Cost for this preconference workshop is $75.00. Register here.   

This workshop will provide insight into the BEAD initiative, the technician shortage, programs and certifications to prepare new technicians, and a highlight view of what a technician will learn. A good portion of the session will be a quick content review of critical learnings from what’s usually a four-day broadband focused fiber optic technician course. While it is impossible to cover an entire course in detail in the allotted time, this 30kft view of the course will be educational and provide insight into deeper learning opportunities.

Sumitomo Electric has been at the forefront of ribbon splicing technology since its inception. Learn from our splicing experts the best methods to ensure high quality, low loss mass fusion splicing. Featuring our latest models, attendees will get the chance to have hands-on demonstrations with expert supervision.

Attendees will be able to:

- Identify and define different types of ribbon fiber 
- Understand the main challenges associated with ribbon splicing
- Perform a ribbon splice

Presented by: 

Unlock the power of automation and AI-driven analytics to transform network project management and decision-making. This session will show you how real-time BI tools, structured databases, and automated workflows can eliminate network inefficiencies, enhance data accuracy, and optimize resource allocation. This session will share actionable insights and practical strategies you can add to your current management framework that will elevate your project tracking and execution. 

Session Chair: Steve Harris - Harris DigiTech Academy & Solutions/Learning Alliance

Customer dissatisfaction due to the inherent limitations of wireless networks is a problem that annually costs fiber broadband carriers millions of dollars in customer support and goodwill. This session will introduce how a fiber alternative to augment wireless networks in the home can improve customer satisfaction at a price point comparable to a home Wi-Fi mesh node. You will learn how one network provider implemented FTTR and how it can improve customer satisfaction and reduce truck rolls.

Session Chair: Greg Harlan - HPT Communications

This session addresses the difficulties of deploying fiber cabling in brownfield MDUs due to structural inconsistencies, tenant occupancy, and aesthetic requirements. It expands the network engineer’s toolkit with innovative, forward-thinking approaches to simplify and accelerate these challenging installations. This session will broaden your perspective on viable design options for MDU cabling projects, share how to complete MDU installations more efficiently with minimal tenant disruption, and increase your confidence in addressing projects previously deemed unfeasible due to building constraints.

Session Chair: Kevin Borders - Borders & Associates, LLC

The Brattle Group’s first-of-its-kind economic study finds that deploying fiber in the U.S. could generate an estimated $3.24 trillion in economic impact by increasing housing values, lifting average household income and creating jobs. Learn how to tap that opportunity to build lasting partnerships that help you successfully go after grants and public funds—ultimately expanding broadband to underserved communities. Learn how to rally communities so they become your biggest advocates and make your build investments go further. 

Session Chair: Ryan Kudera - Finley Engineering

This session will share how to design a modular, vendor-agnostic, open-access model as you move to meet your network roadmap milestones. UTOPIA will share best practices for leveraging an open-access active Ethernet network, forecasting and supply chain management processes, staff skill set requirements and network OEM guidelines.