Sunday, February 3

7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

REGISTRATION

8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

FRS Board of Directors Meeting

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Telco Executives Policy Discussion

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Membership Committee Meeting

9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Tour 1: Crescent City Connection

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Welcome to New Orleans
Get insider tips on exploring exciting New Orleans, including information on local attractions, shopping and dining recommendations.

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

CONCURRENT MANAGER SESSIONS

Sales Team Success
Your team is great at assisting your customers with everyday issues but may be missing opportunities to recommend solutions to your customers’ unmet needs. Discuss strategies to help achieve your growth goals and maintain long-term success. Learn tips, best practices and incentives for building a confident sales culture and team that will bolster profits for your company.

Brought to you by the Associate Member Advisory Council
NTCA Certificate Code: B101
For: Telco management, Staff

Tomorrow’s Video Forecast
Fast-changing trends in viewing habits are leading small operators into the unknown without a clear understanding of what customers want when it comes to video offerings. Hear about recent research that can shed some light on what your subscribers are viewing and gain an advantage in negotiating with content providers.

NTCA Certificate Code: B106
For: Telco management, Staff, Directors

Success in Succession
When it comes time to pass the company down from one generation to the next, a carefully crafted and executed succession plan can make all the difference. Join your peers for a discussion of what it takes before, during and after leadership transitions to keep the family business operating smoothly.

NTCA Certificate Code: G107
For: Telco management, Staff, Family business officers

Performance Testing - Network Differentiator, Royal Pain, or a Bit of Both?
The FCC has plans to implement a new performance testing regime later this year tied to the receipt of universal service support. Debate and development continue on the details of this framework, but providers need to get ready as best they can for potential compliance. Experts will discuss issues that remain in play, plans for implementation despite the open questions, and how performance testing fits into a broader debate over the capabilities of various networks.

NTCA Certificate Code: P101
For: Telco management, Staff

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

CONCURRENT DIRECTOR SESSIONS

Dealing With Difficult Board Members
Let’s be clear: This session is not about you. It’s about that other board member; the difficult one that sits next to you. We get all kinds of great folks on our boards, but sometimes there are challenging personalities that can potentially derail the work of the entire board. Learn how to deal with potentially tumultuous issues before they arise, and devise strategies for handling specific situations should they surface.

NTCA Certificate Code: G105
For: Directors, GMs, CEOs

Building a Qualified Board
Although the challenges are a bit different, both commercial and cooperative companies face the same reality of needing qualified board members. How do commercial companies attract board members that are passionate about serving the telco and the community? How do co-ops seek out qualified candidates to run for open seats? At this session, join in a candid discussion about what works when looking to strengthen your governance team.

NTCA Certificate Code: G107
For: Directors, GMs, CEOs

Getting to Know Your Cyber Threats
David Raucher, Director of IT Engineering, CHR Solutions
The top four cybersecurity threats facing enterprises today are DDoS attacks, ransomware, phishing and malware. Using industry-relevant case studies, this session will make you more familiar with commonly used terms to help create a framework for deeper conversations about specific cybersecurity issues in the board room.

NTCA Certificate Code: T110
For: Directors, GMs, CEOs

11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tour 2: Houmas House Plantation & Gardens

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Concurrent Manager Sessions (Repeat)

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Concurrent Director Sessions (Repeat)

11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

NTCA Rural Broadband PAC Board Meeting

Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Meetings & Education Committee Meeting

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Awards Committee Meeting

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

CONCURRENT DIRECTOR SESSIONS (Does not repeat)

The Realities of Retirements: Preparing for Eventual Manager Transitions
It’s just a simple fact: Many senior industry leaders are nearing retirement age, and the next five years will witness a transition for many companies, especially in the role of general manager. The board and staff need to be prepared with not just a succession plan, but a transition plan to make sure the company moves forward without interruptions in governance or operations.

NTCA Certificate Code: G107
For: Directors, Board officers, Telco management

Trusted Providers in Telehealth
There are many challenges to address when it comes to providing effective telehealth services in rural communities. One of the most important and often overlooked challenges is building and maintaining trust between patients and doctors in this new system of care for members of the community. Teaching people about the technology is one thing, but garnering their trust is quite another, especially when it comes to something as personal as health care. Learn how others have successfully built telehealth solutions in their rural communities.

NTCA Certificate Code: T106
For: Telco management, Staff, Directors

Finding Your Wireless and Small Cell Sweet Spot
With more spectrum being allocated for 5G broadband and innovative uses, rural telcos are invited to explore how fixed wireless and small cell deployment opportunities can serve as a lower-cost alternative solution for last-mile broadband.

Brought to you by the Associate Member Advisory Council
NTCA Certificate Code: T104
For: Telco management, Staff, Directors

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

CEO Roundtables by Company Size
One of the top reasons CEOs and GMs attend RTIME is to network with their peers. Join peers of similar-sized companies in one-on-one candid discussion and networking. These roundtables are split up by company size, so you can get a feel for what your peers are doing.

