2023 Connected Oklahoma Recap

More than 200 guests from 21 states attended the Cooperative Broadband Coalition’s inaugural Connected Oklahoma – Rural Broadband Summit in Edmond on Sept. 27. The Cooperative Broadband Coalition brought together various stakeholders to discuss opportunities to better serve broadband in rural areas.

“Internet is key to unlocking the economic potential in rural areas,” said Speaker Charles McCall, Oklahoma House of Representatives. “There is a lot of untapped potential outside the metros. Rural broadband is going to let the rural workforce compete with the urban centers.”

McCall said more than $1.4 billion in funding is being pushed out through the Oklahoma Broadband Office, and a focus will be on getting money to the unserved and underserved areas first.

In addition to Speaker McCall, attendees also heard from Mike Sanders, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office; Gigi Sohn, Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband; Jon Worley, Senior Technology Architect for the American Registry of Internet Numbers; Sarah Bleau, Director of the Middle Mile Program for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; directors of the Arkansas, New Mexico and Indiana broadband offices; and several additional panelists including Oklahoma rural broadband operators. Some topics discussed were the state and federal grants process, supercharging the economy with broadband, and building a coalition-based middle mile network.

The CBC unites 11 electric cooperatives with fiber subsidiaries in the state of Oklahoma. Collectively, these cooperatives have reached the milestone of connecting 100,000-plus households in rural areas, a significant investment in the quality of life for rural Oklahomans and the statewide economy. Visit cooperativebroadband.coop for more information. 

2023 Schedule

September 27, 2023 Agenda
7:15 - 8:00 amNetworking Breakfast
8:00 - 8:05 amWelcome & Introduction, Gary Highley
8:05 - 8:10 amDiamond Sponsor: Trans-Tel
8:10 – 8:25 amSession #1 Cooperative Broadband Coalition Update, Hunter Robinson
8:25-8:55 amSession #2 State of Broadband, Mike Sanders, Oklahoma Broadband Office
8:55-9:30 amSession #3 The Changing Equation of Rural Broadband – Rural Operators Making it Happen
Venkat Banunarayanan, David Goodspeed, Shane Burgess, Moderated by William Graves
9:30 - 10:00 amCoffee Break, Sponsored by CableSouth
10:00 - 10:45 amSession #4 Demystifying the Federal/State Grants Process
Earnie Holtrey, Lane Bailey, Drew Lovelace, Moderated by Sachin Gupta
10:45 - 11:30 amSession #5 Pathway to transitioning to IPV6 by American Registry for Internet Numbers, Jon Worley
11:30 - 11:55 amKeynote #1 Supercharging the Economy with Broadband, Speaker Charles McCall
11:55-12:00Diamond Sponsor: Conexon
12:00 - 12:45 pmNetworking Lunch
12:45 - 1:15 pmDessert, Sponsored by Fujitsu
1:15 - 1:40 pmKeynote #2 Community Owned Broadband Networks, Gigi Sohn
1:40 - 2:30 pmSession #6 BEAD without Equity is Just BAD
Abi Waldrupe, Taylor Meriwether, Jarrod Welch, Moderated by Edyn Rolls
2:30 - 3:00 pmCoffee Break, Sponsored by PLP
3:00 - 3:45 pmSession #7 Coalition Based Middle Mile Model
Sarah Bleau, Doug Maglothin, Moderated by Jerry Haver
3:45 - 4:30 pmSession #8 Broadband Maps and the Role of GIS in Successful Networks
Nick Meiszer, Justin Fazzari, Ph.D., Kimia Nikseresht, Moderated by Mike Sharp
4:30 - 4:35 pmClosing Remarks, Hunter Robinson

2023 Speakers

2023 Sponsors

2023 Diamond Sponsors

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2023 Silver Sponsors
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