Past Broadband Grant Events

Ask Me Anything! with Jason Cohen, CEO of MyBundle.TV

Jan 26, 2024

The world of video has never been more complicated, but that also means the opportunity for broadband providers to embrace the change and help shoppers and customers figure it all out is as great as it ever was.

Ask Me Anything! with Blair Levin, Former Head of the National Broadband Plan

Jan 12, 2024

Welcome! The broadband grants community is honored to have Blair Levin, the former head of the National Broadband Plan, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series on Friday, January 12, at 2:30p ET.

Where's The Funding? Episode 11: Navigating Tribal Matching Funds

Nov 15, 2023

During this episode, attendees can expect to learn the intricacies of matching funds for Tribal entities. While there is overlap between Tribal and non-Tribal matching funds, there are nuances specific to Tribal matching funds that applicants must understand to successfully apply for BEAD funding.

Ask Me Anything! with Joshua Broder, CEO at Tilson

Nov 3, 2023

Welcome! The broadband grants community is honored to have Joshua Broder, CEO of Tilson, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series on Friday, November 3, at 2:30p ET.

Ask Me Anything! with Jason Rudin, Founder and CEO of Clad

Oct 27, 2023

Welcome! The broadband grants community is honored to have Jason Rudin, founder and CEO of Clad, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series on Friday, October 20 at 2:30p ET.

Ask Me Anything! with William Davidson, Director of Strategic Initiatives at NextEra Infrastructure Solutions

Oct 20, 2023

Where's The Funding? Episode 10: How Matching Capital Unlocks Major Broadband Grants

Oct 18, 2023

During this episode, attendees can expect to learn the about the opportunities afforded to rural providers who successfully attain matching funds, and what that can mean for the communities they serve.

Ask Me Anything! with Evan Marwell, Founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway

Sep 29, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Evan Marwell, founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! with Marc-André Campagna, Co-founder and CEO of Oxio

Sep 22, 2023

Marc-André Campagna is the co-founder & CEO at gaiia, the simplest platform to run your ISP. He dedicates his time to helping other ISPs grow and delight their customers at the same time.

Where's the Funding Episode 9: The Challenges of Matching Funds

Sep 20, 2023

Don't get lost in the fog of BEAD matching funds. Learn how to identify the potential pitfalls before it's too late.

Ask Me Anything! with Katherine Townsend, Director at M-Lab

Sep 15, 2023

Katherine joined Measurement Lab in January of 2023. Since then, she has led efforts to coordinate a multi-stakeholder, global community working toward a healthier, more open Internet for all.

Ask Me Anything! with Sachin Gupta, Director of Government Business and Economic Development at Centranet

Sep 1, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Sachin Gupta, director of government business and economic development at Centranet, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 8: Matching funds for Rural Electric Cooperatives and Telcos

Aug 16, 2023

Rural electric cooperatives may be eligible for a variety of financing options to help them expand their footprints These strategies provide access to BEAD matching funds, grants, and incentives that can help RECs grow and thrive in rural areas. By taking advantage of these strategies, RECs can help restore and revive rural communities.

Ask Me Anything! with Offir Schwartz, Founder and CEO of CAPCON Networks

Aug 11, 2023

Welcome! The broadband grants community is honored to have Offir Schwartz, founder and CEO of Capcon Networks, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 7: Tapping Municipal Markets

Jul 19, 2023

Interested in community ownership, now or later? Different kinds of public debt known as municipal bonds can offer a low cost of capital way to bring grant-funded broadband projects to life.

Ready or Not? LIVE with Gigi Sohn

Jul 17, 2023

Join Gigi Sohn on Monday, July 17, at 2:00pm ET for our latest episode the Ready or Not? Podcast LIVE!

Ask Me Anything! with Gerry Lawlor, Co-Founder and CEO of Hexvarium

Jun 30, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Gerry Lawlor, co-founder and CEO of Hexvarium.

Ask Me Anything! with Joshua Hildebrandt, Director of Broadband Initiatives at Georgia Technology Authority

Jun 16, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Joshua Hildebrandt, director of broadband initiatives for Broadband and Special Projects at Georgia Technology Authority.

Where's the Funding? Episode 6: Securing Matching Funds Efficiently

Jun 14, 2023

BEAD grant applicants can leverage the Capital Projects Fund to match resources from private sources. This approach allows organizations to maximize their funding potential, while ensuring that their project is able to move forward in an efficient and timely manner.

