and the overall experience of its inhabitants. Crucial to … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Andrew Watkins, Chris Skelton, Kara Mullaley, Matt Powers, Steve Anson
• Sandbar

Iowa: Developing and Implementing Your Broadband Goals – West Des Moines, IA Case Study

Broadband goals can be very different depending on a community’s size and location.  Smaller communities might want to attract broadband, while larger communities could need to manage the broadband installation.  … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Ken Demlow
• Northshore

Millennium Geospatial: The Value of Having Data Beyond Engineering

This session will explain how the combination of technology, data analytics, and supply chain logistics can be packaged together and leveraged to help municipalities prepare for a successful build and roll … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Kevin Maes, Rabecca Talarico-Haynes
• Shore Room

Getting it Done! Funding, New Models and Political Will

Let’s get the Midwest fiber-connected! A recent influx of private capital is driving community broadband projects forward. Hear from the industry’s leaders on how to build investors’ confidence, best ways … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Bob Knight, Chris Perlitz, Kimberley McKinley, Tom DiFrisco
• Sandbar

Michigan: A 25 Year Story of Fiber Development in the City of Holland

Forward thinking communities focus on infrastructure that will be sustainable long term.  Come hear the story of how Holland paved a successful path to a sustainable broadband service by using … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Pete Hoffswell
• Northshore

Try It, You’ll Like It! Community Broadband Planning in Eugene, Oregon

Community Broadband Planning, and one Case Study Project: Fiber in Electric Conduit and Eugene, Oregon’s Public/Private Partnership: Ensuring Competition and Choice for High Bandwidth Connectivity This session will illustrate how … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: Pam Berrian
• Shore Room

Palo Alto, CA Case Study

The Value of a City’s Data – Swim.ai’s Real-Time Analytics, a Case Study in Traffic Improvement As cities seek to improve traffic, reduce congestion and improve how residents and visitors navigate … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: William Pugh
• Sandbar

Wisconsin: FreshTech, Wisconsin’s only Master Planned and Mixed Use Innovation Community

Attracting and keeping talent has proven a challenge for many small Midwestern Communities as our educated youth generally flock to larger, more exciting metropolitan areas. This is the story on … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: Dane Checolinski
• Northshore

How Marketing is the Difference Between the Life and Death of Your Network

Far too often municipal broadband networks are considered, launched, or even operated without giving consideration to the most critical component there is to drive technology adoption: marketing.  The fatal flaw … Read more

• 4:40 pm to 5:20 pm
• Speakers: Bob Knight, Doug Adams, Kimberley McKinley
• Shore Room

Agile Infrastructure Keys to the Deployment of Broadband Technologies

Critical factors in advancing successful broadband densification and 5G deployment include the early engagement of municipalities to communicate their urban development and infrastructure concerns, and the early education of municipalities … Read more

• 4:40 pm to 5:20 pm
• Speakers: Phil Colflesh
• Sandbar

Wisconsin: The “How To” Make Your City a Smart City by Improving Fiber Network for Traffic Management, City Surveillance, Public Safety, Water and Sanitary, and Public Wi-Fi & Cellular Deployment

In this session, you will learn from a local Wisconsin ISP on Maintaining and Maximizing Communication Space in your Utility Right of Way (R/W) and building a Smart City Network. … Read more

• 4:40 pm to 5:20 pm
• Speakers: Wyatt Wisnefske
• Northshore

Conference Registration

Conference Registration will take place in the Foyer opposite the Waterfront Restaurant.

• 7:00 am to 12:00 pm
• Harbor Foyer

Breakfast

Please note that a full breakfast is served.

