WEBVTT

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Intro:
The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee
Broadband Association.

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Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our
state forward.

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We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural
development, public policy, broadband,

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health care, and other topics impacting our communities.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Hello. I'm Carrie Huckeby, executive director of the Tennessee
Broadband Association.

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I have as our guest today Tyler Campbell, who is the executive
director of the Kentucky Telecom Association.

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Tyler, thanks for joining me.

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Tyler Campbell:
Thank you, Carrie, for having me.

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I really appreciate your time today.

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Carrie Huckeby:
By the way, how long have you been the executive director of
Kentucky Telecom?

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Tyler Campbell:
And this is my seventh year.

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So I started right before our annual meeting actually in 2015.

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I was hired right in 2015, and then so my first event or my
first big meeting, was actually what we're going to talk about

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today was the KTA/TNBA Fall Conference.

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That was the first one I was in charge of actually back in 2015.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Wow. Well, this is our 28th annual KTA/TNBA Fall Conference and
Showcase.

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It's on October the 11th through the 13th.

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It's happening in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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It's hard to believe that October is right around the corner.

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah, I was going to say this year has absolutely flown by.

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Carrie Huckeby:
It has. It has.

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So I mentioned that this is our 28th Annual Fall Conference, and
our associations have obviously been coming together for a long

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time. And although neither of us were in these jobs then, do you
think the importance of the conference is

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any different today than it was all 28 years ago when it
started?

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I mean, have the reasons changed to come together?

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Tyler Campbell:
I think the reasons are probably similar, but I think they're
more important now than maybe they even were 28 years ago.

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And I think, you know, in our industry right now in terms of
broadband, innovation and collaboration are two buzzwords, but

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they're very important.

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And obviously, we have members that serve both on our boards
that are in both Kentucky and Tennessee that serve both states

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and serve them very well.

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So I think coming together with people across a broad spectrum
of the industry, whether it be our vendors and being able to

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compare notes, what's happening in certain areas of Tennessee,
what's happening in certain areas of Kentucky.

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Obviously the we serve our consumers, our rural, rural customers
.

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And, you know, being able to collaborate and compare notes
between what may be impacting one area of Tennessee, where the

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topography may be very similar to what the topography is in
Kentucky or the demographics are very similar in those areas.

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I don't think you can overstate the importance of innovation and
collaboration among our members.

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So I feel that those reasons were probably there 28 years ago.

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But I still feel that they're there today and probably now more
than ever.

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It's important today to come together, even though I feel like
we technology makes it easier in so many ways to get together.

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Obviously, the speed in which our folks do business constantly
evolves and increases, and everybody's calendars get really

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bogged down a lot of times between Zoom meetings and legislative
meetings and association meetings.

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And so I feel like carving out this time each year for us to get
together, and that's why I'm so happy we're back to these

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in-person meetings again, post-pandemic.

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I can't overstate the importance of collaboration amongst our
members.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah, there's nothing like those face-to-face conversations
standing in the hallway or at a conference lunch.

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I mean, Zoom cannot replace that.

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Tyler Campbell:
You know, it can't.

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It can't replace – Zoom doesn't replace those face-to-face
interactions and just basically the level of anecdotal, you

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know, for lack of a better term, storytelling.

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You know, the impact of what somebody may be dealing with in
their business day-to-day.

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You know, those conversations continually evolve, and they can
begin at a meeting like this and continue once these meetings

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end. And so the storytelling aspect and the anecdotal stories
are

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just as important as sitting in a conference room listening to a
speaker talk about industry specific technology.

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Like I said, I feel like the peer-to-peer networking that
happens at these meetings.

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Again, it's so valuable just because of what you can take away,
because somebody there is going to be dealing with a similar

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situation that you're dealing with in your telco.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Well, the reasons to come together haven't changed for sure.

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But how has the meeting changed over the years?