Ask Me Anything! with Megan Beresford, Director of Broadband Programs at Learn Design Apply, Inc.

Jun 9, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Megan Beresford, director of Broadband Programs at Learn Design Apply, Inc., as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! with Jim Stritzinger, Director of the South Carolina Broadband Office

May 19, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Jim Stritzinger, director of the South Carolina Broadband Office, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 5: Navigating the Letter of Credit

May 17, 2023

You've managed to land an offer for a Letter of Credit - now it's time to make the most of it. With matching funds, you can amplify the value of your Letter of Credit, leveraging your finances to unlock new opportunities. With matching funds, you can use the power of your Letter of Credit to access funds from lenders, giving you access to the capital you need to grow your business.

Ask Me Anything! with James Stegeman, President and CEO of CostQuest Associates

May 12, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have James Stegeman, president and CEO of CostQuest Associates, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! with Veneeth Iyengar, Executive Director of ConnectLA

Apr 28, 2023

Veneeth Iyengar has the honor of being the first executive director of ConnectLA -- a role that came with the daunting task of eliminating Louisiana's digital divide by 2029.

Where's The Funding? Episode 4: Partnerships, Alternative Sources & Pathways

Apr 19, 2023

In this episode, broadband service providers will learn from Connect Humanity's Chief Investment Officer Brian Vo about many of the different sources of private capital they can use to expand their businesses. If you’re asking yourself what options you have when it comes to private sources of capital, then tune into this session of ‘Where’s the Funding?’ Be sure to stick around until noon for Office Hours with Brian!

Ask Me Anything! With Earnie Holtrey, Deputy Director of the Indiana Broadband Office

Apr 14, 2023

Deputy director of the Indiana Broadband Office, Earnie Holtrey, shares with us his knowledge in the broadband industry.

Ask Me Anything! with Dave Täht, Internet Pioneer

Mar 31, 2023

Dave is a lot of things. He's a musician, a computer scientist, a network engineer, and an open source software advocate. He is the co-founder of Bufferbloat.net, as well as LibreQos.io.

Ask Me Anything! with Katie Culleton and Brian O'Hara at NRECA

Mar 24, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Katie Culleton and Brian O'Hara at NRECA as the latest guests in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Jade Piros de Carvalho, Director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development

Mar 17, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 3: Intro to the capital stack: How will you structure the capital invested in your company?

Mar 15, 2023

You’ll learn how to identify the right sources of capital for your business and how to structure them to secure the necessary funding. We’ll even discuss the pros and cons of different sources of capital, so you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision. Broadband providers will leave Episode 3 of our “Where’s the Funding” series with better insights on how to structure the capital invested in your companies, and you’ll be empowered to make the most of your business opportunities. Join us to gain the insight you need to master the capital stack.

Ask Me Anything! With Tamarah Holmes, PhD, Director of the Office of Broadband at the Virginia Dept. of Housing and Community Development

Feb 17, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Tamarah Holmes, PhD, director of the Office of Broadband at the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 2: BEAD Matching Funds Deep Dive with BEAD Director Evan Feinman

Feb 15, 2023

Discover what you need to know about the BEAD program’s matching funds requirements. Grant applicants must provide at least 25% of the cost of a project. Those who provide more may be more likely to win a grant. Can sources of matching funds come from other state or federal programs, such as ARPA, or the CARES Act? Find out directly from Evan Feinman, director of the NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Small and non-traditional providers should attend this session: Don't let this requirement be a deal killer and stop you from expanding your business footprint.

Ask Me Anything! With Kathryn de Wit, Project Director for Broadband Access Initiative with the Pew Charitable Trusts

Feb 3, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Kathryn de Wit, project director for Broadband Access Initiative with the Pew Charitable Trusts, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Where's The Funding? Episode 1: Intro to BEAD Matching Funds

Jan 18, 2023

The first episode in the free-to-attend 12-part series to help members understand, navigate, and obtain matching funds for broadband grants.

Ask Me Anything! With Sally Doty, Director of the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM)

Jan 6, 2023

The broadband grants community is honored to have Sally Doty, director of the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM), as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series

NTCA Webinar: Go Big With BEAD

Jan 5, 2023

In this Webinar hosted by the NTCA, hear from a dynamic rural broadband provider on their strategies to maximize BEAD funding for rural communities.

