Major Takeaways from the 2024 Calix ConneXions Conference

The era of selling broadband based on speed alone is over. At Calix ConneXions 2024, industry leaders focused on subscriber experience and community connection to drive rural broadband success. From outdoor Wi-Fi innovations to strategic planning shifts, here’s what’s next for rural broadband providers.

Episode Transcript

Intro: A production of Pioneer Utility Resources. (00:05):
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StoryConnect, helping communicators discover ideas to shapetheir stories and connect with their customers.

Andy Johns: What are the major takeaways from the 2024 Calix ConneXions Conference? (00:16):
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That's what we'll be talking about on this episode of TheStoryConnect Podcast.
My name is Andy Johns, your host with Pioneer, and I'm joined onthis episode by one of my favorite people, Megan McKoy-Noe.
Thank you so much for joining me.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Thank you for having me, Andy. (00:31):
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Andy Johns: So this is our second annual Calix ConneXions recap. (00:32):
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I think after you do it twice and then like one more time nextyear, then it's permanent.
It's a permanent fixture. We're going to have to do this –.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Yeah, that means I get to come back to Calix next year. (00:40):
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Sure. Yeah.

Andy Johns: True. We've got quite a few podcasts. (00:43):
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I think we have 9 or 10 of them that we've recorded out here.
So hopefully there's a lot of great content, some great ideasbeing shared out here in the desert at the epicenter of rural
broadband this week.
Megan, let's dive in. There's been a lot of stuff talked about.
We were here Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, three days worth.
There are still some sessions going on that we may catch, butwhat?

(01:03):
You know when when you're flying back east, what are some of thebig takeaways that will be in your mind from this conference?

Megan McKoy-Noe: So last year was my first time at Calix ConneXions, and it was amazing. (01:10):
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But it was a lot, right?
There's like 2,000-3,000 folks that are here.
So there's so many ideas flying everywhere.
This year, I couldn't make it last year, but this year I made itto the Women in Telecom keynote.

Andy Johns: Yeah. How was that? I didn't get to go to that one. (01:26):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, yes. That's okay. (01:28):
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Not every session is for you, and that's fine.
I loved hearing Alex Carter.
She's a lawyer for Columbia Law School, and her focus is onnegotiation, which, you know, I'm a communicator, so I
wasn't quite sure how I would feel about her session.
And then I got in there, and it's all about the questions thatyou're asking.

(01:50):
And she, the fine folks at Calix, gave books to everybody thatwas attending, which is a
fantastic bonus.
So I get to keep learning.
But her entire session was about thinking about the questionsand your perspective.
So she said you have to whenever you're going into a situation,if it's, you know, talking to someone doing an interview,

(02:14):
or if you're working internally at your utility, you have amirror, questions that you ask yourself.

Andy Johns: Okay. (02:21):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: And then you have the window, questions that you're going to ask other folks to have open lines of conversation. (02:21):
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Andy Johns: That's a metaphor. No actual mirrors or windows. (02:26):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: No, no, no, don't. (02:29):
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You don't have to carry a pocket mirror.

Andy Johns: The mirror is what you're asking yourself. (02:32):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Please. Actually, yes. You should carry a mirror and just walk around talking to yourself. (02:33):
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Andy Johns: How do you know I don't already? (02:37):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Mhm. Okay. (02:39):
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But the questions that she posed were really thoughtful.
Like what is the problem that I want to solve for people andthen for myself, right?
So really a lot of personal brand storytelling that she washelping folks work through.
And then when you're talking to other folks, tell me about this.
What do you need?

(02:59):
And I even found myself – that session was on Sunday.
It's Tuesday now.
I found myself editing the questions that I was going to askfolks on the podcast, because I still found myself assuming
things in the questions that I was asking, or focusing theconversation in one area.
And instead, I had a fantastic conversation with Scott Paul atBeacon Broadband about their customer care team and how they

(03:23):
build mentorship and team training opportunities, cross trainingopportunities within their team.
And I edited the questions to be, tell me about this.
Tell me about your team.
Tell me about that.
It's a small change, but I really appreciated that.
And I think that's something I'm going to keep with me thathopefully will make our podcast episodes even better, although

(03:47):
never as good as yours, sir.

