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General Session

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

eSports: From Play to Purpose

Kaleb Dschaak, Fenworks

This presentation explores how esports serves as more than just competitive gaming—it’s a powerful tool to engage students, connect them to their communities, and open pathways into the local job market.

The Race to a Gig is Now About Keeping Our Gig

Justin Huebner, Justin Huebner Consulting

For years, the ISP industry was defined by the "Race to a Gig." That race is over.  Now, the priority must be "Keeping Our Gig" by securing our customers and our business.  This presentation has two main goals.  First, it will educate attendees on the current state of competitive technologies, including 5G, ng-FWA, LEO satellites, and DOCSIS 4.0.  Second, it will pivot from this technical landscape to the new battlefield: customer value.  As speed becomes a commodity, we will explore the metrics that now define a winning ISP.  These include flawless managed Wi-Fi, zero-friction customer service, and new companion service offerings.  This session is for any provider looking to win the latest race, where experience, not just speed, is the ultimate prize.

IFAST
Chris Lovell & Andrea Lowe, Operation IFAST

TBA

Breakout Sessions 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

11:00-11:50 AM

The 2026 NEC Rewrite: Don't Get Lost in the New Code

Michelle Harry, Finley

The 2026 NEC is a major overhaul, restructuring rather than revising. Key changes include expanded Class 4 wiring, Article 840 removal, and grounding rules moved to Article 250. NFPA and IEEE aim to harmonize NEC and NESC by 2029. This presentation offers critically needed guidance on navigating impacts for industry professionals.

Caching Your Way to Profit: Faster Service, Lower Costs for Rural ISPs

Bryan Hicks, JSI

Discover how deploying caching solutions from providers like Netflix and Google is a critical strategy for rural operators. This session explores the powerful dual benefits: drastically reducing expensive backhaul/transit costs by serving content locally, while simultaneously elevating the customer experience with faster speeds and superior reliability.

1:00-1:50 PM

Splicing Workshop

TBA

TBA

Alianza - Cloud Switching

TBA 

TBA

2:00-3:00 PM

Inside Plant Roundtable

Moderated by: Ricky Smith, WIN Technology

Outside Plant Roundtable

Moderated by: Josh Perrin, Citizens Connected

Breakout Sessions 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

8:00-8:50 AM

The Fiber Supply Chain: Resilience in a Time of Constraint

Taylor Trewyn, Power & Tel
Sam Livingston, Millennium

Global supply challenges—from glass shortages to logistical slowdowns—are testing the fiber industry’s ability to deliver. Yet, through foresight, collaboration, and adaptable sourcing strategies, the strongest players are turning these challenges into opportunities for growth and reliability.

Next Generation of Experiences with Wi-Fi 7 and 50G PON - Technology Innovations for Tomorrow Built on a Solution You Can Deploy Today

TBA, Calix

As demand for multi-gigabit service gains momentum, operators are looking for opportunities to expand their service offerings beyond simply residential services. Higher speed PON systems (beyond 10G PON) offer operators the ability to deploy a converged architecture – a unified network for both business and residential services – such as residential, mobile, enterprise and more - onto one network. Wi-Fi 7 increases the throughput potential of subscribers to nearly 50 GB which has the potential of flooding access networks. Learn about network convergence and consolidation with capabilities like 50G PON and network slicing that will help you open new markets and deliver new experiences to your subscribers using the investment you make today on your network as well as what service providers need to consider with Wi-Fi 7 to prepare for subscriber evolution.

9:00-9:50 AM

Broadband Meets AI: Innovation, Responsibility and the Road Ahead

Laura Matthews, NISC

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries worldwide, and broadband is no exception. This session will explore how generative and agentic AI can drive new efficiencies, improve customer service, and support operational excellence for providers. We’ll also discuss security, compliance, and ethical design considerations to ensure AI is implemented responsibly. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for getting started and a clear view of what’s coming next.

Sales Across the Org - Sales Sills and Thinking for Non-Sales Roles

TBA, Calix

We’ve all heard the phrase “everyone is a seller.” Or how about “always be selling?” While these both can be true, it’s often hard to build the idea of salesmanship into roles that don’t have direct selling relationships with subscribers. In this session, we’ll talk through the non-sales roles within a broadband org – from back office to NOC to the C-suite – and how each of them can be conditioned to build a sales-first mentality.

10:00-10:50 AM

24/7 Proactive In-Service Fiber Monitoring: Boosting Network Availability While Reducing Opex and Capex

Jake Farmer, Adtran

Fiber is the leading option for residential and business connectivity. But how do you ensure your fiber infrastructure is installed properly, available, and operational? Attendees will learn how 24x7, automated, in-service fiber monitoring can identify outages and overall fiber health from a central location.

Marketing & Technical Teams - Two Sides of the Same Customer Experience
Chad Mix, Norvado

Presentation on the need for alignment between what marketing says and what the technician delivers and how that affects the customer experience. Topics covered will include techs are the brand, customer journey, turning service calls into brand experiences, marketings promise - your delivery, etc.

General Session

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

NISC: Famous Chollima 2025 Incident

Bill Heinzen, NISC

Famous Chollima is a North Korean affiliated threat actor whose individuals pose as legitimate IT professionals seeking remote employment. Between 2024 and 2025, Famous Chollima infiltrated over 320 companies for the purpose of earning salaries to funnel back to the North Korean regime. In April 2025, NISC identified an individual associated with Famous Chollima within the NISC workforce. This session will cover the incident response procedures NISC followed to detect, investigate, and remove this threat from their IT systems while also ensuring no Members were impacted.

Schedule is subject to change.