The Broadband Bunch

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo is joined by Jessica Koch and Patrick Mulhearn to preview Fiber Connect 2026 and what makes it a must-attend event for the broadband industry. They discuss how the conference reflects a major shift in the market, from building fiber infrastructure to exploring what that infrastructure enables, including AI, data centers, telehealth, gaming, and precision agriculture. The conversation highlights this year’s theme, “Light Years Ahead,” and the growing importance of collaboration across operators, policymakers, and technology providers. With expanded content focused on real-world applications and future demand, Fiber Connect 2026 is positioned as a hub for ideas, innovation, and the next phase of broadband growth.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo explores the IT infrastructure, automation, and AI systems that power the subscriber experience. He is joined by John Capobianco, Head of AI and Developer Relations at Itential, for a conversation about what is happening inside the network. John explains how network automation has progressed from early scripting to AI-driven orchestration. Real-world examples show how changes that once required days can now be completed in minutes, reducing risk and minimizing human error. Core network orchestration emerges as a critical priority, carrying just as much weight as innovation at the access layer. AI agents take a central role in the discussion, with a focus on how they enable autonomous operations such as detection, remediation, and closed-loop workflows. The conversation also highlights the rise of DIY automation, open-source innovation, and model context protocol, which allows engineers to interact with complex systems using natural language. Trust, guardrails, and workforce impact round out the episode. John shares practical guidance for operators looking to adopt AI, emphasizing simple starting points that build confidence and deliver immediate value.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, Jeff Boozer chats with Steve Schwerbel who leads state-level policy for WISPA. Recorded live at ISP America, the conversation centers on how broadband policy has shifted from federal oversight to state-level execution—and why that shift matters more than ever as BEAD funding moves toward deployment. Steve shares his path into broadband policy and discusses how states are balancing technology choices, funding strategies, and real-world deployment challenges. Steve and Jeff talk about the role of fixed wireless, the push for technology-neutral funding, and the growing tension around affordability and contract requirements under BEAD. Steve also looks ahead to what comes next, including how states may address gaps left after BEAD, rethink long-term funding models, and respond to emerging pressures like AI infrastructure and data center growth. The takeaway is clear: broadband policy is no longer just about access—it is about sustainability, flexibility, and making the right decisions for each unique environment.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap, Pete Pizzutillo chats with Marcelo Cataldo, CEO of Digicel Group. Marcelo shares what it takes to lead a telecom operator across the Caribbean. Marcelo tells us about his journey through global telecom and the challenges of stepping into leadership during a major transition for Digicel. He discusses financial restructuring, a sharper operational focus, and a renewed commitment to core telecom services. He also explains how disciplined investment and resilient infrastructure support long term growth across 25 markets. The conversation explores the realities of operating across geographically dispersed island nations, where logistics, culture, and climate shape network strategy. Marcelo highlights how connectivity supports economic development by enabling education, strengthening small businesses, and expanding digital access across the region. Looking ahead, the discussion outlines how focused telecom investment, fiber expansion, and energy innovation such as solar powered networks position Digicel for long term success.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch host Pete Pizzutillo and Caelan Grant, founder and CEO of Fibeo—a new kind of broadband provider aiming to challenge the traditional ISP model from the ground up. Caelan shares his professional background in broadband and customer operations, along with the frustrating personal experience that sparked the idea for Fibeo. That moment led him to reimagine what an internet provider could be: one built around people, service, and long-term value rather than short-term profits. Instead of following the usual infrastructure-heavy or investor-first model, Fibeo is building a “customer-owner” approach that gives customers a real stake in the business. Hear about the problems facing today’s broadband market, including poor customer service, lack of meaningful differentiation, and a race to the bottom on price. Caelan explains why Fibeo chose a virtual ISP model, how its ownership structure is designed to return value to customers, and why he believes the future of broadband should be more accountable, more personal, and more sustainable.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Jason Thune, Vice President of Fiber Strategy and Deployment at Hawaiian Telcom, to tell all about one of the most ambitious broadband initiatives in the country—making Hawaii the first fully fiber-enabled state. Jason has nearly three decades of experience and manages more than $68 million in federal funding. He shares what it takes to build and scale a world-class network across one of the most geographically complex environments on earth. Hear the real-world challenges of deploying fiber across islands shaped by lava flows, rainforests, and extreme elevation changes. Jason highlights the role of partnerships, logistics planning, and technology flexibility in reaching even the most remote communities while maintaining affordability and performance, including statewide multi-gig service offerings. Jason shares stories of how connectivity is transforming rural communities, enabling telehealth access, supporting education, and fueling local entrepreneurship. This episode goes beyond infrastructure to focus on bridging the digital divide, strengthening communities, and redefining what’s possible for broadband in even the most challenging environments.