The following transcript has been edited for length and readability. Listen to the entire discussion here on The Broadband Bunch. The Broadband Bunch is sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap.
Joe Coldebella:
This episode of the Broadband Bunch is sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap.
Hello and welcome to a special edition of the Broadband Bunch: our year in review. I’m Joe Coldebella. Joining me are the usual suspects, Pete Pizzutillo and Brad Hine. What’s up, guys?
Brad Hine:
Hey, Joe.
Pete Pizzutillo:
What’s up, Joe? Brad, how are you guys?
Joe Coldebella:
So another year in the books, guys. We added about a hundred episodes with over 35,000 listens. We’re the acorn that turned into the oak tree, but it’s super exciting. Any thoughts on this year for you guys?
Pete Pizzutillo:
It went fast.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah. Just going through the year, it’s amazing how we started in January. And I’m always panicked about getting episodes. But this year has been amazing just in terms of the response from listeners, guests, and events. It’s been a really fun and fast year. Amazingly, we’re already in December. It’s crazy.
Brad Hine:
Yeah, we’ve been everywhere. I think we started the year in San Diego at Our Time. And Pete did a bunch of international stuff this year too. And I think there may have only been one or two times the three of us were in the same place. I think I hit about 16 conferences this year so it was great. It was a great year.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, I think it was Fiber Connect was the only place that we were actually all together.
Brad Hine:
Oh, really?
Joe Coldebella:
That was our group hug. And it was amazing too because we had 18 episodes from that event, so it was great. But if I could take a little bit of a step back, you guys do this as a labor of love. This is extra credit for you guys. You guys have day jobs. And I would just ask you, why do you like doing the show?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, I like to hear myself talk. I think that’s pretty much it.
Joe Coldebella:
We already knew that. Brad, what about you?
Brad Hine:
Man, I think it’s a treat to work in the industry either if you’re on the software side or even a provider. But I feel like when we’re on The Broadband Bunch and we’re talking to these people, we’re getting the honest opinion, gloves off. I want to know their truth and perspective, and I think that’s great.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, I totally agree. And you know what’s interesting about this industry? There is a lot of authenticity. There are a lot of folks that are just real people getting real stuff done. And it’s just so refreshing coming out of some of the other industries that I’ve worked with in the past. I think that’s exciting and a glimmer of hope that there are just some good people who just really want to help. I’m not saying it’s universal here, but there’s a rich group of people. It’s a passion for them, and I’d love to be able to tell that story.
Joe Coldebella:
That’s so true. And for me personally, I love to learn. I love to soak everything in. And everyone is just always so open to sharing their stories, and it’s incredible. I love it.
Brad Hine:
Agreed. Yeah, totally agree.
Pete Pizzutillo:
I also do it for the swag. I love the hoodies and stuff.
Joe Coldebella:
Sure. Well, so obviously, folks tell their stories, and I was just wondering if either of you guys had any fun stories or quirky stories for the year that were like, “Wow, that’s a hilarious story”? All right. With the pregnant pause there, I’ll start. So this is a funny story where it has nothing to do with broadband and everything to do with broadband. I was in Iowa, and I had gotten into an Uber.
And I was just chatting with my Uber driver. All of a sudden, we started talking about, you guessed it, corn. We started talking about corn rows. Apparently in Iowa, a huge flex is having the straightest corn rows. And he said that you can tell who has used technology or broadband technology by how straight the corn rows are. And apparently, it’s a big deal. So I was just totally dumbstruck that our industry truly touches everything.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, that is interesting. I never would have made that connection.
