The Broadband Bunch
Welcome to the Broadband Bunch, a podcast about broadband and how it impacts all of us. Join us to learn about the state of the industry and the latest innovations and trends. Connect with the thought leaders, pioneers and policymakers helping to shape your future through broadband. The Broadband Bunch is sponsored by: ETI Software: www.etisoftware.com VETRO: www.vetrofibermap.com
Episodes
July 17, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine is joined by returning guest Lori Adams, Vice President of Broadband Policy and Funding Strategy at Nokia, for a conversation on the evolving BEAD landscape. This episode breaks down the June 2025 policy updates that have reset the BEAD program, including revised tech neutrality standards, rescinded grant awards, and a compressed 90-day reapplication window.
Lori shares on-the...
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In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo joins Kim Morrison, Vice President of Growth and Customer Delivery, and Ben Poppie, Vice President of OSP, from Circet USA, at Fiber Connect 2025 in Nashville. Kim and Ben discuss Circet’s transition from KGP Services and how the company is leveraging its European roots to expand its presence and capabilities in the U.S. market.
They reflect on the current state of the f...
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July 14, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at FiberConnect 2025, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Janet Price, Director of Engineering for Telecon U.S. With over four decades of experience in the telecom industry, Janet shares her insights on the evolving landscape of fiber deployment, the impact of BEAD funding, and the importance of permitting and pre-construction planning in today’s broadband projects.
Janet discu...
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July 10, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Chris Draper, Board Chair at SafetAI, recorded live at day two of the Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN) conference in Ames, Iowa. With broadband providers increasingly overwhelmed by promises of “AI-infused” solutions, Chris brings clarity and expertise to the conversation around artificial intelligence in utilities and broadband.
Drawing from his experi...
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July 8, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Carl Guardino, Vice President of Government Affairs and Policy at Tarana Wireless, recorded at WISPAmerica 2025 in Oklahoma City. With a career spanning decades in public policy and leadership—including 24 years as CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group—Carl brings a deep understanding of how innovation, advocacy, and infrastructure intersect in the fight to ...
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July 7, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live from Fiber Connect 2025, host Brad Hine sits down with Stephen Rose, CEO of Render Networks, for a conversation about the evolving broadband landscape and the role of intelligent infrastructure. Stephen shares his journey from global telecom operations to leading innovation at Render, drawing on past leadership roles at IBM, Nokia, and the Nobel Prize-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
T...
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July 3, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at Fiber Connect 2025 in Nashville, host Brad Hine welcomes Charlene Gavel, President and CEO of SaskTel, to the show. Fresh from her "Operator Lightning Talk" presentation titled Lighting Up Saskatchewan, Charlene shares the remarkable journey of SaskTel—from its origins as a provincial telephone department in 1908 to its current role as a cutting-edge technology leader in Cana...
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July 1, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Dr. Christopher Ali, the Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications and Associate Professor at Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. Recorded live at the CBAN Spring Summit, the conversation explores the evolving landscape of broadband policy and BEAD funding. Dr. Ali offers a grounded perspective on what it will truly take to close the digital divide, emp...
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In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at Fiber Connect 2025 in Nashville, host Brad Hine sits down with Justin Suhr, Senior Director of Construction Engineering at Great Plains Communications. With over two decades of experience in telecom and a deep background in fiber deployment and outside plant engineering, Justin shares insights on the company’s transformation from a 115-year-old telephone provider into a moder...
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June 26, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at the CBAN Annual Conference in Ames, Iowa, host Brad Hine sits down with broadband leader and digital equity advocate Deb Socia. Recently retired from her role as CEO of The Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Deb shares insights from her decades of experience supporting community broadband, digital inclusion, and infrastructure development.
They discuss the importance of early...
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June 24, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine welcomes back a true pioneer in the broadband space—Heather Gold, Principal at HBG Strategies and former President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. With a career spanning over 40 years across XO Communications, Sprint, ALTS, NTS, and more, Heather shares unparalleled insights into the evolution of broadband, the regulatory landscape, and the current fiber deployment ch...
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June 23, 2025 • 31 mins
In this episode of the Broadband Bunch, recorded live at WISPAmerica 2025 in Oklahoma City, host Brad Hine sits down with Cameron Kilton, CTO of Nextlink, for a conversation about AI, automation, and the future of broadband in rural America. Cameron shares his journey from Maine to Texas, helping scale Nextlink from 38,000 to over 100,000 subscribers across 10+ states.
He dives into the practical use of AI in network operations—fr...
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In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at Fiber Connect 2025, Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Denise Manka, Vice President of Business Development at MP Nexlevel. Denise shares her journey from the housing industry to telecom construction, and how MP Nexlevel’s deep roots, culture, and national reach set them apart in the broadband landscape.
They discuss the evolving infrastructure needs driven by AI and data center...
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June 17, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch recorded live from Fiber Connect 2025, host Pete Pizzutillo chats with Craig Thomas of Broadband Forum about the critical role of standards in today’s broadband landscape. They explore how interoperability supports smaller operators, the importance of data in enabling AI, and the shift from hardware to software-defined services. Craig also discusses challenges in open access networks—from secu...
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June 16, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at Fiber Connect 2025 in Nashville, host Brad Hine sits down with Anis Khemakhem, Chief Marketing Officer of Clearfield. With over 25 years of experience in telecommunications and technology, Anis shares his unique perspective on the evolution of fiber networks, customer-driven innovation, and the future of connectivity.
The conversation explores Clearfield’s commitment to labo...
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June 10, 2025 • 39 mins
In this special edition of The Broadband Bunch, co-hosts Brad Hine and Pete Pizzutillo break down the biggest takeaways from one of the industry's most influential events, Fiber Connect 2025. With over 5,000 attendees and 320+ exhibitors, the conference was packed with energy, insights, and future-shaping discussions.
Brad and Pete dive into everything from the status of BEAD funding and shifting investment trends, to AI readiness...
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In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine talks with Tim Ayers, co-founder of Gravity Path Partners, recorded live at Connected America 2025. With over 30 years in telecom and tech, Tim unpacks the growing role of edge computing—how it’s reshaping broadband infrastructure, enabling AI and low-latency applications, and becoming critical for future-ready networks.
They explore the repurposing of central offices into edg...
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June 3, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live from Connected America 2025, host Brad Hine sits down with Edyn Rolls, Chief Strategic Officer and founding member of the Oklahoma Broadband Office. As a key leader driving the state’s broadband expansion efforts, Edyn shares insights into Oklahoma’s $500 million deployment of ARPA funds, the BEAD subgrantee selection process, and how the state is adapting to shifting federal po...
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May 30, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode, host Brad Hine reports live from the show floor at Connected America 2025 in Irving, Texas. He’s joined by returning guest Brad Randall, editor at Total Telecom and chair of the event. Together, they unpack the energy on the expo floor and dive into the rapidly evolving broadband landscape.
From the political uncertainty surrounding the BEAD program to equity concerns and the future of infrastructure investment, t...
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May 28, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine is joined by Rusty Williams, President and CEO of the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), for a preview of the 2025 UTC Annual Conference, taking place June 16–19 in Long Beach, California.
With over 30 years of experience spanning utilities, telecom, IT, and network integration, Rusty shares a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s event—from its deep-rooted history and evolvi...
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