Beyond the Cable with Brad Randall

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It has never been more important for second and third tier internet service providers (ISPs) to educate their customers about the value they bring to the table in communities.
That's according to Curtis Dean, the executive director of CBAN, the Community Broadband Action Network.
"We as small, local providers need to do a much better job of making sure our customers understand the value that we bring to them," he said on Beyond the Cable.
He said cheaper bundled service options from larger providers will continue to tempt many smaller ISP subscribers to switch.
Dean also says that while no technology threatens fiber's performance, he remains worried that bundling and race-to-the-bottom pricing will drive churn and bleed subscribers away from the footprints of smaller fiber networks.

Robert Griffin leads broadband initiatives for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and said part of his job is to collect information from vendors, ISPs, and other tribal communities so it can be organized and considered for future deployments.
Speaking to Beyond the Cable at Connected America 2026 conference, Griffin said the Choctaw Nation has been applying for broadband-related grants since 2017 and has been awarded over $75 million.

Having a homegrown telecom workforce can create opportunity for tribal members in their own communities and potentially could even bring people back who have left if the jobs are permanent.
Brandon Dinsmore, a tribal outreach and workforce specialist for Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT), said training telecom specialists in tribal areas can be part of the strategy of keeping those communities intact.
He made the comments speaking on Beyond the Cable at Connected America in April.
Dinsmore also spoke about OSUIT's ongoing efforts to partner with tribes in Oklahoma to provide training and technology.
In one program, run with the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Dinsmore said students learn how to climb utility poles and train to perform aerial construction of fiber-optic networks.
He said the students also learn how to do trenching, boring, splicing, and troubleshooting.
Listen to the full interview to hear more!

In June's first episode of the Beyond the Cable podcast, BroadbandOne (BB1) CEO Eric Watko joined host Brad Randall to discuss the rapidly evolving telecommunications landscape. With over 25 years of industry experience dating back to the Nortel days, Watko focused heavily on how capital, community needs, and next-generation technologies are reshaping modern connectivity.