Brad Hine:
I’d like to keep with the farm topic, Joe. One of the funnier stories I’ve heard is about all the technologies and broadband being used to track metrics on a farm. Somebody from Rock Networks had coined the phrase “fiber to the cow” to track what cows were doing and their body temperature. So the farm could keep some metrics on everything that was going on and make sure that they were spot-on with everything they were trying to accomplish throughout the month and the year. I love it.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. So let’s go ahead and just dive into our favorite clips for the year. I always want to say that we love all our children equally. And at least for me, it was super tough just picking two. But let’s go ahead and start with you, Pete. If you could set up the clip and then we can rock and roll from there.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah. What I’m drawn to are folks who tell it like it is and aren’t afraid to be a little edgy. So my two selections are in that vein. The first one is Hunter Newby. He’s a longtime entrepreneur in this space. This clip is really enlightening in terms of how the business operates. And even fundamentally, it’s really not a sexy business. I think he really tries to draw that out, that it all starts at the dirt level. When he started talking about that, I didn’t really fully understand what he was pointing out. But if we roll the clip, we’ll get a sense of what he’s thinking about.
Hunter Newby:
There’s a concept that’s growing, and I have some friends who are talking about it, self-generation. And they’re literally saying, “We’re going to have to build data center campuses, dirt on natural gas fields. And pull the gas out of the ground to turn the turbines to generate the electricity to run the data center, because we can’t rely on the grid. We can’t rely on utility companies.”
Pete Pizzutillo:
So to finish what that thought was all about. We’re in this rush. We’re spending all this money to try to close this digital divide, but there are some really fundamental things that are preventing us from getting there. And if you don’t understand the operational business aspects of it, they’re not clear. But what he’s saying is that we don’t have enough power.
We have all this demand for broadband but the municipalities that we’re trying to serve just don’t have enough power to be able to build out the systems or the infrastructure to serve the broadband. So now, you’ve got to take a step back, and you actually have to build power generation to be able to build out the data centers and build out the broadband infrastructure. It is a realization like holy cow, we don’t even have roads going to where we need to get to. And everybody’s complaining that we’re not getting there.
Joe Coldebella:
So isn’t it like Hunter was basically calling out saying, “Hey, listen guys. We’re thinking too narrowly. We’re thinking fiber to the premises, but we need to take a step back and really concentrate on the infrastructure behind the infrastructure because there’s just going to be so much coming down the pike. And we’re not really prepared for it.”
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, a hundred percent. He even goes into the conversation in that episode talking about how the war in Ukraine has caused the neon production in the world to stop. And that impacts microchip production. So it’s this kind of guy that just digs the next level down, the next level down to really figure out what the real drivers and inhibitors of innovation are. I think it is a really key quest for myself and for others to really figure out how to start considering these issues. We can’t really unlock this until we really figure out what these core problems are.
Joe Coldebella:
And do you think that’s one of the core problems that we’re missing right now? If you look at the funding, the middle mile was ignored. And I think that there has been some correction towards that. We need to button up the foundation before we really start crushing this.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, we’re complaining about painting our fingernails when we don’t even have arms in some cases. So I think that’s one thing that Hunter points out. He also talks about the internet exchange points. And I think that’s just an educational issue at the government level. They’re doing the best they can. But I think now, the next iteration of those conversations is going to help dig into those issues.
Joe Coldebella:
And I thought those exchange points were really interesting. I never knew that not every state has an exchange point. The simple fundamental things like that definitely need to be addressed.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Agreed.
Joe Coldebella:
Brad, do you have any thoughts?
Brad Hine:
Yeah. From time to time, when you pull up a reel on YouTube, you may hear Elon Musk talking about the economic impact and the pull from the electric grid just on trying to make electric vehicles more prominent worldwide, especially in the US. He talks about how there’s not enough grid available. If you loop data centers into that and everything that has to run it. And then you start hearing things about certain states having to schedule rolling blackouts to shut the power down to make sure they have enough power to do what they are doing right now. Can you imagine moving forward on all the technology everyone’s talking about? I think this is a great place to start in terms of our year-end podcasts. This is the engine that runs everything.
Joe Coldebella:
Brad, I think that’s a great segue to one of my clips. We interviewed Kyle Glazer at Fiber Connect. He’s with underlying infrastructure, and I think he totally crystallized that point with a thought that blew both myself and Pete away.
Kyle Glazer:
In some academic settings, this is not commercial yet, with fiber in the water line, they’re able to hear the bacterial makeup of the water changing based on the flow sound. So they can tell if there’s been a chemical shift in the water.
