April 1, 2026: Pre-Conference OSS/BSS Spotlight

CBAN's OSS/BSS Spotlight event brings together seven of the industry's top OSS/BSS providers in one space, offering presentations, personal demos, and general provider education. Lunch is provided at no cost.

To attend the Spotlight, which takes place one day before the full conference, simply check "I plan to attend the OSS/BSS Spotlight Pre-Conference" when registering.

8:30 AM	Registration
9:00 AM	COS Systems
10:00 AM	CHR Solutions
11:00 AM	MACC
11:50 AM	Lunch
12:30 PM	Vision by Fibersmith
1:30 PM	Intelegrate by ETI Software
2:30 PM	Innovative Systems
3:30 PM	Camvio
5:00 PM	Spring Summit Wednesday Wind-Up, sponsored by Open Country (Iowa Stater Bar and Restaurant)

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7:30 AM

Registration and Breakfast

Lobby, Garden Room

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8:30 AM

Welcome and Keynote Introduction

Garden Room

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8:40 AM

KICKOFF KEYNOTE: The "CX Factor:" Why Customer Experience is Your Competitive Moat in the Battle for Broadband

Gary Bolton, President and CEO, Fiber Broadband Association

Garden Room

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9:10 AM

Fireside Chat & Q&A

• Gary Bolton, Fiber Broadband Association
• Deb Socia, CBAN Board President
• Jon Willow, CBAN

Garden Room

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10:00 AM

Can Data Centers and Communities Co-Exist?

• Moderator: Jon Willow, CBAN
• Jeremy Carroll, Manning Municipal Utilities

Garden Room

Data centers bring real opportunity to communities — and real risk. The question is how to tip the balance. Jon Willow, CBAN co-founder and Michigan State University's 2025 REI Innovation Fellow studying AI in communities, joins panelist Jeremy Carroll to explore that question through real-world experience — including Jeremy's community data center deal in Manning, Iowa and an emerging IXP pilot in Wichita, Kansas. Come ready to dig into what makes these deals work, what to watch out for, and whether this model might make sense in your community.

EX = CX: The Employee Experience Connection

• Moderator: Stacey Slaghter, NCTI
• Frank Bulk, Premier Communications
• TBA

Meadows Room

Delivering an excellent customer experience requires more than just hiring the right people; it requires a sustained investment in their growth and development. This session provides a strategic framework for enhancing your existing CX team through three critical pillars: mentoring, skills training, and knowledge management. We will discuss practical methods for upskilling employees, closing knowledge gaps, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to build a more resilient, confident, and high-performing CX unit that directly contributes to subscriber retention and satisfaction.

Tech Track Session 1, powered by IAMU

Start at the Beginning - Excellence in Installation

• Joe Six, Calix
• Ben Yetter, Calix

Cardinal and Gold Rooms

Kick off the CBAN Spring Summit Tech Track with a crucial look at the foundation of subscriber satisfaction in "Start at the Beginning: Excellence in Installation." Presented by IAMU and led by the customer experience experts at Calix, this session demonstrates why the installation process is far more than a technical necessity—it is the pivotal moment that defines the provider-customer relationship. Attendees will learn how delivering a high-quality, seamless installation experience builds immediate trust, reduces future support calls, and secures long-term loyalty in today’s competitive broadband landscape.

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11:00 AM

Community Broadband Marketing for the Win

• Moderator: Kim McKinley, TAK Broadband
• Heidi Griffin, ICAN Advertising
• Jordan Oja, Mi-Fiber
• Rachel Rowe, Fort Dodge Fiber

Meadows Room

In an increasingly competitive landscape, how do local providers cut through the noise to drive subscriber growth? This dynamic panel discussion brings together diverse perspectives from the front lines of connectivity to answer that question. You will hear real-world success stories alongside expert insights on targeted digital strategy. Join us as the group dissects the perfect mix of grassroots community engagement and digital precision needed to capture market share and secure the win for your network.

Tech Track Session 2, powered by IAMU

After The Install - Supporting The Customer

• Joe Six, Calix
• Ben Yetter, Calix

Cardinal and Gold Rooms

Building on the foundation of a great installation, the second session of the Tech Track, "Supporting the Customer After the Installation," shifts the focus to long-term subscriber satisfaction. This session provides customer care and help desk teams with the strategies and tools necessary to effectively troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise post-deployment. Attendees will explore best practices for diagnosing connectivity problems, communicating complex technical solutions to end-users, and turning potential service frustrations into opportunities to reinforce trust and reliability.

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11:50 AM

Lunch

Garden Room

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12:20 PM

PLENARY: "CBAN State of the Bridge"

• Curtis Dean, CBAN Executive Director
• Deb Socia, CBAN Board President
• Jon Willow, CBAN

Garden Room

Join Curtis Dean, Jon Willow, and CBAN Board President Deb Socia for our annual address to members. It's been a challenging year for everyone in broadband, including CBAN. We'll reflect honestly on the obstacles we've faced together, celebrate the resilience of our network, and share our vision for the road ahead. This is about community—where we've been, where we are, and how we'll continue supporting each other as we navigate what's next.

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1:00 PM

Exhibitor Floor Opens

Prairie Room

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2:30 PM

Controlling The Narrative

• Moderator: Jon Willow, CBAN
• Kyle Box, Willmar MN
• Marlena Pfeiffer, Pink Voltage Solutions
• Bob Jennings, Algona Municipal Utilities

Garden Room

Bad things can happen to good broadband providers, from unavoidable rate increases to construction delays and community unease. Join our panelists for real-world examples of how transparency, timely communication, and a well-aligned internal team can be your bridge over troubled waters and actually deepen your community connection.

Cloud DOCSIS and PON: What You Need to Know

• Joe Ross, Harmonic
• Craig Huegley, AMT
• Tim Walker, AMT

Meadows Room

As broadband demands accelerate, maintaining separate hardware silos for DOCSIS and fiber is becoming unsustainable. Discover a unified path forward: the power of network virtualization. This session explores how AMT and Harmonic's collaborative solution allows operators to manage both legacy coax and next-gen fiber (PON) from a single, software-based platform—drastically reducing headend power, cooling, and hardware costs.

Tech Track Session 3, powered by IAMU

Advanced Troubleshooting

• Joe Six, Calix
• Ben Yetter, Calix

Cardinal and Gold Rooms

Take your diagnostic capabilities to the next level in the third installment of the Tech Track, "Advanced Troubleshooting." While many connectivity issues can be resolved remotely, complex scenarios often require a deeper dive to identify the root cause. The Calix team will guide attendees through sophisticated troubleshooting techniques and introduce advanced tools designed to isolate and resolve persistent service interruptions in both residential and business environments. This session equips technical teams with the expertise to tackle hard-to-solve problems, minimize repeat truck rolls, and restore optimal performance for high-value subscribers.

 

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3:30 PM

When It Rains, It Pours: SMU and the Flood of 2024

Steve Pick, Spencer Municipal Utilities
Adam Warren, Spencer Municipal Utilities

Garden Room

In June 2024, the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers rose to unthinkable levels, submerging two-thirds of Spencer, Iowa, and bringing the floodwaters directly to the doorstep of Spencer Municipal Utilities' (SMU) primary operations centers. In this powerful case study on resilience, SMU staff will share their firsthand account of the disaster that simultaneously threatened the city's electric, water, and fiber infrastructure. This session moves beyond theory to examine real-time crisis management: the immediate steps taken to mitigate catastrophic damage, the strategic decisions required to prioritize public safety, and the massive effort to bring a devastated community back online.

Tech Track Session 4, powered by IAMU

Winning CX with Intelligent Wi-Fi Solutions

• Moderator: Curtis Dean, CBAN
• Jim Fuller, Adtran
• Yohith Reddivari, Nokia
• Zafar Daud, Synamedia/Gravity
• Lonny Maler, Calix

Cardinal and Gold Rooms

Your fiber is fast, but is your WiFi smart? In this session, we explore how Intelligent WiFi solutions are the new frontier for Customer Experience. Learn how AI-driven insights, self-healing networks, and subscriber-facing apps can drastically reduce support costs, increase NPS, and turn your internet service into an indispensable utility. Stop troubleshooting routers and start delivering a seamless digital life.

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4:20 PM - 6:00 PM

Exhibitor Hospitality Reception

Prairie Room

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8:00 PM

Broadband Trivia

Garden Room

Join MC Curtis Dean for a rollicking evening of broadband trivia. Show off your nerd IQ, win prizes, and meet up with your conference pals!

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April 3, 2026

7:30 AM

Breakfast Buffet

Garden Room

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8:30 AM

Morning Plenary: The Past, Present, and Future of ICN

Moderator: Curtis Dean, with Ryan Mulhall, Iowa Communications Network

Garden Room

From its origins as a pioneering distance learning tool to its current role as the secure digital backbone of Iowa's critical infrastructure, the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) continues to evolve. This session traces that journey, moving from the network's historic 1990s launch to its modern reality as a high-capacity carrier for public safety, healthcare, and government operations. Join ICN leadership for an inside look at the strategic roadmap for 2026 and beyond, covering recent 100GB core upgrades, advanced cybersecurity initiatives, and the future of public-private partnerships in keeping Iowa connected.

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9:00 AM

CX Stories: Tales from the Trenches

Discussion Leader: Lance Baker, Huxley Communications
Ryan Malek, Router12
Jason Ehlers, Manning Municipal Utilities
Vance Cook, New Hampton Municipal Utilities

Garden Room

The front lines of broadband aren't always found in a server room—they’re on a subscriber's doorstep or at the other end of a difficult phone call. In this high-energy, narrative-driven session, we’re stepping away from the slide decks to hear directly from the people who keep our communities connected. "Tales from the Trenches" brings together a panel of seasoned broadband technicians and customer service professionals to share their most memorable "mission impossible" moments.

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10:00 AM

The Need for More Carrier-Neutral IXP's

Brent Legg, Connected Nation

Garden Room

While broadband access is expanding, the physical infrastructure that routes internet traffic remains heavily centralized in a few major metropolitan hubs. This centralization forces data to travel long distances, increasing latency and costs for rural and secondary markets. In this session, Brent Legg makes the case for decentralizing the internet through carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). Legg will explain how bringing the "edge" closer to the community transforms local connectivity. Attendees will learn how neutral IXPs keep local traffic local—reducing IP transit costs for ISPs, improving network performance, and fostering a more competitive and resilient broadband ecosystem.

NICP TV - A New Option for Video

• Gary Peterson, NICP
• Aaron McCartan, NICP
• Josh Gillen, Innovative Systems
• Jean Edhlund, CNS

Meadows Room

For broadband providers tired of the operational headaches associated with traditional video services, NICP TV offers a powerful new alternative. Join representatives from Northern Iowa Communications Partners (NICP) as they introduce this turnkey, white-label solution that allows you to offer a robust cable TV product without the burden of negotiating programming agreements or managing complex headend technology. Learn how this cooperative model handles the heavy lifting—from software to contracts—enabling you to deploy a fully co-branded, app-based video service that is already available in all Iowa DMAs.

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11:00 AM

Closing General Session
Surviving and Thriving in the Era of $50 Starlink

Curtis Dean, CBAN

Garden Room

For years, community broadband providers relied on a comforting assumption: Starlink was a "boutique" solution for the hard-to-reach, too expensive to threaten our core residential markets. In 2026, that assumption is obsolete. With the launch of the $50 "Residential 100" tier and aggressive new hardware bundles, the satellite giant has pivoted from a rural gap-filler to a direct, price-competitive threat against Main Street fiber and FWA. In this urgent strategy session, we will break down the new Starlink pricing ecosystem and unveil a specific, 3-step playbook for community providers to defend their turf. Join us to learn how to stop competing on speed and start winning on what satellites can’t deliver: stability, local economic impact, and the "human premium."