Ask Me Anything! With Tom Kamber, Founder and Executive Director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS)

Dec 2, 2022

The broadband grants community is honored to have Tom Kamber, founder and executive of Older Adults Technology Services, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Glen Howie, Arkansas State Broadband Director

Nov 18, 2022

The broadband grants community is honored to have Glen Howie, State Broadband Director for Arkansas, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! with Andy Berke, Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service

Nov 11, 2022

The broadband grants community is honored to have Andy Berke, administrator of the Rural Utilities Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as the latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Lori Adams

Nov 4, 2022

Lori Adams, Nokia's broadband policy and funding strategy group lead, brings her valuable insight into the industry to our next AMA.

Ask Me Anything! With Deborah Simpier

Oct 21, 2022

Join us for our AMA with Deborah Simpier, co-founder and CEO of Althea. During her time, she has helped to find creative solutions for rural Oregonians in search broadband, through successful, holistic partnerships in the region.

Ask Me Anything! With Joe Valandra

Oct 14, 2022

A member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and as the senior vice president of Tribal Communications, LLC, Joe Valandra gives insight into the broadband issues facing these communities.

Ask Me Anything! With John Windhausen

Oct 7, 2022

John Windhausen, founder of the SHLB Coalition and recipient of the Community Broadband Hero of the Year award by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, joins us to give his unique insight into the industry.

Ask Me Anything! With Christopher Mitchell

Sep 23, 2022

This episode of Ask Me Anything! features Christopher Mitchell, the Director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, who is a leading national expert on community networks, Internet access, and local broadband policies.

Ask Me Anything! With Jonathan Chambers

Sep 9, 2022

Jonathan Chambers, Partner with Conexon, LLC, an industry professional primarily focused on getting electric cooperatives access to the materials they need to serve rural America, is our latest guest for the community's Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Nathan Stooke

Aug 26, 2022

Nathan Stooke, the CEO of Wisper Internet brings his insight into the industry as the latest guest for our community's Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Abhi Vyas and Don Walpole

Aug 12, 2022

Abhi and Don created Mem Protocol together – a platform designed to facilitate the creation of "human-centric" social networking tools to be used on the internet of the future: web3.

Ask Me Anything! With Tejus Kothari

Jul 29, 2022

Tejus is an expert in education, employment, and welfare and holds a Bachelor's of Science in civil engineering from MIT and a Master's in City Planning from the same.

Ask Me Anything! With Paul Garnett

Jul 15, 2022

Paul has more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications and technology law and policy. Before founding the Vernonburg Group, Paul was the Senior Director of the Airband Initiative with Microsoft. Paul is also a fierce advocate for universal broadband coverage.

Ask Me Anything! With Shirley Bloomfield

Jun 24, 2022

We’re honored to get an hour with Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association. The Rural Broadband Association represents nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies across rural America.

The Divide: Ready's Scott Woods on what NTIA got right and wrong with BEAD

Jun 23, 2022

Scott Woods, Vice President of Community Engagement at Ready, and former Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at the NTIA, joins the Light Reading Podcasts to discuss the NTIA's notices of funding opportunity for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Act programs. He explains what the agency got right and where its rules "missed the mark." We also discuss his current role at Ready and how the software company is helping ISPs and other broadband stakeholders prepare for funding opportunities.

Ask Me Anything! With Lai Yi Ohlsen and Dustin Loup

Jun 17, 2022

The Broadband.Money community is honored to have Lai Yi Ohlsen, director of Measurement Lab, and Program Manager of the National Broadband Mapping Coalition for the Marconi Society Dustin Loup as the latest guests for our community's Ask Me Anything! series.

Beer and Broadband | Closing the digital divide through partnerships

Jun 17, 2022

Ready.net's new VP joins the Beer and Broadband broadcast during the Mountain Connect Conference to discuss closing the digital divide through partnerships.

Ask Me Anything! With Elliot Noss, CEO of Ting Internet

Jun 3, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk to Elliot about his more than 20 years of experience with Tucows, the second largest domain registrar in the world.

Ask Me Anything! With Brian Vo

May 20, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk with Brian about his comprehensive experience in financial partnerships and capital investment opportunities as they relate to the telecom and technology sectors.