• Smaller Companies: 15 or fewer employees
• Mid-Sized Companies: 16–40 employees
• Larger Companies: 41–100 employees
• Largest Companies: More than 100 employees

NTCA Certificate Code: B106
For: CEOs, GMs

1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Government Affairs Committee Meeting

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Women in Telecommunications Industry Roundtable

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tribal Affairs Committee Meeting

3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

CSSA Board of Directors Meeting

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tailgate Reception for Women in Telecom

5:00 p.m.

SUPER BOWL PARTY

Cheer on the AFC and NFC Conference champions with your colleagues and see who will take home the Vince Lombadi Trophy.

Tuesday, February 5

7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

NTCA Rural Broadband PAC 50th Anniversary Celebration Breakfast
Join NTCA Rural Broadband PAC as it celebrates its 50-year history during this special breakfast recognizing board members and employees that have generously contributed to the PAC.

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

SECOND GENERAL SESSION

You Don’t Need A Crystal Ball to Predict the Future
Joe Candido, Co-founder, Executive Crash Course
What does it take to make accurate assumptions about the future? Learn how to think like a futurist and plan what you and your team can do now to better prepare for what is coming your way. Beyond social, economic and technical trendspotting, this session will help you identify the information you need to be monitoring to stay ahead of the curve.

Address from FCC Chairman
Ajit Pai, Chairman, FCC

The Changing – and Unchanging – Nature of Rural Network Economics
The challenges of delivering communications services in high-cost rural areas are as old as communications services themselves. But the services and the networks over which they are delivered have evolved significantly – what does that mean for service in rural areas, for companies looking to serve these areas, and for policymakers trying to decide how best to live up to a mission of universal service in a broadband world? This panel will feature prominent experts in the fields of cost modeling, cost recovery, and engineering to talk through how network economics have – and have not – changed over time, and the issues our nation faces today in deploying and operating communications infrastructure in rural America.

8:00 a.m. – Noon

TIG Board Meeting

8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

NTTA Membership Meeting

8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Benefits Consulting Room 

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Ace Annual Meeting

9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

THE NETWORKING CENTRAL

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

CSSA Annual Meeting

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Concurrent Manager Sessions (Repeat From Monday)

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. 

Concurrent Director Sessions (Repeat From Monday)

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Spouse Session

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

CSSA Board Meeting Reconvenes

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Exclusive EXPO Telco Luncheon
This luncheon is exclusive to telco executives and their guests.

11:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Tour 5: Airboat Adventure

11:30 a.m. – 12:15p.m.

SPECIAL DIRECTOR SESSION

Back to School With NTCA: Policy and Industry 101
This refresher course presented by senior NTCA policy team members covers the gamut of critical policy and regulatory issues of 2019, as well as some history of how we got here. Learn about the most timely and relevant regulatory issues facing the rural broadband industry and be prepared for everything from your next board meeting to your next meeting with congressional representatives.

NTCA Certificate Code: P101
For: Directors

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

NEW! EXPO Open House and EXPO Live
Join us on the EXPO show floor and meet with exhibitors and see the first-time ever live programming on the show floor.

Small-Town Ingenuity is Making Gigabit Broadband a Reality
Small-town broadband deployment requires collaboration and the blend of ingenuity, creativity, and force of will that's characteristic of rural entrepreneurs who have spent years innovating and problem-solving within the constraints of smaller economies. As a result, models for deployment are as varied as the communities themselves. Join the live conversation about how one rural broadband provider made gigabit broadband a reality in their hometown—and the improvements those connections have made in the quality of life back home.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

NRTC Annual Meeting

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

NEW! Regional Caucuses—House of Blues
This new regional caucus format allows more time to network with your peers while still hearing about happening within your region and, an opportunity to see a little bit of New Orleans at RTIME.

While we’ve [r]edefined the regional caucuses, we’ve also kicked it up a notch to encourage valuable face-to-face engagement with fellow regional members at a rocking New Orleans spot.

5:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

NTCA Rural Broadband PAC/RTAF Event: Salute to the Greatest Generation
Sponsored by Illinois Telephone Cooperative Association
Join NTCA Rural Broadband PAC/RTAF for an evening at the National World War II Museum. The event will include exclusive access to the “Campaigns of Courage” galleries, dinner at BB’s Stage Door Canteen and a private screening of the 4D movie “Beyond All Boundaries” narrated by Tom Hanks. The city of New Orleans has a unique link to World War II—the boats used in the invasion of Normandy were designed, built and tested there. The museum was designated by the U.S. Congress as America’s official National World War II Museum, and for the past five years, it has been the number one attraction in New Orleans. Join us for this special celebration of the greatest generation.