• 7:00 am to 8:00 am
• Wisconsin Ballroom

Keys to Financing Municipal Broadband Projects

In this session, you will learn: There is no “silver-bullet” solution for financing Broadband in the capital markets Municipal sponsors will be required to commit wherewithal to the project There … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: Thomas Coverick
• Shore Room

Fiber Broadband: Enabling Smart Cities, Smart Grid and Smart Homes

Fiber broadband networks positively change the lives of residents and bring economic development benefits to the municipalities that deploy them. From Smart City, to Smart Grid to Smart Home, these … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: Carl Meyerhoefer
• Sandbar

Wisconsin: Public Service Commission Broadband Expansion Efforts

Wisconsin has made a significant investment in broadband expansion by including $48 million for state grants in its biennial budget. A strong state economy is closely linked to access to … Read more

• 9:30 am to 10:15 am
• Speakers: Kristy Nieto
• Northshore

Citizen Scientist Broadband Data Collection

5 million households with school-aged children in the US lack access to broadband, creating the “homework gap,” which is likely to reinforce socio-economic divides that limit opportunities for households on … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Speakers: Charlotte Bewersdorff
• Shore Room

Smart City Technology and the Best Network Architecture to Enable It!

What last-mile network architectures fully enable the promise of Smart City/IoT technologies?  In this session you will learn how Open Access network architecture will fulfill this promise as well as … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Speakers: Bob Knight, Christopher Mitchell, Jeff Christensen
• Sandbar

Wisconsin: Challenges and Opportunities – The Future of IoT in Wisconsin

The “Internet of Things”, or “IoT” involves products that have “situational awareness” and can communicate their state to the cloud (or edge), where data can be collected and analyzed for … Read more

• 10:30 am to 11:15 am
• Speakers: Ron Rumack
• Northshore

A Path to a Modern and Versatile Government Broadband Network

State, county, and municipal governments are struggling to solve multiple IT networking challenges. They need to consolidate and modernize their networks with efficient, high-performing solutions that support enterprise-wide cloud computing … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Joe Annett
• Shore Room

Unleash the Power of the Connected Home and Say “Hello” to Subscriber Insight

As fiber broadband network planning and adoption increases across cities and communities nationwide, network speeds will continue to drive the conversation, but we’ll also increasingly judge the quality of our … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Greg Luhman
• Sandbar

Iowa: State of Broadband

The state of Iowa has more municipal broadband networks – 24 and counting – as any other state. Most of those networks were built in the 1990s and early 2000s. … Read more

• 1:30 pm to 2:15 pm
• Speakers: Curtis Dean
• Northshore

FTTP: The Decisions Made Today Will Live for the Next 50+ Years

The decision to invest in fiber to the home is one an operator takes very seriously.  With numerous access architectures and deployment methods available, “day 2” operational considerations, as well … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Barry Walton
• Shore Room

Make Your City and Event Venues Smart Overnight

You can’t be a smart city until you’re first a connected city. And becoming a connected city requires a tight collaboration between municipalities, utilities and commercial businesses to provide solutions that benefit the citizens of those communities – and do so in such a way that it’s affordable, respectful … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Tom Frank
• Sandbar

Minnesota: Blandin Foundation’s Collaborative Partnership with MN Communities

Blandin Foundation assists rural communities to improve access to and use of broadband by providing advisory services and financial assistance to community leadership teams. Blandin supports community pursuit of advanced … Read more

• 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
• Speakers: Bill Coleman
• Northshore

Pole Attachment and Make-Ready in Co-Op FTTx Networks

Learn how a supply chain partner will help municipalities and co-ops in their make-ready audits to prepare for pole attachment in FTTx networks. Learning Objective #1: Attendees will be able … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: Michael Carlow
• Shore Room

Why Strategy is Paramount to Success in Planning Your Smart City/IoT Future

What really is a Smart City?  If we agree as a foundation that it is holitically weaving in technology in to the very fabric of communities centered around innovation and … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: Jeffrey Gavlinski, Rob Brunner
• Sandbar

Minnesota: Successes Through Broadband Grants

The Minnesota Broadband Grant Program is now being used as a guideline for many other states throughout the U.S.  And a few providers have found multiple years of success in … Read more

• 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm
• Speakers: Mark Mrla, Monty Morrow
• Northshore