Ask Me Anything! with Chet Kanojia, CEO of Starry

May 13, 2022

Chet's built and scaled Starry, one of the fastest growing ISPs of all time. How'd he do it? What's next for Starry now that it's public and well-positioned to continue breakneck growth? What's Chet's vision for the connected future? Find out in this can't-miss AMA!

Ask Me Anything! With Jim Baller

May 6, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk with Jim about his expertise on matters related to broadband access, funding, and partnerships as the country begins to build infrastructure following the passage of the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act.

Ask Me Anything! With Jeff Gavlinski

Apr 29, 2022

We are honored to have Mountain Connect Founder Jeff Gavlinski as our latest guest in the Ask Me Anything! series.

Ask Me Anything! With Doug Dawson

Apr 22, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we are honored to have owner and President of CCG Consulting Doug Dawson as our latest guest for our Ask Me Anything! series.

Breakfast for Lunch: Fireside Chat with Alan Davidson

Apr 13, 2022

Join us online or in-person in Washington, DC to welcome special guest Alan Davidson, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Broadband Breakfast’s Drew Clark will host Alan for a fireside chat where viewers will have a chance to hear Alan’s vision for the $42.5 billion BEAD and $3 billion tribal funding programs and get a preview of the Broadband.money platform for broadband grant application research, development, reporting & compliance.

Ask Me Anything! With Christopher Ali

Apr 8, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk to Christopher Ali, a UVA Professor and three-time author, about his most recent book, “Farm Fresh Broadband,” and the long road to bridging the digital divide and improving broadband connectivity across the country.

Ask Me Anything! With Gary Bolton

Mar 25, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk to Gary about what his work with the FBA, the role he sees fiber playing alongside adjacent technologies in the wake of the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act, and how to get more Americans connected to better broadband.

Ask Me Anything! With Darren Farnan

Feb 25, 2022

On this episode of Ask Me Anything!, we will talk with Darren about what it is like to work for an internet co-op, and how UEC attained the level of success it has, how the fiber industry has enduring the supply chain crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, and how the industry plans to proceed in the pandemic’s wake.

Get Your Share: 5 Keys to Know ASAP About the 42 Billion BEAD Program

Feb 16, 2022

More than $75 billion in federal grants is coming to local broadband projects over the next five years. Grantmakers both on the federal and state levels have historically received requests for way more money than they have to give out. So applicants need to act quickly and decisively. Read more to learn five things you can do to get ready for the tsunami of funding.

Ask Me Anything! With Ben Bawtree-Jobson, CEO @ SiFI Networks

Jan 28, 2022

Less than a decade ago, Ben Bawtree-Jobson had the foresight to champion open-access fiber networks before even some of the foremost scholars in the telecom industry signed onto the model. We're honored to get an hour of Ask Me Anything with Ben Bawtree-Jobson, CEO at open access broadband leader SiFi Networks.

Join the Debate: Who Should Get $42 Billion of Broadband Grants?

Jan 21, 2022

NTIA wants to hear your thoughts on the historic $42 billion broadband infrastructure grant program. We're crowdsourcing an open response to their Request for Comment. Help shape commenter opinions.

Ask Me Anything! With Scott Woods @ U.S. Dept. of Commerce

Jan 14, 2022

We’re honored to get an hour of Ask Me Anything! with Scott D. Woods, Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OIGC).

Ask Me Anything! with Corey Hauer, $984 Million Broadband Grant Winner

Dec 17, 2021

Here is your chance to get to know Corey Hauer, Founder and CEO of LTD Broadband, as a person, his vision for the future, how he thinks differently than many operators, and how he was able to win such sizable broadband grant support.

Ask Me Anything! With Craig Settles, Community Telehealth Pioneer

Dec 3, 2021

Welcome! We're honored to get an hour of Ask Me Anything with Craig Settles, long-time champion and pioneer of community broadband telehealth. Craig's tireless work has helped transform the last mile of broadband in the U.S., through his influence among national, state, and corporate decision makers, and his on-the-ground work building community broadband coalitions.

Ask Me Anything! With Peggy Schaffer, Director, ConnectMaine

Nov 19, 2021

Welcome! We're honored to get an hour of Ask Me Anything with Peggy Schaffer, Executive Director of ConnectMaine.