Andy Johns: Well, I think when the folks if you're wanting to see those questions in action, that podcast with Scott will be coming out (03:49):
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here in the next few weeks after.
As one of these because not only did they have thatconversation, they recorded that conversation to share with with
everybody. Nice.
Well, that sounds like a good, a good session.
Worthwhile. And again, not exactly what you might have expectedgoing into that one.

(04:11):
For me, the big one I really enjoyed Doctor Michael Watkins, whowas a professor who was speaking here, an author.
He talked a lot about strategic planning.
He said leadership is all about energy, which I get that.
But his basic premise is that annual planning is too slow.
If we only wait to do planning every year, there's so much thatchanges in between those.

(04:35):
He breaks it up into 90 day sprints, talks about what all youcan accomplish in those.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Do you actually have to run because, you know? (04:40):
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Andy Johns: Nope. No, I mean, it depends on what your goals are. (04:43):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Okay. (04:46):
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Andy Johns: And I like the quote from him, "Vision is where, and then strategy is how to get there." And I think that was a good piece (04:47):
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of it. He also talked about "backcasting," which was a new.

Megan McKoy-Noe: What is backcasting? (04:58):
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Andy Johns: That's a new one that I think, that's going to be an impactful thing to me because a lot of people do – (05:00):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Fishing? (05:04):
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Andy Johns: Well, there is that. (05:04):
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A lot of people do projection, and you're projecting forward.
But as he described backcasting, it's you have where you want tobe and then you – and we do this – but you're basically working
backwards from the goal.
Like, okay, if I want this done by January 1st, what do I needdone by December 1st?
And then working your way backwards.
So, you know, some of the stuff is not necessarilygroundbreaking; you've never heard before.

(05:28):
But it's good to hear in a new way and good as a refresher.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Yeah, we all need reminders sometimes, and that's why I really appreciate taking the time like this to come to an event and (05:31):
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really talk to folks, take a break from where you get kind ofcaught in the same cycles, doing the same thing every month.
And instead you're like, you're able to take a moment, breathe,and remember, "Oh, I should be doing that."

Andy Johns: Right. (05:52):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: There were a couple folks that I talked to in the hallways, which is my favorite part of events like this. (05:52):
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It's just those conversations.
And so many people said the last few years they were running,trying to get fiber builds out, trying to meet the needs,
especially during well, it's the sprint.
So apparently running shoes for StoryConnect.

(06:13):
That's what we're going to do. But they were hurrying and tryingto build and trying to get everything – meet the community needs,
especially after the pandemic when everyone realized howcritical it was to have community builds like this.
And they forgot some things.
They were so focused on maybe getting out there and theconstruction that they left some elements of their culture for

(06:37):
their utility behind.
So a lot of folks are taking a moment, coming here and talkingtogether to figure out what's next.
What did we miss?
How can we take what we've done and make it better, and makesure that we're bringing everyone on our team along for the ride.

Andy Johns: Makes perfect sense. (06:53):
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You know, we've done the same kind of thing when we showed up forthis conference with the one of the microphone cords being a
little too short. So that's the takeaway for me next year is weget a six foot cord; we don't have to sit quite as close.
And they can back the camera.
For those of you who are watching on the video, all of thesehave been a little unnaturally close.
That's what happens when you only bring a three foot microphonecord.

(07:16):
You got to be pretty close to the camera.
So that was one takeaway for me.

Megan McKoy-Noe: I don't think that's an applicable takeaway for everyone, but okay. (07:19):
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Andy Johns: You know, I needed to get that off my chest. (07:24):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Okay. (07:25):
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Andy Johns: The other big takeaway is that we've been talking about what we're hearing over and over again, and we've got a couple (07:26):
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podcasts about it. It's talking about value.
And this is similar to what has been in the Calix ConneXionsConference the last couple of years, where there's a lot of talk
about beyond speed, beyond price, you know, where else are youadding value?
And there have been a ton of folks thinking in that direction.
Speaking to those things here, one of the big ones, technologywise, that's coming up that I didn't necessarily anticipate

(07:52):
before this conference was outdoor.
And then, you know, the smart town piece that you're going to betalking to Wendy Crenner about a little bit from
SC Telecom. But kind of adding that value as, you know, if youhave the right persona, maybe there's an opportunity where
if they've got their Wi-Fi in the house, and it's great, maybethere's an opportunity to help them extend that out into the

(08:18):
backyard, into the shop, and to, you know, wherever it is sothat they can enjoy the Wi-Fi out in the yard.
And that's an opportunity, (a) to help customers and members,but then (b) increase their, you know, a revenue opportunity to
add that additional service for folks.