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Steve Smith, Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Live Oak Fiber, to discuss how one of the fastest-growing regional fiber networks in the Southeast came to life. With more than 25 years in the telecom industry, Steve shares the journey from consulting and go-to-market strategy to launching a greenfield fiber build backed by major infrastructure investment. What started as a business plan and a small team in 2022 has quickly grown into a network serving tens of thousands of customers across southern Georgia and northern Florida. Steve explains how Live Oak identified underserved growth markets, built resilient underground fiber infrastructure designed to withstand severe weather, and scaled rapidly to more than 40,000 subscribers and 200,000 homes passed. Brad and Steve discuss how thoughtful market selection, strong operational leadership, and strategic financial partnerships helped Live Oak move from startup to a major regional broadband provider in just a few years. But the real story goes beyond infrastructure. Steve shares how Live Oak’s “fiercely local” philosophy—engaging with community events, supporting local businesses, and building authentic relationships—has become a key driver of the company’s success. This episode highlights how broadband providers can build both resilient networks and meaningful community impact—featuring stories of hurricane-tested infrastructure and Connect Four showdowns with local students.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, Pete Pizzutillo is joined by David Eckard, Head of Strategy for Fixed Networks at Nokia, and Fred Arnold, Executive Director of Learning Alliance Corporation, for a discussion about AI’s growing impact on broadband infrastructure. Hear how artificial intelligence and even quantum computing are accelerating the need for resilient, high-capacity fiber networks. David explains how AI “factories” are dramatically increasing fiber interconnect requirements, while Fred highlights real-world use cases like autonomous provisioning, field service analytics, customer experience optimization, and workforce training powered by LLMs. Together, they talk about what terms like LLM, RAG, and inference really mean, and why AI is more than just a chatbot—it’s a tool reshaping operations across the telecom ecosystem. Also hear more about the Fiber Broadband Association’s AI committee, policy considerations around power and permitting, and what infrastructure leaders should focus on now: education, planning for peak bandwidth, modeling distributed traffic, and preparing networks for agents talking to agents. The message is clear—AI isn’t a trend. It’s a structural shift, and fiber will be at the center of enabling what comes next.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo talks with Johnny Hill, Chief Operating Officer at Clearfield, about his career from entry-level customer service to the C-suite and how that experience shaped Clearfield’s customer-driven approach to fiber connectivity. Johnny talks about the changes and growth of the industry, the fundamentals of fiber management, and the importance of listening to customers when designing solutions that work in the real world. Johnny also discusses the shortage of skilled fiber labor and how initiatives like FOA certifications, Clearfield College, digital training tools, and new programs supporting tribal communities are helping build the next generation workforce.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with BSP co-founders David Strauss and Jack Burton to explain the role of technical due diligence in the broadband and digital infrastructure market. The BSP team shares how their firm helps investors, operators, and lenders cut through the noise to evaluate network assets, data centers, and M&A opportunities with confidence. Hear about the realities behind consolidation trends, open access networks, and the growing importance of infrastructure readiness—from wiring craftsmanship to software integration and future capacity planning. David and Jack also discuss what investors are really looking for, how operators can prepare for an eventual exit, and why sell-side diligence can accelerate deals while reducing risk.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Brad Hine sits down with Earnie Holtrey, Principal Consultant at Mytra Consulting and former Deputy Director of the Indiana Broadband Office, for a conversation about the evolution of state broadband initiatives and the road ahead for BEAD implementation. Earnie shares his journey from rural community development to leading statewide broadband programs, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Indiana built one of the nation’s most successful “Broadband Ready Communities” efforts. Earnie discusses what true broadband readiness means today, how communities can streamline permitting and collaboration, and the challenges providers face as BEAD funding moves from planning into construction. He explains the growing need for compliance, reporting, and project management support—especially for smaller and regional ISPs navigating federal grant requirements for the first time. Will BEAD fully close the digital divide? What happens after BEAD funding is spent? And how are state broadband offices evolving from policy hubs into long-term infrastructure program managers? Find out in this episode.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Jeff Boozer sits down with Doug Dawson, President of CCG Consulting and author of the widely read industry blog POTs and PANs. Drawing from decades of experience advising ISPs across the country, Dawson shares practical insights inspired by his recent blog post, “ISP New Year’s Resolutions.” The conversation explores the recurring operational challenges that small and mid-sized broadband providers face year after year—and why so many important initiatives remain stuck on the to-do list. Doug and Jeff dig into issues such as integrated records, reducing costly truck rolls, understanding true profitability, managing rising employee benefit costs, and the struggle many ISPs have with business sales and inventory management. Dawson explains how staffing constraints, limited budgets, and the technical culture of many ISPs often prevent progress on these critical projects—even when leadership knows they need to be addressed. He also offers a perspective on what separates operators who break through these barriers from those who continue to defer them.

