Amanda Halvorson moderates panel on fiber’s economic impact at Regional Fiber Connect 2026
Discussion will explore how fiber investment drives local GDP, jobs, education outcomes and BEAD choices to improve community growth and funding certainty
- Speakers: Amanda Halvorson, senior director of business development at Adtran (moderator); Jerry Haver, VP of operations and business development at Accord Telecom; Preston Meyer, president and GM at NKTELCO; Patrick Mulhearn, director of government relations at Ripple Fiber
- Topics: The community connection: How fiber accelerates economic development
- When: Thursday, March 19, 1:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Regional Fiber Connect 2026, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA https://www.edgereg.net/er/EventHomePage/CustomPage.jsp?ActivityID=43898&ItemID=142547
Communities are under pressure to expand broadband while proving measurable outcomes for residents, employers and public funders. Fiber build decisions now need to balance long asset life with near-term constraints such as permitting, labor and supply chain risk. For local operators and public partners, interoperability between planning tools, construction workflows and operations processes affects cost, speed and measurable service quality. At the same time, automation and security expectations are rising as networks carry more critical services and sensitive data. Clear metrics and investment certainty help stakeholders justify ROI and sustain upgrades.
In this session, Amanda Halvorson will moderate a discussion on how fiber investments translate into local economic indicators and better community services. The panel will discuss the decision criteria that decision-makers should use when comparing fiber with other access options under BEAD and similar programs. The conversation will touch on partnership models such as utility coordination, neutral-host approaches and wholesale APIs backed by SLA assurance and consistent reporting. Panelists will share practical decision metrics, including time to serve, take-up, churn and return on capital, as build plans mature. Attendees will leave with a clearer scorecard for prioritizing projects and communicating value.