Joe Coldebella:
So I love that clip because I think what we end up doing, or at least what a lot of us are doing, is we are navel-gazing. And I think we need to look big picture. And when he said that, I could even hear the little laugh in your voice, Pete. When he was talking about bacteria and that we’re able to sense it. I don’t even think we have even scratched the surface of what is possible.
Pete Pizzutillo:
And that interview with Kyle, he thinks a hundred years down the line. I know there’s quantum mechanics or quantum physics or whatever is the new buzzword that people will be talking about. But I would love to lay out what is possible with this fabric. Because I think then, you start getting a different lens to build out business cases around how to fund these things. And it was mind-boggling, for sure.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah. Any thoughts, Brad?
Brad Hine:
Yeah. We talked about fiber to the corn and fiber to the cow. Now, we have fiber to the water and sensors in the water reporting chemical competition and changes over time. Again, like you guys said, that’s fascinating to me. And it goes back to the grid issues. I think, as Pete said, when I go to these conferences and I hear all the little niches that people are talking about to apply this technology to pull better data out so we can measure this over time and make better decisions, I’m completely blown away.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah. And I think you bring about a really good point in terms of the cost. For your clip, if you could set it up. Offir Schwartz, who’s the guest, did an awesome job of just setting the table. Would love you to unpack that for us.
Brad Hine:
Sure. Offir Schwartz, who’s the president and founder of Capcon Networks. We keep hearing that the money that’s out in the Infrastructure Bill is once-in-a-lifetime money. And his comment was really interesting to me. He also put some numbers to it also that it may only be a piece of it. So my question is, before we roll the clip, is this really enough money? And is this going to be the last money we see?
Offir Schwartz:
It’s really exciting. It’s an exciting time to be in this space.
Brad Hine:
No, I think you hit the nail on the head. I was on a couple of calls earlier today. And there was a comment from one of the new interviews we’re trying to set up. The company said, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but this week was pretty significant in terms of the money going into the infrastructure in broadband in the United States.” And everyone on the call started laughing and said, “Oh yeah, we’ll never see anything like this maybe in our lifetimes.”
Offir Schwartz:
I don’t know. I think we may see something bigger yet.
Brad Hine:
Really? Okay.
Offir Schwartz:
Yeah, I do. Look, a $100 billion between Ardolf and BEAD is a big number, but it’s probably only 15% to 20% of what’s needed.
Brad Hine:
Well, you read my mind because that was my next question, do you think it’s enough?
Offir Schwartz:
This is a big country. There’s, what, 60 million people underserved or not served at all? Just do the math on that. A hundred billion divided by 60 million. I don’t know if that’s going to be enough money to do it.
Joe Coldebella:
So Pete, how much money do you think it’s going to cost?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Have we stopped investing in the electric grid? We just talked about the power shortages that we have here, so I don’t know. I think it’s just part of the operational cadence of the world. I think everyone will take this money as a shock to infusion, but he’s right. If you go back and look at all the previous funding that’s been flowing since 2009, people talk about those days. I do think the generational mantra is a call to action for people to take this opportunity. But I do think the government is realistic in that we never stopped spending on defense either. So we’re going to have to keep pouring money into here.
Joe Coldebella:
That’s a great point. And Brad, to Pete’s point, is it like we’re never going to stop? The technology’s going to be constantly evolving. I think that we sell ourselves short when we say this is once-in-a-lifetime money, when in fact, this is just the first step in one of many.
Brad Hine:
Yeah, I think three and a half years ago was really the first time that we fully realized how high-speed broadband was lacking when we entered the pandemic. And we’re three and a half years removed. But it was a tough lesson to learn in real time and try to adjust. I remember that first week, and then as the month went on, I was thinking, “Wow, we really have to do everything remotely. Everyone has to be connected.”
And so as you said, I think innovation is going to be constant. Even a lot of the loans that are going out to build these networks, even if they’re not government money right off the front and they’re true loans. As those loans appreciate and go on over time, we’re going to have to make changes to those networks too. I really think this is the beginning of it like he said.
Joe Coldebella:
Well, and to that point, a year ago was ChatGPT. How transformational is that? And that’s just the first swing. Where we go from here is limitless, so it’s definitely an incredible time.
The Challenge of Defining “Done”
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, and I think we just talked about not knowing what around the corner looks like in regards to the Kyle clip. How do you know when you’re done funding if you don’t know what the end goal is, or the end state? Take telehealth for example or distance learning. Those are going to become a priority to somebody. And they’re just going to keep pouring money into it. As we’ve already pointed out, broadband is the underpinning of all that capability. So it may be a different flavor, but it’s still the same money going towards the same mission. Does that make sense?
Joe Coldebella:
It does, and I think you raise an interesting point with telehealth. Right now, there is a crisis in rural hospitals because people are leaving but the care still needs to be there. So there needs to be some type of solution. And I don’t know if they need to back out a little bit and that broadband needs to be a central pillar to that. But yeah, there’s going to be some big problems that are going to need to be solved. And I think that broadband and technology have to be one of the first keystrokes that we take.
So moving on. So obviously, we’re talking about the infrastructure and how much it’s going to cost. But ultimately, there is going to be some consolidation as there always is. And so I’d love it if we could talk about your next clip, Pete, if you could set that up for us.
Pete Pizzutillo:
So another one of my favorite voices in the marketplace is Alyssa Miller from Alyssa Miller PR. We get fiery at these different events because we hear things are going on. And you feel sometimes that people have just got their blinders on. So as this money’s been provided or some money’s been provided to the industry over years, there are still patterns that you can see. If you look at the UK market, they’re a little bit ahead of the US market. We should be paying attention to what’s going on in those more mature markets to make sure that we don’t repeat the sins of the past. And I think she tries to highlight some of those in this quote here.
Alyssa Miller:
In five years, we’re going to see a massive consolidation as a result. And we’re going to see potentially even government-owned projects taking over because they ultimately will own those projects of those companies that will go defunct. It’s just the nature of our business. We all take on too much. We think we can conquer the world, but the reality is things take a lot longer and cost a lot more than we ever anticipated.
Pete Pizzutillo:
So that’s very telling, and it’s not an indictment of the funding really. There are a lot of people rushing into the space to capitalize on that funding. There are a lot of promises made. The cost dynamic has changed over time. Resourcing has changed over time, so it just doesn’t play out the way. So going back to the UK market, the alt-net consolidations are happening because they had very over-optimistic business cases.
They designed systems that were not sustainable and affordable over time. Their take rates were unrealistic. They’re single-digit in some places, and that’s not a sustainable model. So what happens is somebody comes along and starts snatching all that stuff up. The reality is the infrastructure will be there for the next 50 years, so that’s a good thing. People will have service. It’s just who’s managing and owning that infrastructure that’s going to change over time.
Joe Coldebella:
Are people’s eyes bigger than their stomachs? Do they think that they’re going to be dragon slayers, and in fact, they’re not ready to take on the task of bringing broadband to their communities? What’s the hiccup? Or is it going to happen because it just always does?
Pete Pizzutillo:
That’s a good question. I think there are a lot of things happening. One, is there are people rushing in there to be opportunistic and get a piece of the pie without fully understanding what that looks like. A lot of the infrastructure funds backing these greenfield private equity groups or private equity-funded operators, I think, are guilty of that. But I also think there’s this weird, proprietary idea that they have to do it in a special way because that’s their differentiation. And I think people have a tendency to design to complexity. The complexity is what becomes a killer. We discussed that there are different models that have been resisted in the US that are more shared infrastructure models. My reaction is I think those are more likely to survive over time because they just make more economic sense.
Joe Coldebella:
And are you specifically talking about open access?
Pete Pizzutillo:
I didn’t want to use that word. Everybody gets all itchy about the different flavors of that. I think shared infrastructure where there are a lot of models around that where you may have a consortium of, say, co-ops. I think KSN is an example of where they have a shared middle mile or backbone. And then they have the operators that are part owners, part operators. So there are different flavors of it. But instead of everybody overlooking or overbuilding into one territory, what’s the best way to serve a territory, period?
The Lifecycle of Broadband Networks
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah. Brad, what do you think? I mean, you’ve been in the industry a lot longer than both Pete and me. Is this just part and parcel with the world of broadband?