Megan McKoy-Noe: It is. And from the conversations that I've had with folks, it's even beyond that. (08:30):
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So I had two great interviews, one with Greg Mullis at Tri-CoGOin Georgia and the
other with Brenda Overton from Pea River Cooperative in Alabama.
And both of them were talking about connecting communities.

(08:52):
So finding moments and opportunities to help folks connect towhat matters in their community.
For Brenda and Pea River Co-op, it was football games, andmaking sure everybody could have access to a
great experience, a Wi-Fi experience, there.
For Greg Tri-CoGO, it was connecting folks and making sure foodtrucks could use payment

(09:17):
systems at their parks and rec centers.
And then it expanded to that.
So it's not just pushing out for residential areas, but it'sfinding places in your community where you can
share your message, connect your community.
But also, y'all, it's free advertising.
Both of them said that the advertising that just the namerecognition, especially when you're a competitive market and you

(09:41):
can serve a need, it's kind of what sets us apart.
So it was a lot of fun to talk to both of them about thechallenges.
Water in humans.
Did you know that was a challenge when you're providing Wi-Fioutside?
Yeah, you're making a confused face.

Andy Johns: We're out here in the desert, so water – (09:55):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: We're in the desert. We're in the desert. (09:56):
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But the trial and error of figuring out how to amplify a signaloutdoors, it
depends on the number of people that are there.
Because the number of people and the water in our bodies impactsyour signal.
I did not know that before Calix ConneXion so.

Andy Johns: Science. (10:15):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: Science. (10:15):
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Andy Johns: Definitely. Yeah. (10:16):
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Some of the new technologies that they're talking about, they cansend a Wi-Fi signal up to a mile.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Yeah. (10:22):
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Andy Johns: That's wild. (10:22):
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Just what the applications of that where, you know, I think theytalked about one of the folks.
If you have a mile long section of river or lake, you put one onone side, you put one another, you
know, beacon on the other side, and all of a sudden you gotWi-Fi out on the boat.
I mean, that's new and different.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, and it really impacts your experience, and everything is about experience right now. (10:41):
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So I was vacationing with my family a few weeks ago in Wyoming,and we were in two different national parks.
One national park had Grand Teton had amazing serviceeverywhere.
I was blown away by that.
And the minute we left Grand Teton National Park and went intoYellowstone National Park, we had no signal.

Andy Johns: Interesting. (11:06):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: And it was interesting. (11:07):
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It reminded me of gig resorts, which WK&T is doing, wherethey're really focusing on an outdoor area and making that
experience amazing.
And while I do like to disconnect when I'm on vacation, havingthat access, we've just gotten accustomed to
it.

Andy Johns: Right. (11:25):
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Megan McKoy-Noe: So I do think that's the next level of subscriber experience, or at least one of the big value adds, that you can offer is to make (11:25):
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sure if folks want to stay connected in your community.
Again, it's connecting what matters most to your subscribers andensuring a good experience for them.

Andy Johns: You know, you've kind of outed yourself because I remember trying to find you with an email or something when you were in the (11:40):
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Tetons, and I was like, "Oh, she must not have good service."Now I know the difference.

Megan McKoy-Noe: No, I responded that day. (11:48):
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Andy Johns: On a competitive standpoint, it's been interesting to me, and I've heard this on stage, and I've heard it from multiple (11:51):
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different people.
Folks here are feeling some competition from particularly fromthe wireless providers.
We talked to somebody, I forget if it was on air or not.
That's the kind of week it's been.
But he said he had nine competitors.

