On the road: Inside Broadband Nation Expo 2024 (Part 1)

On this episode of Connected Nation, we begin our coverage from Broadband Nation Expo. At this broadband conference attendees learn from 120+ industry and government leaders as they discuss relevant topics and supply them with tangible takeaways across 2 1/2 days of in-depth, high-quality programming.

We speak with leaders in the industry about workforce development challenges, the parallels between wireless and wireline broadband, and upcoming broadband trends.

RELATED LINKS:
Broadband Nation Expo
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
Communication Devices, Inc.
David Stehlin, CEO, TIA, Linkedin Profile
Adam Cady, VP Sales & Business Development, CDI, Linkedin Profile

Chapters

• 1:27 What Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) does
• 3:55 Dave Stehlin day-to-day responsibilities
• 5:07 Current challenges in the broadband space
• 8:15 Why it is important for broadband industry leaders to come together
• 10:26 Adam Cady introduction
• 11:53 What Communication Devices, Inc. (CDI) does
• 14:37 Adam Cady day-to-day responsibilities
• 15:34 Challenges CDI faces
• 18:45 CDI's work with the federal government
• 21:05 What Adam is most excited about in the broadband industry right now

Transcript

Grant Ahlbrand - Connected Nation (00:06):
Welcome to Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband. From closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds, we'll dive into technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. This week, we are at the Broadband Nation Expo, located at the Gaylord Convention Center just south of Washington dc. On the podcast this week, we will be joined by innovators, leaders, and difference makers from the broadband and technology industry. I'm Grant Halland, and this is Connected Nation. I'm Grant Alban, and today we are in the exhibitor hall at the Broadband Nation Expo. I'm sitting with Dave Steel, who's the CEO at TIA. So Dave, how has your time at the Expo been so far?

Dave Stehlin - CEO, TIA (00:48):
It's great. Today's the first afternoon and it's a good kickoff, and we're looking forward to the next few days. 

Grant Ahlbrand - Connected Nation (00:55):
So yeah, I've been talking to a couple people that have arrived about their travel. Where'd you come in from?

Dave Stehlin - CEO, TIA (00:58):
I actually spent time here and in New Jersey, so not too far.

Grant Ahlbrand - Connected Nation (01:02):
Cool. So you just came down on training?

Dave Stehlin - CEO, TIA (01:05):
No, I drove down a couple days ago. I had a board meeting yesterday and decided to spend the whole week.

Grant Ahlbrand - Connected Nation (01:11):
So I actually am a Midwest kid, so not much training in my life, but one of my coworkers lives in Northern New Jersey, and he said, I went into the city and I got on the train and I was like, wow, that's so foreign to me.

Dave Stehlin - CEO, TIA (01:22):
Yeah, I hear you.

Grant Ahlbrand (01:24):
So tell us a little bit more about what TIA does.

Dave Stehlin (01:27):
Sure. So TIA is the Telecommunications Industry Association, been in existence more than 80 years, and we do two things primarily. One is we create technical standards for the industry, everything from cell tower structure standards to cybersecurity standards to data center standards, and we actually have two of our committees meeting here this week with more than 200 people from around the country. All sorts of operators of cell towers, service providers, contractors, tower climbers, all sorts of folks that are here to update the standards. So we create technical standards, number one. Number two, we also advocate for the industry with the federal government and state governments and some friendly governments around the world. Awesome.

Grant Ahlbrand (02:12):
So I'm new. I graduated college two years ago, and so my first job was in broadband. I was wondering how you got into the broadband space as a professional.

Dave Stehlin (02:22):
So I've been in telecom for 40 years, so 1984 I got out of the Marine Corps and went into telecom, right into fiber optics when it was brand new, started working for Corning. Awesome, awesome. So I assume a lot has changed in 40 years. A lot has changed. A lot is the same. So we're just continuing to push fiber out to the homes. Number one, the wireless networks are basically new over that period, as are the wireless networks. So a lot has changed, but the innovation that has been brought by this industry is tremendous. And lemme just put a little plug for our industry. So somebody on an earlier panel was saying broadband is really ought to be a utility and it's not a utility. And I'll give you an example. So over the last 20 years, the cost per kilowatt hour, our power, our electrical usage, our cost has gone up about 80%, eight 0% in that same 20 year period. The cost per megabit broadband has come down by over 90%. Oh, wow. And that's because of innovation. And utilities don't have innovation. The networks and technology that rewards innovation is where you get that advancement.