Brad Hine:
I think so. I’ll tell you; I hear a lot of stories. So the last couple of conferences I went to, I heard different niches of stories. Some rural operators have started because there was a need in their area and their sub counts are low but decent for that area. Then a larger rural operator comes in and acquires a few networks builds a bigger company and then has the money to put fiber in. But I also see folks get into the business only to start something and build a model so that they can sell it. So the models that people come up with are very interesting. Some say, “I’m starting this, and my plan is to serve. But I’m selling it. Absolutely, that is my main goal.”
So absolutely, there are going to be acquisitions across the network. And I do think her perspective is going to come true in the next many years. I think this Infrastructure Bill and the money that’s coming out from it, we could probably guess that all the projects maybe will be done within four to seven years, something like that hopefully. So that’s about the right time that she’s predicting that you’re going to see all this. Once the networks are up, we find out which ones are working extremely well and efficiently. And maybe some aren’t doing as well or maybe are challenged, and they’ll be acquired. Does that make sense?
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah, absolutely. So Pete, is the thinning of the herd a good thing then, or is it inevitable?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Well, I definitely think it’s inevitable just because of how businesses work. And a lot of these independent operators, if they’re family run and if it’s not generational, then who’s going to take it over? So I do think there’s a life cycle there. But it’s disruptive for sure, and it’s hard. So the problem is on the consumer. Hopefully, it’s transparent to the consumer, but that is not always the case.
But we’re working with operators now that are consolidating three or four different groups into one, and it’s hard. If people think it’s hard to build a network, think about trying to combine four legacy networks together. And so I just don’t know what the fallout of that is. If we don’t do that correctly, then that’s just going to be more opportunity to indict the process.
I guess my fear is some of these municipal-run programs get off the ground, and then they hit a bump in the road because of affordability. Then they sell to a private organization. And then it becomes another, “Hey, the government should stay out of business anyway.” Well, the government was actually just trying to solve a problem and not be in that business, so they primed the pump. So it’s going to be interesting, for sure.
Joe Coldebella:
You talked about affordability and how in just the last few years, it’s been an amazing transformation where inflation has really caused, in terms of the infrastructure and workforce, to really grow exponentially. And I think that leads us to our next clip with you, Brad. Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way. I would love for you to unpack your discussion with Matt Larsen.
Brad Hine:
Yeah, I had a great discussion with Matt, and I’ve known Matt for probably five years. I always like his approach to getting people connected and carefully weighing all the economic costs. And he does a lot of bake-offs between the different technologies. He’s the founder of Vista Beam and also of the WISPA organization. This clip is his specific comments on how money doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. There are other factors here.
Matt Larsen:
And then the other element of this is that money doesn’t solve this problem. I actually got up at the WISPAPALOOZA last year. At the end of the show, they had an open deal. I got up, and I’m known within the WISP industry. Every once in a while, Matt Larsen is going to lose it on a rant in front of a bunch of people. I’d been at the Mountain Connect Conference, and there was a panel with a bunch of state broadband coordinators.
They were all talking about, “Well, we’re waiting for guidance on this. We need to follow this rule and that rule and whatever the politicians tell us.” And I jumped up and was like, “Hey, you guys don’t work for the politicians. You’re supposed to work for the people in your state. So there are a lot of things you can do in the meantime to go out and get broadband service out and not be beholden to what the federal government says or what the timelines for the politicians are. Go out and figure out how to make things happen.”
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah, that’s a great clip because I think that we think that there’s only one solution. But there are a lot of solutions out there. There’s satellite, fixed wireless, and, obviously, fiber.
Brad Hine:
Right. Yeah. Matt does a great job, and his famous quote is, “The right tool for the right job.” As we hear the saying, “If it’s not fiber; it’s not broadband,” we need to be very careful. A lot of these communities can’t necessarily make it through a feasibility study to get connected to high-speed broadband. And Matt’s right there to share a lot of his bake-offs, from a technological standpoint as well as an economic standpoint. Just make sure people are getting connected quickly. And I want to share a really interesting story on this quickly before you guys comment.