The Broadband Bunch closes out 2025 with its annual Year in Review episode, featuring the return of the Buy, Sell, or Hold game. Hosts Brad Hine and Pete Pizzutillo are joined by five industry leaders—Lori Adams (Nokia), Bob Knight (Harry Marketing), Matt Larsen (Vistabeam), Kim McKinley (TAK Broadband), and Jade Piros de Carvalho (Socket Fiber)—to weigh in on the biggest broadband topics that shaped the year. From BEAD funding delays and ISP consolidation to network monetization, automation, AI, and what’s coming next in 2026, this episode captures the real conversations happening across the industry. The group also tells about moments, conferences, and connections that made 2025 memorable, offering insight into where broadband stands today—and where it’s headed next.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, Pete Pizzutillo reports live from Calix ConneXions in Las Vegas with two conversations that connect the dots between building fiber and filling it with subscribers. First up is Strider Denison, EVP Cityside Fiber, who shares how the Orange County-based provider is scaling fast by targeting “fiber desert” pockets in dense markets—without chasing grants or picking overbuilt fights. Strider walks through Cityside’s community-first build strategy (partnering closely with city leaders, accelerating permits, and even extending fiber to support smart infrastructure like traffic signals), plus a straightforward go-to-market approach: start customers at 1 gig and layer on differentiated services like . The episode then shifts to the marketing engine behind that growth with Dennis Kelly, CEO of Postalytics, who explains how his team is modernizing direct mail into an automated, data-driven channel for broadband providers. Dennis outlines Postalytics’ evolution—from a contrarian bet on direct mail to a platform that connects to CRMs, triggers personalized mail in real time, and adds tracking/analytics marketers rarely get from traditional campaigns. He also shares why telecom has become Postalytics’ most successful vertical, highlights common wins like eliminating undeliverable addresses and saving real budget.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo speaks with Dan Siemon, CEO of Preseem, about helping regional broadband providers compete more effectively through proactive network intelligence. Dan shares his path from building early ISP networks to leading Preseem, a solution designed to give operators clear visibility into network performance and customer experience. The conversation explores how telemetry, latency analysis, and vendor-agnostic data normalization enable operators to move beyond reactive troubleshooting and focus on the issues that have the biggest impact. Pete and Dan also discuss AI’s emerging role in customer support, the challenges of scaling smaller providers, and why strong local ISPs remain essential to their communities.

This episode of The Broadband Bunch features host Pete Pizzutillo in conversation with Kathy Kirchner, Senior Vice President of Service Assurance at Zayo. Kathy shares her journey from a Sprint call center to leading service assurance for one of North America’s largest fiber networks, with career stops spanning independent telcos, cable operators, Comcast, and startups. Her cross-functional experience in operations, engineering, customer care, logistics, and sales shapes how she approaches service quality and customer experience today. Kathy dives into the realities of running a large, acquisition-heavy network: data integrity challenges, documentation gaps, fiber cuts, and the quest for faster, cleaner integrations. She explains how Zayo is using automation and AI differently—automating workflows like dispatch and ticketing while leveraging AI for alarm correlation, predictive maintenance, and faster RFO creation. Along the way, she talks about building a “single pane of glass” for operations, preparing for AI data center and long-haul demand, empowering teams with shared accountability, and offers practical advice for women pursuing leadership in technology.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Chris Sikora, Chief Revenue Officer, and Tony Thakur, Chief Technology Officer at GPC Fiber, to explore their 165-mile, 400G-capable fiber build across Kentucky and what it means for mission-critical connectivity in the region. The conversation traces Chris and Tony’s long careers in fiber, the evolution from Great Plains Communications to the GPC Fiber brand, and why Kentucky’s Louisville–Lexington–Cincinnati–Indianapolis corridor is such a powerful hub for economic growth. The episode highlights how GPC approaches market selection, their focus on mission-critical connectivity for hospitals, hyperscalers, logistics companies, and small businesses, and how vertical integration—designing, building, and supporting their own network—creates a differentiated customer experience. Tony breaks down the network architecture behind their 400G backbone, the path to 800G and 1.6T, ring topology for resiliency, and how they think about backbone, middle mile, and last mile design to ensure scalability and low latency. Chris shares how transparency, geographic expertise, and frictionless collaboration have helped GPC win business with hyperscalers and support economic development in rural Kentucky—“not just lighting up fiber, but lighting up opportunity.” The episode wraps with a look ahead at how AI, security, and seamless customer experiences will shape GPC Fiber’s next chapter in the Southeast.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Travis Rice, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at Camvio, recorded at Calix ConneXions 2025. Travis shares his unexpected path from fintech to telecom, how he landed at Camvio, and the company’s mission to simplify operations for ISPs through its end-to-end OSS/BSS platform. Pete and Travis dig into some of the biggest challenges and trends shaping today’s broadband landscape: fragmentation across systems, the shift toward best-of-breed architectures, and the evolving role of integrations in delivering seamless subscriber experiences. Travis explains why many operators still struggle with brittle scripts, lack of standards, and aging infrastructures—and why consolidation paired with smart ecosystem partnerships is becoming essential. They also explore the current state of AI in telecom, why much of the market is still in the “hype cycle,” and how AI will enhance—not replace—the people behind networks. Travis discusses the real opportunities: empowering CSRs, improving ticketing and escalation workflows, and elevating the customer experience. Finally, Travis offers candid advice for operators navigating digital transformation, system scalability, migrations, and M&A-driven change—reminding leaders that long-term success depends on modern architecture, trusted partners, and a strategy built around data and efficiency, not just new tools.

In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap, Pete Pizzutillo catches up with Chris McKenzie, VP of Network Operations at Rapid Fiber, while at Calix ConneXions 2025. Chris shares his unconventional journey from the music industry to corporate IT to rural broadband, and how that experience shaped Rapid Fiber’s fast-moving deployment strategy. In just two years, the team has grown from zero to 7,000 subscribers while building out their entire network—staying a full quarter ahead of schedule. He explains why they rejected traditional demand aggregation and instead marketed fiber availability feeder-by-feeder, dramatically improving customer satisfaction and community engagement. Chris also breaks down how AI is quickly becoming essential for small, efficient broadband teams. Rapid Fiber is using automation to reduce truck rolls, stay ahead of network issues, and keep subscriber experiences strong. He also highlights the value of Calix ConneXions, where operators gain direct access to industry leaders and emerging technologies. Tune in to learn how Rapid Fiber is scaling rural broadband with precision, creativity, and AI-driven operations.

This episode of The Broadband Bunch features a conversation between host Pete Pizzutillo and Scott Neuman, Corporate Vice President of Marketing at Calix, recorded at Calix Connections 2025 in Las Vegas. Scott shares how Calix is redefining the broadband industry’s approach to AI, customer education, and ecosystem collaboration. He explains how Calix helps service providers move beyond AI “literacy” toward true AI fluency, enabling them to understand, trust, and strategically deploy AI to transform their operations. The discussion covers the importance of building a solid data foundation, the rise of agent-based architectures, and how Calix’s “layer cake” approach ensures that AI initiatives deliver measurable value rather than short-lived hype. Pete and Scott also explore how broadband providers can quantify business impact—from churn reduction and customer success strategies to driving adoption through data insights. Newman offers an inside look at Calix’s Connections On Demand virtual follow-up event, new innovations in SmartLife services, and how AI is enabling a new era of hyper-personalized marketing and customer engagement. The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion on BEAD funding, industry consolidation, and what it really takes for ISPs to thrive in an AI-driven broadband economy.