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Featured Sessions

Explore programs that bring executives, operators, innovators, and policymakers together to move the industry light years ahead. These focused forums and summits dig into growth, investment, public safety, entertainment, health, agriculture, and the infrastructure that powers AI and the evolving edge.

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General Sessions:

Monday

Kickoff and Community
May 18, 2026 | 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Start strong with the Welcome to Fiber Connect and the State of the Association. Celebrate the Chairwoman’s Award, then hear Operator Light Talks that frame real lessons from the field alongside panels that explore connecting the Americas. Unearth lessons learned from early gig providers and building smart communities. Close with Fiber Family Feud prelims.

TuesdaY

Momentum and Scale
May 19, 2026 | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Day 2 opens with Chairwoman’s Remarks and a keynote that sets the next phase of growth. Panels dig into faster deployments and managing expansion alongside established footprints. Operator Light Talks keep it practical. Enjoy a live Fiber for Breakfast on stage, then the Fiber Family Feud finals and closing remarks.

Wednesday

AI and the Emerging Tech Infrastructure Summit
May 20, 2026 | 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

The AI and Emerging Tech Infrastructure Summit shows how fiber powers intelligence at scale. Headliner Dr. Michio Kaku delivers the keynote and joins a fireside chat. Sessions cover the Open Compute Project, AI capacity and energy needs, and operator perspectives. A keynote from Nathan Austin leads into the closing conversation on AI, quantum, and telecom.

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Speciality Content:

The C-Suite Forum: programing for execs & lawmakers

A closed-door forum designed to align strategy, investment, and policy as our industry works to close the Digital Opportunity Gap for all Americans. Expect candid dialogue, market insight, and senior-level networking.

Monday, May 18 | 2:30–5:30 pm

4:45 pm Networking Reception
2:30 pm Sponsor Welcome
2:35 pm Keynote: Kyle Hanslovan, CEO, Huntress
3:00 pm Fireside Chat: Private Equity and Fiber Expansion
3:30 pm Keynote: Simon Leopold, Data Infrastructure Analyst and Managing Director, Raymond James
3:55 pm Fireside Chat: Public Safety — Fighting Fire with Fiber with Todd Way (CEO, DFN), Russ Elliott (CEO, Siskiyou Telephone), Kim Sheppard (CEO, Skyline TMC)
4:45 pm Networking Reception

Precision Agriculture: Seeding Broadband Futures

Low-latency fiber unlocks real-time data, automation, and collaboration across modern farms. This program explores best practices for fiber to the farm and how IoT, edge computing, and data sharing drive higher yields, lower costs, and reduced carbon impact.

Monday, May 18 | 3:00–5:00 pm

4:30 pm Fireside Chat
3:00 pm Welcome
3:05 pm Sponsor Keynote
3:25 pm Fireside Chat with Jennifer Hartstock, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Cargill
3:55 pm Panel
4:30 pm Fireside Chat

Network Demands: Dream a Little Stream

As streaming, gaming, and immersive entertainment evolve, performance demands intensify. This session examines capacity, latency, and in-home experience challenges for multi-stream households, creators, and power users, and what networks must deliver as AR and VR become mainstream.

Monday, May 18 | 3:00–5:00 pm

4:30 pm Fireside Chat
3:00 pm Welcome
3:05 pm Sponsor Keynote
3:25 pm Fireside Chat
3:55 pm Panel
4:30 pm Fireside Chat

Up Next in Broadband: Hyperscale Data Center and the Evolving Edge

AI, cloud, and autonomous systems demand the performance only fiber can deliver. Explore architectures for in-rack connectivity, resource clustering, and interconnect that cut latency, increase capacity, and reduce power by replacing copper with glass.

Tuesday, May 19 | 10:00–11:45 am

11:45 am Closing Remarks
10:00 am Welcome
10:05 am Sponsor Keynote
10:25 am Fireside Chat with Jeff Wabik, Chief Technology Officer, DCBLOX
10:50 am Data Center Innovations
11:20 am Fireside Chat
11:45 am Closing Remarks

telehealth & broadband summit: byte a day keeps the doctor away

Better health outcomes, ability to age in place, and connecting with medical experts outside your communities all become possible when homes and communities are connected with fiber broadband. This program will dive into how fiber broadband delivers the connections to let telehealth and other healthcare programs thrive.​

Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 – 11:45 am​

10:00 am Welcome​
10:05 am Sponsor Keynote​
10:25 am Fireside Chat Sasha Spellman, Director, AgeTech Collaborative from AARP or Nate Gross, MD, Health, OpenAI​
10:50 am Panel​
11:20 am Fireside Chat: Margaret Lozovatsky, CMIO & VP of Digital Health Innovations, American Medical Association​
11:45 am Closing Remarks

Broadband Policy Upload: Sustainable, Scalable Policy

From planning through implementation, agencies and industry are aligned on connecting the unconnected. Leaders will discuss how to build durable policy frameworks that serve communities today and for the next twenty years.

Tuesday, May 19 | 10:00 am–12:00 pm

11:55 am Closing Remarks
10:00 am Welcome
10:05 am Keynote
10:30 am Panel: AI Impact on Broadband Policy
11:00 am Panel: Policy Imperatives for Telehealth, Precision Ag, and Aging
11:30 am Fireside Chat: Dr. Alexis D. Schrubble, Director, Internet Innovation Initiative
11:45 am Closing Remarks