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- SERIES No. 10

Upstate Rural Broadband Conference

Tuesday June 28, 2022

8:30 AM - 4:00 PM [Breakfast, Lunch, + Happy Hour included]

Doubletree in Downtown Binghamton

Southern Tier’s first-event broadband summit focused on critical infrastructure for the future of our region.

SESSION DETAILS

$65 Billion in broadband investment...

Are you ready?

INDUSTRY SUMMIT

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The first-ever Upstate Rural Broadband Conference will bring together hundreds of public and private stakeholders to meet, collaborate, and plan for these unprecedented funding opportunities.  In 2022, Southern Tier 8 Regional Board announced its “Project Connect,” a major initiative to connect the agency’s entire eight-county region to high-speed broadband. High-speed broadband is the critical infrastructure needed to drive major economic revitalization and a better quality-of-life in the region.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • MUNICIPALITIES
  • CITY, TOWN, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS
  • NETWORK OPERATORS/SERVICE PROVIDERS
  • VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT

Help build the future of New York's Southern Tier and gain insights from expert speakers!  Learn more about:

  • BROADBAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
  • PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
  • BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY
  • INNOVATIVE FUNDING MODEL

EVENT SESSIONS

  • SESSION 1

    ARC as a Catalyst

    Breakfast Keynote
    9:45 AM

    SPEAKER: Curtis Hansen

    Program Manager for Broadband @ Appalachian Regional Commission

    A look back at ARC’s role in promoting broadband growth in the region.  Then, a look forward to a post-BEAD world, and how to get the most value from universal broadband through applications relevant to economic development.

     

  • SESSION 2

    PANEL 1: First steps in broadband planning

    10:15 AM
    • Moderator: Heather Gold, VP, External Affairs, Mears Construction 
    • Bob Knight, CEO, Harrison Edwards & Board Director, American Association for Public Broadband
    • Shane Butler, Planning Director, Chenango County
    • Carolyn Price, Executive Director, Upstate New York Towns Association
  • SESSION 3

    PANEL 2: How to get high speed broadband to rural communities

    11:30 AM
    • MODERATOR: Christopher Mitchell, Director, Community Broadband Networks Initiative, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR)
    • Kim McKinley, Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber
    • Tom Coverick, Managing Director, Keybanc Capital Markets
    • Joe Stark, President & Founder, ECC Technologies
  • SESSION 4

    State of the Fiber Broadband Industry

    Luncheon Keynote
    12:45 PM

    SPEAKER: Gary Bolton

    CEO @ Fiber Broadband Association

    We are at the beginning of the largest fiber investment cycle in history with over $130B in Federal and State funding.  This is our opportunity to build out our nation’s critical broadband infrastructure with future-proof fiber optics and close the digital divide once and for all.

  • SESSION 5

    PANEL 3: Wireless, smart cities and utility poles

    1:15 PM
    • MODERATOR - Jeff Gavlinski, Global Vice President of Telecom & Wireless Associations at Plume Design
    • Chris Fisher, Partner, Cuddy & Feder and Board of Director at NYS Wireless Association
    • William Acee, Mayor, Village of Sherbourne
    • Ali Mohammed, Sr. Director Digital Innovation & Transformation, New York Power Authority

    Additional speakers to be announced soon

  • SESSION 6

    Networking and Happy Hour

    2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Event session details coming soon.

Become a Sponsor!

Elevate your brand and position your organization as thought-leaders in the most exciting decade for investment in broadband. Be visible in front of a highly sought after group of attendees!

REGISTRATION CLOSED

REGISTRATION INCLUDED:

  • ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE WORKSHOP PROGRAM
  • MEETING WITH EXPERTS WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY
  • SNACKS AND BEVERAGES THROUGHOUT THE WORKSHOP 8:30 AM - 4 PM
  • BREAKFAST, LUNCH, + HAPPY HOUR INCLUDED