It reminds me of a project I was on about nine years ago with my company in rural Kansas. There was funding going on, and I visited a small town that wanted to get a small network. Nokia was in the room, and we were all sitting there with our feasibility studies and all our spreadsheets and trying to figure out planning, costs, their loan, and the payback over time. And the meeting was rough. These folks clearly wanted the fiber, but it was maybe not the perfect technology for them at the time.
But I went to lunch with these folks afterward. I sat across the table from the town leaders, and they said, “Brad, this is not just a project. This is a mission for our town. Our kids are going to Division 1 schools out of state. I want to make sure they have a place to come back to that’s growing. We have to do something to have high-speed broadband.” They were getting a little emotional.
After lunch, they took me to the center of town, the crossroads of Main Street and whatever street it was. There’s a mural painted in the center of the town, and it’s a mural of Google Maps. And it just so happened, that the center of Google Maps, when you look at the application online, is this city. Not only that, but it was there because one of the founders and programmers of Google Maps came from this little town.
So it raises an interesting situation. Who are we missing? What kind of geniuses are we missing that are living in these rural towns that aren’t fed by any kind of broadband? It makes it more important for us to make sure that we’re looking at the right tool for the right project. We’re not trying to do a one-size-fits-all.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Right. Multiply that same question across the globe. In the middle of Uganda somewhere, there could be somebody who just needs the opportunity to flourish. And we talk about that a lot. I do think that Fiber has won because of the BEAD slant on the funding there. But we still, I think underneath that, fight over my technology versus your technology. We use this analogy all the time. I don’t really care what kind of pipes get the water to my house. I just need to take a shower once in a while. So I think we still are a little bit away from that because it’s still self-serving when you have a lot of people competing for dollars.
Joe Coldebella:
Right. I think that’s the struggle, right? For your house, you want a nice flow of water. But then if it’s just a trickle and then someone in another town over has got a nice, awesome shower, what’s the answer? Do you want to just have water, or do you want to have a nice fresh flow? And maybe we solve it through technology. Right now, we are working towards using fiber. Then, hopefully, wireless satellites bridge that gap and make it possible for hard-to-reach places to get high-speed internet. Ultimately, it’s going to be those cool things that reach all corners of the country and the world that are really important to make people’s lives better.
Pete Pizzutillo:
And I would say private money would help solve that problem because they are technology-independent. They’re really just chasing returns. But I think the cost of capital and all the other funding issues is less likely than we were 18 months ago to solve those problems in those hard-to-reach places because the business case dynamics have changed. So I think he’s right. I think there are going to be some gaps that we need to figure out how to fill in some way.
Joe Coldebella:
So, Brad, you spoke about a mission for a town. The three of us go to a ton of events every year. They’re massive events, thousands of people. But for me, the event that I liked more than any of them was in a small town in Wilson, North Carolina. They’ve really embraced the internet. They’ve really embraced bringing their community forward. It’s obviously a tobacco-centric area in the country.
And the country is moving away from that, so their town is taking a step back. And so they’ve embraced the technology model. They do an event, Gig East. They also have a building, the Gig East Exchange, that allows entrepreneurs to get their footing. And if we could roll the clip just to illustrate the success that’s been garnered from this simple idea in this small town.
Will Aycock:
The best thing about this space is that we’ve graduated people out. There are three buildings that are now in downtown Wilson that were renovated by folks who graduated from this space, and they grew out of here. And I know it’s well over a hundred jobs that have been created in the community by our graduates out of the space. We’ve had something north of $12 million in funding that has been secured by people who have gone through the various programs. We have supported, at this point, more than 40 entrepreneurs.
Joe Coldebella:
So when I heard that quote and when I was there, at least me personally, I think this is something every town should be doing. Maybe not exactly the same way. They were saying that everyone is different, but I think it’s really important for broadband providers to really think about being the leader in terms of bringing the technology and the ideas to their community. I’d love to get your guys’ thoughts on that.
Brad Hine:
Yeah. Joe, you made a great point. Having met Will and worked on a couple of projects with him in the past, he really has an amazing vision for what his town is offering. Wilson County I think was the first high-speed fiber network in the state of North Carolina. And they’re trying to solve problems. Obviously, it’s a farming community, a tobacco community. They’re trying issues for those farmers too using the fiber and making sure that everyone’s getting as much as they can out of the investment that they’ve put in the ground.
But creating jobs and having folks run through that educational process that they have in downtown Wilson, you don’t see it that often. I think we’re going to see more of that too, and Will may end up being a thought leader to templatize that for other cities one day if he ever hangs up his hat there at City of Wilson and moves on to something else.
Pete Pizzutillo:
I wonder if it’s their sole responsibility. I’m pretty sure we have the educational infrastructure in place with that very mission, and I feel like it’s part of a missing part of our discussion. We haven’t really talked to universities and education and school departments. Some little libraries, but it seems like an opportunity where they can fund the infrastructure but also educate people and do exactly what he’s trying to do. I think that’s their mission, is it not?
Joe Coldebella:
Well, the great thing about Wilson is that they take a barbell approach. They definitely are very tech-forward, but they also had a woman who worked there, Ashley Harris, who would go to different parts of their community and introduce folks who were not familiar with the internet, or quite frankly, were afraid of the internet. One of the things that she would do is she would go into retirement homes and introduce those folks to the Internet through YouTube and have them learn the Internet through things that they like.
And so they would go to YouTube, and they would find things from their past, from their childhood. They would watch those programs. And then that would get them excited about the internet, and then they would learn more. I think the great thing about this center that they did is that it’s not just about technology, it’s about bringing the community as a whole forward.
So those are our clips. I hope you guys have enjoyed those. What I’ll do is post a link to all of those episodes in the show notes. And so as we move forward, one of the segments that I wanted to bring up was the Hi Bob segment. So there was a show in the seventies, way, way back in the day.
It was called the Bob Newhart Show, and the writers of the show put in, Hi Bob. So whenever a character would enter the scene, they would say, “Hi, Bob.” And so my question to you guys is, what is your “Hi, Bob” phrase? So unfortunately, when we talk, we get into these little patterns, and I was wondering if each of you knew what your “Hi, Bob” phrase was?
Pete Pizzutillo:
I’m not very self-aware.
Joe Coldebella:
Yes, that’s true, Pete.
Pete Pizzutillo:
I say, “Yes, no,” a lot. I don’t know why.
Joe Coldebella:
Okay. And then Brad, do you want to take a guess at what your “Hi, Bob” phrase is? And then I’ll share mine as well because I’m just as guilty as you guys.
Brad Hine:
I don’t think I have a clue. I don’t even pay attention to what comes out of my mouth half the time.
Pete Pizzutillo:
That’s good to know.
Joe Coldebella:
So I’ll reveal mine first. Mine is “awesome”. For whatever reason, I say “awesome” all the time.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Phenomenal. You say “phenomenal” often as well.
Joe Coldebella:
Right. Folks, I get to look at all the transcripts and listen to all the episodes numerous times, and so Brad’s is “wow”. I don’t know if you know that, but you say, “Wow.”
Brad Hine:
Wow, wow.
Pete Pizzutillo:
I want a highlight reel of just Brad’s wows.
Brad Hine:
Wow, wow, wow.
Joe Coldebella:
We’ll get Anthony on that. And then Pete, yours is, “Thank you for that.”
Pete Pizzutillo:
Is that right?
Brad Hine:
Yeah.
Pete Pizzutillo:
See? Thank you for that, Joe.
Joe Coldebella:
Appreciate that, right?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Interesting.
Joe Coldebella:
So now, we’ll have to work on 2024 being better at our transitional phrases. Just moving on to our endpoint in this episode here, do you have any shoutouts? Anyone you would like to say thanks to?
Brad Hine:
Yeah, absolutely. Well, shoot, I want to thank everybody who’s been on the Broadband Bunch with me this year. But on the conference side, definitely Gary Bolton from the Fiber Broadband Association. I think I’ve been on the conference committee at Fiber Connect for nine years. Gary’s doing a fabulous job. They’re great hosts of the Broadband Bunch.
