| WISCONSIN STATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION |
Broadband Forum Sessions & Speakers
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General Session
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
From Legacy to All-IP: Modernizing Voice for What’s Next
Dan Brashear, JSI
Transitioning from legacy TDM to an all-IP network is becoming less of a technology decision and more of an operational necessity. This session examines the rising costs, workforce challenges, and reliability risks of maintaining aging voice infrastructure. Attendees will compare cloud-based and on-site solutions, review a 10-year cost case study, and explore a practical, phased approach to modernization. The session provides a framework for evaluating options, reducing risk, and turning voice from a maintenance burden into a scalable platform for future services.
Cat Minor, Calix
A better network doesn’t automatically guarantee customer preference. Explore how satellite alternatives, changing consumer expectations, and evolving connectivity choices are reshaping broadband competition. Through market insights and peer examples, learn how to identify early warning signs, differentiate the customer experience, and strengthen acquisition, loyalty, and growth.
The OOPS Factor: What Could Go Wrong in OSP?
Craig Rapp, Telcom Insurance Group
Real-world hazards, close calls, and lessons from the field
How Service Providers can Capitalize on Datacenter Expansion for AI in Rural Locations
Mitch Simcoe, Ribbon
The AI boom is driving a wave of investment in new data centers and creating unprecedented demand for bandwidth. As developers build facilities in lower-cost rural locations, the need for reliable, high-capacity Data Center Interconnect (DCI) networks becomes increasingly important. Join this session to learn how AI workloads are reshaping network requirements, why the network edge is becoming a critical part of AI infrastructure, and how service providers can capitalize on this opportunity with Ribbon DCI solutions.This presentation will provide insights to service providers to capitalize on these opportunities and address the emerging challenges from these trends.
Breakout Sessions
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
1:00-1:50 PM
Rural BSP AI Adoption Report
Josh Gillen, Innovative Systems
Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries worldwide—but how is it shaping the future of rural broadband? In this session, we’ll share executive highlights from our recent study, polling over 130 rural Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) on their AI adoption strategies. All attendees will receive free access to the report.
The New World of Cognitive Communications
Darren Jordan, Alianza
Conversations are the new oil - data inside of them is a revenue generator for Service Providers. Far too long the massive tech companies have been collecting tolls from applications riding on service provider's highways. There are now ways to collect those tolls.
2:00-3:00 PM
From Handhole to Splice Tray: Field-Proven Fiber Best Practice
Ryan Mountin, Midwest fiber Solutions
What’s Next? Future Trends for Broadband
Matt Glosson, Calix
Explore how Wi-Fi 7 and emerging Wi-Fi 8 capabilities are advancing performance, reliability, and network design across residential, business, and outdoor environments. Learn how automation, workflows, and APIs can help simplify operations and reduce manual effort.
Breakout Sessions
Wednesday, January 20, 2027
8:00-8:50 AM
Simplify Scale: Best Practices for Self-Upgrades and Self-Installs
Matt Glosson, Calix
Explore best practices for building scalable self-install and self-upgrade programs that improve operational efficiency and the subscriber experience. Learn how to identify the right self-service scenarios, create intuitive activation experiences, balance self-service with technician-led installations, and reduce unnecessary truck rolls while accelerating service activation.
Next Generation of Experiences with Wi-Fi 7 and 50G PON - Technology Innovations for Tomorrow Built on a Solution You Can Deploy Today
Craig Muller, Tarana Wireless
A discussion regarding today's technology options
9:00-9:50 AM
Fool Me Twice: Lessons from a Repeated Travel Disaster and the Subscribers Who Won’t Wait
Criag Gralapp, CHR Solutions
Two trips. Same airline. Same chaos. Five years apart and nothing had changed. Today’s broadband subscribers won’t accept that. This session explores how customer expectations have fundamentally shifted — from ordering to outages — and what providers can do operationally to deliver the seamless, real-time experience subscribers now demand.
10:00-11:00 AM
Inside Plant Roundtable
Shane McCann, Marquette Adams
Outside Plant Roundtable
Wil Sinclair, Citizens Connected
Schedule is subject to change.