Megan McKoy-Noe: That was Greg Mullis. (12:12):
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Andy Johns: Nine competitors he's going up against. (12:12):
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And that's tough.
I mean, when you're when you're looking at needing to get 40% ofthe market share to make it feasible.
I can do the math well enough to know that it's hard to get 40%when there are ten total folks in the market.
And particularly the talk has been about the the wireless folkswho are throwing in the wireless connection.

(12:32):
The CEO of Calix, Michael Weening, on the first day was talkingabout how fiber finally came to his house.
And when he was going through it, he was happy at $89.
But then there were other options in there to discount itfurther and discount it more and offer.

Megan McKoy-Noe: It was a very convoluted path there. (12:47):
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Andy Johns: Right. And then by the time it's done, it was cheaper. (12:50):
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And so there was, you know, he was pitching it to folks fromthat was lost potential revenue there.
But it was also a race to the bottom where they're justcommoditizing the connection and not really delivering any
value beyond just the pipe, which is something we've heardMichael talk about before and something that's continuing.

(13:13):
But it was interested to me just how many folks it used to bethat the wireless providers were kind of a, you know, a last
alternative kind of thing for folks.
But it sounds like from the folks here, they're feeling a littlebit of competition from them now, which is interesting to pay
attention to.

Megan McKoy-Noe: And in that same session, it was the opening session for everybody yesterday. (13:25):
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He said, y'all, well, he might not have used "y'all." Canadiansdon't say "y'all" as far as we know.
But he said the era of speed is over.
We can't focus on that anymore.
And that is something that I've heard echoed in every session Ihave been in, every conversation I have had.

(13:51):
We can't.
I mean, we can, but we shouldn't focus on gig because everythinghas been commoditized.
Commoditized? That's a hard word to say when you're sleepy.
But because of that race to the bottom, you can't just focus onspeed.
You have to focus on experience.
And I've enjoyed hearing about the persona marketing effortsthat so many folks are focusing on.

(14:14):
There's some folks, like at Smithfield, they're focused just onsecurity messages and that value add for folks.
For others, it's something completely different.
It's, you know, helping with education and building up forseniors, helping them understand how to use
this and connecting them with local high school seniors.

(14:35):
You know, to understand it's that personal touch.
And I got to tell you, if it's down to experience, we got this.

Andy Johns: I think you're right. I think you're right. (14:43):
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The interesting, and the one thing I'll add, I was going to kindof head towards wrapping it up, but I thought you bring up a
great point about the different personas.
When you hear that, especially after October 10th when broadbandlabels are now required, it was really interesting to hear from
folks saying, you don't have to necessarily have a differentpackage for all of these different personas.

(15:07):
You just have to communicate and message a different way.
It could still be the same, you know, gigabit speed or 500 mbps,whatever it is that you're doing.
But just, you don't have to create a new skew or a new broadbandlabel, a new package for every one of these.
You can use the same one.
And just the way you talk about is different.
So I thought that was a powerful thing and an important thing ifanybody's out there going, I just got these broadband labels

(15:30):
done. I can't go and create a bunch of new personas.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Well, and again, it's not creating a package. (15:33):
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It's not about the package at all.
It's your story. How you're telling your story.
And again, we started the conversation with Alex Carter and howmuch I appreciated the questions she was
encouraging folks to ask.
It's about what challenges are out there.
What is the goal for your subscribers?

(15:53):
So thinking about that, you're packaging your marketing from agoal based perspective.
So think about what is our goal and how can you share your storyin a way that resonates with them and lets them know they can
meet their goal by working with you?

Andy Johns: Our goal at this point is to head out the door and safe travels to get back. (16:09):
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Always a pleasure doing these, our second annual Calix ConneXionsrecap.
We will be back doing this again next year, hopefully with alittle bit longer microphone cord.
Thank you guys for listening.
Megan, thank you for being on.

Megan McKoy-Noe: Always Andy. (16:27):
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Andy Johns: She is Megan McKoy-Noe. (16:28):
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I'm Andy Johns and until we talk again,

Andy & Megan: Keep telling your story. (16:31):
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Outro: StoryConnect is produced by Pioneer Utility Resources, a communications cooperative that is built to share your story. (16:34):
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