UTC, Utilities Technology Council was a first for us this year. Ron Beck is in charge, and he did a great interview with us talking about how fiber and broadband play a role in the utilities down in Fort Lauderdale, with their annual meeting this year. David Zumwalt from WISPA is doing a fabulous job with the wireless folks, as well as Nathan Stuck, who’s been on the show many times. We spoke to him back in March at WISPA America. And Jeffrey Gavlinski just does a fabulous job with Mountain Connect. It’s always a great show.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah, I love Jeff. You know what? The great thing about Jeff is that he is one of the guys who thinks forward. He understands. At this year’s conference, he had robots walking around. And I think that’s one of the things that these folks do. They aren’t looking quarter by quarter but they’re looking 5, 10, 20 years out. Peter?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah. I would add to that though. Rob Chambers, I think he’s helpful to get exposure both domestically and overseas. I appreciate his support. I’ve got to work Taylor Swift in there somehow just because she’s a hot commodity. And hopefully, all the Swifties will tune in now. But then hey, let’s not forget our sponsors. The financial support that we get from both ETI software and VETRO is critical. We need to start putting out a tin cup, Joe, for next year. And then behind the scenes, right? Anthony makes us all sound good. He’s a calming voice when we have guests that need a little hug.
Joe Coldebella:
Yeah, our lifesaver, for sure.
Pete Pizzutillo:
For sure. Responsive. Good dude, all the way around, so thank you for that.
Joe Coldebella:
And I want to shout out Priscilla and Praveen, two folks who work behind the scenes and work so hard to make our jobs easier, and just a big shout-out to them as well. And for me, it was great going to all the different events, starting with Our Time, and Laura Withers, ending with Scott Newman and Calix and everyone in between. It’s one of those things where you give a shout-out to folks and then you miss somebody. But we can’t thank the community enough because it’s us and you that make the show great. So really got to thank the guests and the listeners because that’s why we do it. So any final thoughts for you guys?
Pete Pizzutillo:
Thank you, Joe and Brad. You guys are great partners. I’m being serious. I know I sound like I’m not, but I am.
Brad Hine:
Likewise. I think we’ve come a long way from Fiber Connect in 2019 when we set up a microphone with a little ‘We Are Live’ neon sign and walked around trying to get interviews from people. But yeah, story, stats, and samples, you guys have been awesome at collecting all those. Thank you so much.
Joe Coldebella:
Right. We’re over 300 episodes, and you guys were there at the beginning. Have you had a chance to even stop and take a step back and go, wow? We’ve really done a lot just making sure that people’s stories are told.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah, I think that Unwrapped which we published a couple of weeks back was really telling, just to watch the year-over-year growth. I know we pay attention more than everyone else would. We have visibility into how many subscribers and listeners. And I think we amaze ourselves and we hit new milestones, but to go from tens to hundreds to thousands of listeners, that’s weird. And I think we all run into this at some point in time. I was in London, and I was wearing a Broadband Bunch T-shirt in the elevator going to the gym. And people are like, “Oh, I listen to you.” I’m like, “Get the heck out of here.” How does that happen? But that’s cool.
Brad Hine:
Yeah, same.
Joe Coldebella:
It is true. Right. I was at a few events this year where I’m setting up, or I’ve got the Broadband Bunch T-shirt on, or I’m by the microphones. And someone will come up to me and say, “Thank you. I’m new to the industry, and you guys make it a little bit easier for me to get my sea legs.” So that’s always gratifying. We really do appreciate it when folks come up to us, just so when we send out an episode, wow, people are actually listening. People are actually learning. People are actually enjoying what we’re doing, so it’s super gratifying.
Brad Hine:
Yeah.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Yeah. Good job on the year well done there, Joe. I know you’re the engine that keeps this thing moving, so good stuff.
Joe Coldebella:
All right, cool. Well, let’s end it there. That’s going to wrap up this episode of The Broadband Bunch. From Brad, Pete, I’m Joe Coldebella. Thanks for listening. And we’ll see you guys next year.
Pete Pizzutillo:
Happy New Year.
Brad Hine:
See you, everyone.