Grant Ahlbrand (03:38):
That's awesome. So for this next question, typically it's a little bit more nuanced, but as you are A CEO, my question is in your position as CEO, what are some of your day-to-Day responsibilities for other people? It might be a little bit more specific, but you probably are probably all over the place.

Dave Stehlin (03:55):
Yeah. So first of all, responsible for creating strategy. So what is the strategy for the organization, whether it's a publicly traded company, I've been CEO of a public company or an industry association like ours. So creating the strategy, getting buy-in from the leadership. So both the board of directors as well as the senior management to make sure they buy into the strategy. Now, my definition of buy-in is I forever give up the right to complain after I buy in to this strategy. You're as committed to it as the Vikings were when they burn their ships, when they went to a new land. So that's really important. And then thirdly is to drive it forward and meet the goals. So even though, for example, we're an industry association, a nonprofit, that doesn't mean we need revenue to pay the bills, but you still have to be a good steward of the financials.

Grant Ahlbrand (04:48):
Yeah. So Connect Nations very similar. It's also a nonprofit, but like you said, you need revenue from outside sources to pay the bills and to do the work that you want to do. So speaking of which, what are some current challenges facing, either you can speak on your organization on its own or the whole broadband space that you think are very vital to talk about?

Dave Stehlin  (05:07):
Yeah, sure. So of course the bead funding that came out a couple of years ago still has not hit the field. Not a single network has been turned up as a result of the bead funding. So overcoming the challenges that are out there is really critical. And one of the big challenges is workforce development. So there are not enough folks in workforce to build all these networks. So the combination of an aging out of the industry, look at my gray hair, to not enough people knowing about the broadband job opportunities that are out there is really critical. And that's why we started Broadband Nation and it's a program to attract, train, and deliver the next generation of talent. First of all, attract, we're using social media to go where younger folks are and explain to them what broadband is. When they come to broadband nation.org, what they'll learn about are all the various opportunities, job types, career paths, why it's good for you as an individual, but why it's also good for you and your community.

(06:13)
So that's number one. Number two, we work with training organizations, whether it be community colleges or for-profit training organizations to train people on how to install fiber, how to splice fiber, how to climb a tower and put up radios. And thirdly, we advertise all the jobs. So we've only been at this a few months. The site's only been alive a few months. We have about 5,000 jobs already listed around the country, and more than 200 training partners that are listed there. So a track training and deliver of broadband workforce is our prime focus with broadband nation.

Grant Ahlbrand (06:46):
Yeah, I'm not on the technical side. I am marketing and communications, but even myself, I graduated two years ago from Western Kentucky University and it was digital marketing, and I interned with Connected Nation. I got a full-time job with them, and I've learned way more about broadband than I ever would've thought as a digital marketing. And there's so many opportunities and there's so much to learn about it, and it truly is a vital need for our country, for that workforce.

Dave Stehlin (07:11):
And it's not going away. I mean, it's a need that'll be there for a long time. So one of the things we want to do is of course, attract people, but have 'em stay in the industry. So there are many career paths where you might start as a fiber splicer, but eventually become a contractor and own your own business. And one of the things we have on the site are really creative, interesting interviews with people that have gotten into the space. I'll tell you one. So there's a guy who, he calls it the van Life, and he's a fiber splicer, and he goes around the country and his wife's his business manager. They have a little kid that travel with him, and he takes on fiber splicing jobs around the country. Awesome. Get to see the whole country.

Grant Ahlbrand (07:50):
That's awesome.

Dave Stehlin (07:51):
So pretty cool.

Grant Ahlbrand (07:52):
So on the same topic, speaking of the broadband industry and how vital it is to one network and be able to stay in the industry. With that being said, opportunities like the Broadband Nation expo, how important do you think some of the greatest minds in broadband technology coming together at an event like this? How important do you think that is for the industry as a whole?

Dave Stehlin (08:15):
Yeah. So interestingly, while broadband's really important, it's gone quiet until this year. So there've been a lot of focus on the wireless side of broadband and not the wireline side. This event is a combination of wireless and wireline, so bringing both of those technologies together to solve this national problem. So it's exciting to see, in essence, a hundred exhibitors and sponsors here at this event. More than 25 states are here represented lots of big and small service providers and all those that really care about the industry. And the third thing that we did when we put this together was the workforce development track. So helping community colleges and technical institutions. Kentucky, for example, has a really good program for fiber training and has had for a number of years. We're helping them expand that so that we can solve this problem.

Grant Ahlbrand 09:08):
So whether it's an innovation, a trend, or an opportunity, what are you currently most excited about in broadband? I'm

Dave Stehlin (09:16):
I'm Excited that number one, the federal government recognizes we need to bring broadband to rural America. Now, that's not for you and me to watch Netflix when we're in the middle of nowhere. No. That's to help create new jobs and innovate. So if you have connectivity, it allows you to really think beyond your boundaries. And that's the biggest, most exciting thing is that no matter where you live in the country, you should be able to have that access. So that's what I'm really excited about.

Grant Ahlbrand (09:43):
Yeah. Is there anything specific that you would like our listeners to take away from this week? And also just this conversation?

Dave Stehlin(09:52):
Yeah, understand that broadband is critical for you. Help your younger folks out there understand broadband opportunities and how it's a fantastic career. Again, I've been at in this industry for 40 years and it's treated me really well.

Grant Ahlbrand (10:08):
Dave, thank you for joining us in of the Connect Nation podcast and looking forward to a great week. Great. Thanks for having me. I'm Grant Al Brandand, and today we're back in the exhibitor hall at the Broadband Nation Expo. I'm sitting with Adam Katie, who is the VP of Sales and Business Development at CDI. So Adam, how has your time at the Broadband Nation Expo been so far?

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (10:26):
Yeah, thanks for asking Grant. We've had a great time, met a lot of interesting prospective clients and had some nice conversations with the exhibitors as well. I love coming to these events, not only just from a sales perspective, but really to collaborate with others, talk, marketing, talk approach, and just sharpened my business skills.

Grant Ahlbrand (10:48):
So I mentioned yesterday I took a little four and a half hour drive, beautiful drive from Pittsburgh to dc. So where'd you come in from and how'd you get here?

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (10:57):
Yeah, sure. So our manufacturing is based in Putin, New Jersey, which is northern New Jersey, about an hour outside of New York City. I'm personally working out of central Connecticut, so I took a flight down a little quicker than your drive.

Grant Ahlbrand (11:11):
Yeah, yeah. So central Connecticut. How close are you to New Haven?

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (11:14):
New Haven's? Probably about 20 minutes from where we live right now. Yep.

Grant Ahlbrand (11:17):
New Haven's been on my list forever just because the pizza hear tall tales about the New Haven Pizza, and I got to get over there. I love pizza, and every review I've received is just so good.

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (11:27):
Yeah, you've got to, well, Pepe's is one of the PEPs. Yeah, Pepe's is one of the ones you want to check out. There's also Modern Pizza is really good. I'm not from the area, I'm a transplant through work, but it's all coal-fired Pizza.

Grant Ahlbrand (11:40):
Yeah, Sally's, I've heard Sally's is really good as well.

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (11:42):
So you have to time it right too. Otherwise you can just stand in queue all day long, but it's worth it. Stuff is good.

Grant Ahlbrand (11:49):
Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about what CDI does.

Adam Cady - VP Sales & Business Development, CDI (11:53):
Yeah, so CD, as I mentioned before, we're a US-based manufacturer. We sell primarily to service providers and the federal government. So an event like the Broadband Nation Expo is good for us for exposures to service providers. But what our core competency is, is we build appliances that allow distributed networks to have an organized way to manage themselves. So the tech that we're selling is called out-of-Band Management. Essentially what it is, it's a secure terminal server or serial console device. The way we're marketing it and selling it is we put in a cellular wireless radio into the devices. We have a really high level of security, which the federal government does as well as service providers, and it allows network operators with managing and distributed architecture to have really quick, efficient, easy, secure access to networks. In the case, there's an outage to make a fix or repair, and the key is they don't have to send someone to the site. So it's a time saver or insurance policy for network operators.

Grant Ahlbrand (13:00):
All over the exhibitor hall. You meet different people and you meet. I feel like everyone has a different story of how they got into this space. So how did you get into the broadband space as a professional?

Adam Cady(13:12):
Like talking to you earlier, grant, before we went on air out of school, I got into the telecommunications industry. I got into an executive leadership program with a organization, Northeastern Pennsylvania, where my then girlfriend, now wife was from, and spent some time in this space and then moved to a few times through the organization and actually the business I'm with now, CDI met the leadership and the guy who runs the business playing ice hockey in Iceland. So we met sort of by a fluke, and I didn't start working for the organization immediately. We became friends and he was a mentor to me. And then one thing led to another, like some of the best things in life that are organic. So sort of a circuitous route to this path and where I'm at today. But I really enjoy the business and I enjoy my job a lot.

Grant Ahlbrand (14:02):
So a lot of the ice hockey in Iceland. What percentage do you say is arena hockey? What percentage? Pond hockey.

Adam Cady (14:09):
So when we were there, we played arena only, and it was only a short period of time. I think we were there four or five days. So it's a small country though. And all the teams we played, ironically were from the States or Canada or Europe. So we didn't play any local isolate. Well, maybe one or two local teams from Iceland. But what an experience.

Grant Ahlbrand (14:28):
A bunch of neutral site games in Yeah, neutral site. Yeah. So yeah. In your position at CDI, what are some of your day-to-day responsibilities?

Adam Cady (14:37):
So I'm ultimately responsible for our marketing, sales, business development work. But also I do some liaisoning with our engineering staff. So I have to keep my technical skills fairly sharp, but like we discussed before, we went on air here, it's a creative job. So I get to do a lot of different things within search engine optimization. I also get to work on some of our print media and our digital space media, and then ultimately my job is to deliver sales to the organization.

Grant Ahlbrand (15:10):
So I know everyone has a different relationship with the word challenge, but I think some of the best innovations in companies like yourselves and companies like Connected Nation is when you're facing challenges and you find out how to overcome them, those are where the best innovations come from. So what are some current challenges that CDI is facing and how are you looking to overcome them and bounce back?

Adam Cady (15:34):
Yeah, sure. I mean, there's a couple of things I think I would mention. The first one is the landscape from a marketing perspective has certainly changed in my lifetime, and it rapidly progresses. So as we were discussing earlier, the shift from traditional media to more of a social based media platform is certainly a challenge for us. Where do you spend your money? How do you focus your energies? Our clients are typically very large and very conservative in their approach, federal government, large industry. So where are they going to be looking for information and how do we serve that to 'em in an effective process? So I don't want to just put our name out there for mass consumption, but every time we do, so, I want to offer some sort of value. So how can I offer information? How can I help people know that we're out there and really we want to be the subject matter experts in this space?

(16:31)
The other challenge I think we see day to day is our industry has expanded since the start of cellular wireless technology in the space. Just a quick history lesson. Our devices used to run outside of the bandwidth, again, out of band management on DS zero or analog pots lines, which are really becoming dinosaurs this day and age. So as cellular wireless came to age and as developed more, the devices typically run on cellular wireless network. So we've run into router companies that have entered into our space. So our space specifically has become a little bit more crowded. So how do we differentiate ourselves is a challenge for us. And really we're able to do that with the fact that we build the equipment in the states and we offer a really high level of security and sort of a turnkey type product that is unique in the industry.

Grant Ahlbrand (17:27):
So places like this, broadband Nation Expo, and other similar events, how important do you think it is to be able to go somewhere and be able to showcase and network your products and services to other similar minded organizations and companies?

Adam Cady (17:41):
Yeah, I mean, I think like anything in life, we're always trying to learn and get better at what we're doing. So it's important to attend Broadband Nation for learning purposes. It's didactic for us. It's also nice to be among our peers and interface and network. So yeah, it's really important. I don't learn anything new about industry by sitting behind my desk working on an article or writing information. I learn by collaborating with other people. So whether we find new customers here or whether we just interface and network with individuals, it's always critically important to get out in the public. And specifically since post pandemic, it's really important. I think a lot of people tend to sort of are more introverted now and tend to fold in on themselves. So I really like being out among people and learning from others.

Grant Ahlbrand (18:32):
And speaking of the location we're on, we're just about eight or 10 miles south of DC and in the greater DC area. So you mentioned earlier your work with the federal government, so could you tell us a little bit more about what you do with the federal government?

Adam Cady(18:45):
Sure. Yeah. So our business has been around, I don't know if I mentioned earlier, but nearly 50 years. And our products are used extensively throughout the US and Canadian federal government. So what sets us apart in our industry for outand management is the fact that we have a, we've achieved a NIST standard called FIPs one 40 dash three. And so any network that's run in the federal government that has a fsma high, medium, or moderate, may I say, or even sort of FSMA low threshold for security, and we all know security isn't going away, it's just going to become more and more prevalent is required to have this FIPs standard for their product. So again, we've achieved that validation through working with NIST and a lot of time and effort, a lot of tweaking of the product and collaboration, and we're really the only provider out there in the space that has that. So it's critically important that we're in the district. I'll be back here in a couple weeks for a cyber show with Department of Transportation, another one with federal aviation. The customers want to see us out here. They want to know what we have and what differentiates us from others in the industry.

Grant Ahlbrand (19:56):
Speaking of differentiation, is there any kind of unique differences that you come across when working with the United States Federal government and the Canadian Federal government?

Adam Cady (20:06):
Is the question, are there differences between the two governments?

Grant Ahlbrand (20:09):
Yeah, just working with them.

Adam Cady (20:10):
Yeah. I mean, they both have similar procurement tools, and we typically will send, excuse me. We'll typically sell through partners. So we're not selling directly within the case of the US federal government. We're selling to providers that are on the EIS contract through the GSA. So Verizon and at t Loom in those type of customers will sell directly, and we'll partner with them in the Canadian space. We've sold directly to the federal government, and they have very similar tools. They also follow that same NIST standard. So that Phipps validation is very unique, not only for the US but it also applies to Canadian federal government.

Grant Ahlbrand (20:58):
So whether it's an innovation, a trend, or an opportunity, what are you currently most excited about in broadband right now?

Adam Cady (21:05):
Yeah, I think what has piqued my interest at this show is, and it's not necessarily topical to what we're doing, but the mindset and the collaboration that's going into creating equal access for all sorts of people, no matter where you're located. We live in a world that's broadband is essential to daily life. And you and I, you mentioned you're from Pittsburgh and I'm in a metropolitan area near New York City. So we take for granted the access that we have, and I think a lot of people don't have that same access. I think it's important on many levels from just from a level of fairness, but also from a political democracy standpoint. It's important that people have access to information and that they're provided a technology that's imperative to day-to-day living.

Grant Ahlbrand (21:57):
Yeah. So what is one thing that you would like our listeners to take away from this conversation today?

Adam Cady (22:03):
Yeah. If you are in the industry and you are managing large scale networks, the buzzword for what we do is called out of band management. So if you have any questions about that, the business name is CDI, we're known as Communication Devices Incorporated. Please access our website or contact us directly. We're an engineering firm, so what we want to do is be of service to people, think of ourselves as subject matter experts in the area. We don't force feed anyone anything, but if people have questions about the industry, about how this helps manage networks and security around it, any design related questions, please just reach out to us. No question is a silly question. And we're happy to be of service to people who are doing research or have interest in this technology.

Grant Ahlbrand (22:55):
So speaking of reaching out, make sure to check the description of this podcast. We'll include links both to Adam's, LinkedIn and the CDI website. Well, Adam, thank you for joining us on the Connect Nation podcast today.

Adam Cady (23:06):
Grant, it's been my pleasure. Thank you very much.

Grant Ahlbrand (23:15):
That wraps up day one of podcast coverage from the Broadband Nation Expo. Be sure to stay tuned to our social media to see new episodes dropping Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. These will be a mix of interviews from the expo floor as well as from our VIP event at the Irish Whisper called Broadband and Brew. We also have a very special episode coming out next Wednesday due to a connection that was made through our coworkers at the Broadband Nation Expo. I'm Grant Al Brandand. Thanks for listening to Connected Nation. If you like our show and want to know more about us, head to connect the nation.org or look for the latest episodes of Connected Nation on iTunes, iHeartRadio, Google Podcast, Pandora, or Spotify.