General Session: Wednesday

The Utility of Fiber: Looking Beyond the Smart Grid

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

8:10am – 8:45am

Location: Presidential Ballroom C/D/E

Fiber broadband has been leveraged by innovative utility companies and cooperatives to modernize the grid by improving the flow of communications across the entire transmission and distribution infrastructure. As federal focus shifted to ensuring everyone had access to better broadband, utilities are in an ideal position to take a byte out of this market by adding fiber broadband to their existing service offerings. This moderated panel discussion will focus on the opportunities, challenges, myths and realities of developing and delivering a competitive fiber broadband service offering, as well as innovative ways smart utilities are further leveraging the efficiencies fiber communications provides to move their businesses forward.

Moderator(s)

Bernie Arnason

Editor-in-Chief
Telecompetitor

Panelist(s)

Steve Bandy

General Manager
OzarkGo
Tim Culpepper

CEO
Cullman Electric Cooperative
Jeffrey R. Dykes

President & CEO
BrightRidge
Lance Irwin

VP, Partnerships and Project Development
Seven States Power Corporation
Jeremiah Sloan

CEO
Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation