Connect This!

Join us live on Thursday, November 11th at 5pm ET for Episode 25 of the Connect This! Show, where co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by Glen Atkins and Ron Hranac (former Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco) to talk about the future of hybrid fiber-coaxil (HFC) network infrastructure.  Cable began as a one way video distribution system, but&nbsp...

This episode streamed live on November 4, 2021. Join us live on Thursday, November 4th at 5pm ET for Episode 24 of the Connect This! Show, where co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by Peggy Schaffer (Executive Director, ConnectMaine ) and Carole Monroe (CEO of  ValleyNet ) to catch up on what’s been happening in northern New England. They’ll...

This episode streamed live on October 25, 2021. Join us live on Monday, October 25th at 5pm ET for Episode 23 of the Connect This! Show, where co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by Neil Mylet and Deb Simpier (Althea Networks) to talk about grassroots networking. They’ll dive into into the hardware and software considerations made in building hyperlocal networks...

This show streamed live on October 14, 2021. Join us live this Thursday, October 14th at 5pm ET for Episode 22 of the Connect This! Show, where co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by Dennis Pappas (Longmont, Colorado) and Christy Batts (Clarksville, Tennessee) to talk about large municipalities successfully deploying broadband infrastructure for an array of community...

This show streamed live on October 7, 2021. This week, don’t miss a very special episode of the Connect This! Show, streaming live from the Minneapolis headquarters of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for the very first time!  Co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be broadcasting with most of the Community Broadband Networks initiative team watching from the peanut gal...

This show streamed lived on September 30th, 2021 On Episode 20 of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) will be joined by Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) live on both YouTube and Facebook to talk about a grab-bag of issues including the new Treasury rules for the $10 billion in broadband infrastructure funding, digital redlining, an...

This show streamed live on September 23rd On Episode 19 of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher and (a partly there) Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Keith Hanson (Shreveport, Louisiana Chief Technology Officer) and Angelina Panettieri (National League of Cities) to talk about how some cities place themselves at the vanguard of innovation by undertaking projects designed to improve...

This episode streamed live on September 9. On Episode 18 of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to catch up after a frenzied summer. With all of the federal, state, and local broadband infrastructure funding programs and projects announced over the last three months, the panel breaks d...

In this episode of the Connect This! Show, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Jessica Engle (IT Director for the  Yurok Tribe ) and Matthew Rantanen (Director of Technology,  Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association ) to talk about broadband in Indian Country.  The panel discusses the realities of deploying wired and wirele...

On Episode 16 of the Connect This! show, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by  Sascha Segan  (lead mobile analyst at PCMag.com) and  Virgilio Fiorese  (formerly of Ericsson, currently Senior Sales Director, Mavenir) to dig into 5G and the next generation of cellular networks to try and divorce the hype from the current and coming reality. ...

On Episode 15 of the  Connect This! Show , co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by two representatives from the Internet Service Provider  Cruzio : James Hackett (Director of Business Operations & Development) and Chris Frost (Director of Technology and Infrastructure).  The topic of the day is  Equal Access Santa Cruz , and how Cruzio is expan...

On Episode 14 of the  Connect This! show co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Doug Dawson (President, CCG Consulting) and Kim McKinley (CMO, UTOPIA Fiber) to talk public and private financing models for building network infrastructure. The group dives into the numbers and talk about the economics that make networks succeed, and how to put together a recipe for...

On Episode 13 of Connect This!, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Cart (USI Fiber) are joined by Reid Fishler (Senior Director, Hurricane Electric) and Fletcher Kittredge (CEO, GWI) to talk about the issues that come up in building and maintaining backhaul routes and exchange points. During the show they discuss whether creating a small, rural ISP far from an exchange point is easier or harder...

On Episode 12 of Connect This!, hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by returning guests Doug Dawson (CCG Consulting) and Kimberly McKinley (UTOPIA Fiber) to talk about the recently released Treasury rules outlining the upcoming infrastructure funds going to states and local governments for critical infrastructure. After talking for a few minutes about labor and mate...

In Episode 11 of the  Connect This! Show , hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Kim McKinley (Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber), Pete Ashdown (Founder and CEO,  XMission ) and Cameron Francis (CEO,  Beehive Broadband ) to share their perspectives on open access networks. The panel explore what open access is like for ISPs that use it and offer...

On Episode 10 of  Connect This! , hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) were joined by Joanne Hovis (President,  CTC Energy and Technology ) and Doug Dawson (President,  CCG Consulting ) to talk about how communities can prepare for the  unprecedented money poised to flow  from the federal government for Internet infrastructure. The panel first gives an...

On Episode 9 of Connect This!, hosts Christopher Mitchell and Travis Carter (USI Fiber) are joined by Kim McKinley (Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber) and Doug Dawson (President, CCG Consulting) to talk about the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act, which has the potential to funnel an unprecedented level of funding to communities which can be used for Internet infrastructure. The group t...

One component of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 was the  Emergency Broadband Benefit , a $3.2 billion program designed to get families connected to available service that they otherwise might not be able to afford. The program provides a subsidy of up to $50/month for service (or $75 for tribal lands) as well as up to $100 for a device (with a household contribution) for as long...

This episode, co-hosts Christopher and Travis Carter (CEO,  US Internet ) are joined by Deb Socia (President/CEO,  The Enterprise Center ), and Brian Worthen (President, Visionary Communications and CEO,  Mammoth Networks ) to talk about overbuilding.  The group talks about the importance of reclaiming the term as what it really is: plain old competition. They discuss the...

This week on Connect This! Christopher and Travis Carter (CEO,  USI Fiber ) are joined by Kim McKinley (Deputy Director and Chief Marketing Officer,  UTOPIA Fiber ) and Kyle Hollifield (VP of Business Development,  Magellan Advisors ), both veterans with years of experience. Marketing means more that a logo with a snappy slogan, and it can be hard to quantify the value in takin...

On Episode 5 of Connect This! Christopher is joined by Travis Carter (CEO,  US Internet ), Sarah Morris (Director,  New America’s Open Technology Institute ), and Doug Dawson (President,  CCG Consulting ) to discuss what we might expect from the federal government on broadband next year. The group talks about what a Biden administration might do, whether we’ll see federa...

On Episode 4 of Connect This! Christopher is joined by Jeff Christensen (President, EntryPoint Networks), Dane Jasper (CEO and Co-Founder, Sonic), and Travis Carter (CEO, US Internet) to talk about open access models, and the challenges and opportunities they present. During the discussion they discuss barriers to entry, differentiation, dark fiber, and why we don’t see more cities pursuing...

On Episode 3 of Connect This!, Christopher is joined by Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the  National Digital Inclusion Alliance , Deb Socia, President of  The Enterprise Center  in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Travis Carter, CEO of  US Internet to talk about digital inclusion and solving the broadband gap.

Host Christopher Mitchell speaks with Mason Carroll (Monkeybrains), Deborah Simpier (Althea Networks), and Travis Carter (US Internet) about urban wireless solutions, including 5G, Citizens Broadband Radio Service, and how cities can help WISPS.

Host Christopher Mitchell speaks with Doug Dawson of CCG Consulting, Monica Webb of Ting, and Travis Carter of US Internet. Their conversation touches on LEO, Voting, Future of Cable, and Challenges for Small FISPs.