More than 2,200 rural broadband providers and their key vendor partners gathered in Tampa, Fla., last week for an action-packed five days at NTCA’s annual Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & EXPO (RTIME). A true testament to the high level of activity that occurred might be the number of bandages on my feet after wearing high heels and running across various properties to hit all the conference highlights.
Our team did a terrific job in chronicling the event for those onsite and for those who missed it, but I wanted to take a moment to share a few highlights from my perspective.
We kicked off Sunday with an early morning policy discussion that covered a range of issues including Universal Service Fund reform, Enhanced Alternative Connect America Fund Model implementation, Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding, ReConnect's future in the Farm Bill, cybersecurity initiatives, congressional action on the Affordable Connectivity Program and so much more. It was a jam-packed session despite being at such an early hour. Afterwards, the NTCA Board of Directors had a very productive day of meetings. I'll be looking to share more on that as we move ahead in the year of our strategic planning reboot.
After that, it was on to our Regional Raps, where folks congregated by region and shared their thoughts on the future of the association. We also included some fun trivia questions to help us celebrate 70 years of service for NTCA, 30 years of wonderful activity for our Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) and 55 years for the NTCA Rural Broadband PAC. All told, that's a rich set of histories for the rural broadband provider industry.
Nothing says celebration like the Super Bowl. We capped off the day with our watch party and all stayed glued to the screens until an exciting overtime ultimately decided the Chiefs’ victory. There certainly was a great deal of red and yellow in the crowded ballroom that evening.
On Monday, we went on to our general sessions and speakers who had much to share with our members, including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who graciously sat down with me for a fireside chat in late January to compare notes on all things BEAD, workforce, Women in Telecom, innovation and supply chain. I had so much fun sitting down with her and was sorry we could only share a few minutes of that discussion with our members. A full version of our chat is posted on our website.
Representatives from a number of key federal agencies as well as Bill Esbeck, executive director of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association (Madison, Wis.), followed the video and discussed next steps for funding and other key initiatives. We also had a great keynote speaker, Shawn Kanungo, who had all of us thinking about what it will take to be "The Bold Ones." Speaking of bold, it was timely to announce the extension of our ongoing collaboration with Corning Optical Communications on additional connectivity products offered to NTCA members with no preregistration or dollar-for-dollar matches required. Forty-five million feet of fiber can go a long way. My thanks and appreciation to our friends at Corning for their constructive work with NTCA and their willingness to continue this program as BEAD starts to open and possible supply chain pressures increase.
The week saw numerous committee meetings, sessions for directors and executives on a whole range of topics, as well. The Expo Hall was bumping with 120 vendors, and I never hit the show floor without folks engaging at nearly every booth. Having chocolate donuts staged strategically around the hall certainly didn't hurt either. But my favorite part of the meeting is always the networking that happens while folks are in the hallways grabbing refreshments or eating their meals. Networking with those from around the country is truly what these events are all about.
I think everyone enjoyed a reason to dress up as we celebrated FRS and its 30 years at a gala Monday night. Not only was it fun to have a reason to wear some glitter, but the evening raised over $170,000 for the amazing work our foundation does. Of course, it also means that I am going to have to clean my kitchen and dust off my cookbooks now that I have volunteered to cook three dinners for folks who were brave enough to bid on letting me wine and dine them. I'll just have to remind them in advance that we're a dog-friendly household so, regardless of how much they bid on the meal, jeans will be the acceptable form of dress.
We ended the conference with Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Administrator Andy Berke sharing news about the opening of ReConnect Round 5 and the ongoing priority RUS is putting on fiber technology for their investment dollars. I also was excited to host a panel discussion with some key players on the challenges that still exist in the broadband space. Having Calix (San Jose, Calif.) Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations Jerry Cederlund share thoughts on supply chain warning signs, Highline (Escanaba, Mich.) President and General Manager Bruce Moore share how the company has worked to knock down some regulatory barriers and Dave Wolf, CEO of Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association (Brandon, Minn.), share how his team is handling their workforce challenges reminded me why I love my job so much.
Our final day also featured the Excellence Awards, which recognize those in the industry honored by their peers. There were so many worthy folks I had the privilege of sharing the stage with, and I encourage you to watch the ceremony on our social media. I want to give a special shout out to David Redman, president of the Board of Directors of RTC Communications (Montgomery, Ind.), for being the recipient of the James L. Bass Director Life Achievement Award, as well as to my friend Gary Johnson, CEO and general manager of Paul Bunyan Communications (Bemidji, Minn.), for receiving the James L. Bass Management Life Achievement Award. Both have much to be proud of, and I love passing along those beautiful awards and words of recognition.
Even amid an Uber strike, we all made it back to the airport and ultimately to our homes last Wednesday. While reflecting on these past few days, I know how very lucky I am to not only represent the finest folks in the broadband business but also to be surrounded by the best association team that exists for any industry.
Now it’s on to our Telecom Executive Forum in a few weeks!