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Have you seen just in your time span of seven years, have you
seen changes with content,

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and you mentioned storytelling.

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You know, what kind of changes can we see?

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Tyler Campbell:
I think each of our meetings, you know, I think a lot of times
our annual meetings can be geared toward different priorities.

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You'll have folks from marketing, finance sectors.

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This meeting has in the past tended to be very technical in
nature.

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However, I will say I feel like because of what is happening in
Washington, D.C.

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and in the state houses, you're seeing the continue evolution of
a legislative and regulatory component that we have at this

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meeting that in the past, I think this meeting was much more
technical in nature.

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So I do feel like it has evolved because we're continually
having regulators from Washington, D.C., the FCC, our

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national association partners with NTCA – The Rural Broadband
Association, providing us federal updates, inviting federal

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agencies down. I know we'll probably talk a little bit about the
agenda later, but we're in the process of hopefully getting

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NTIA to attend, and they said they will attend.

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We're just waiting for verification from the speaker, who the
speaker will be.

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But you know, the BEAD implementation for the federal broadband 
dollars, the BEAD implementation is going to be very important

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to all our members.

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You know, Tennessee and Kentucky are slated to get hundreds of
millions of dollars for broadband expansion.

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And so what does the BEAD implementation look like from the
federal infrastructure package?

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So we'll have those conversations.

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So I think that those reasons, but I mean, the content has
somewhat changed from just a

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technical meeting to have focus on legislative and regulatory
content as well.

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Carrie Huckeby:
For someone that may be new to our industry and just started a
job at one of our member companies or associate member

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companies, what purpose do these conventions play in the
industry and their career?

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Tyler Campbell:
I think it's like a lot of these meetings.

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The purpose is in many aspects of relationship building.

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People want to do business with people that they know, and they
trust.

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So for a vendor that may be wondering about exhibiting for the
first time in our supplier showcase, I would encourage them to

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investigate, become members of both associations if their
territory allows it, but become a member of the association.

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Dip your toe in the water.

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Go to the meetings. Test them out.

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That's how you get to know the individuals at these telcos that
you'll be interacting with.

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But I think for a person that may be coming for the first time,
you know, immersing yourself in the meeting, actually attending

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not just a supplier showcase, but come listen to the speakers,
have an opportunity, attend the luncheons, attend the breakout

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sessions, and actually listen to the questions that may be asked
in some of these sessions.

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You'll get a really good picture of what is happening, I think,
both in Tennessee and Kentucky for among all of our rural

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broadband providers.

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And that may form how you build a relationship with these
individuals going forward.

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Because at the end of the day, I think people want to do business
with those individuals that they know and trust.

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And becoming a member of our association and displaying at these
events and interacting with them on a consistent basis is a great

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way to do that.

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Carrie Huckeby:
We don't have our keynote speakers confirmed, as you mentioned
earlier.

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I know we've extended some invitations to NTIA, but what do you
hope to include in the general session as far

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as information and and content?

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah. I think we're going to, you're going to see a definite
focus on what's happening at the federal level in terms of the

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future of the infrastructure package and how that's going to
filter down to the states.

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I'm hopeful that we'll have a conversation about how both of our
states are dealing with our state broadband offices and our

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broadband grant programs.

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You know, Tennessee has done an excellent job, and it was a
little bit ahead of the curve.

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I would say more than a little bit ahead of the curve of
Kentucky.

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We're just now in the process of really establishing that
office.

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And so Tennessee has done a great job.

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So I'm hoping to have some conversations about best practices in
terms of what's been in Tennessee, what Kentucky's hoping to do.

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The legislation that was passed in our state, what Tennessee has
already looked to do.

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So you'll have a federal component.

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You'll have a state component talking about the broadband
offices.

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I think you'll see content dealing with things obviously like
cybersecurity and just those

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technical issues that we had talked about earlier.

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But I do think you'll talk about what's happening at the FCC, so
you'll have a regulatory component.

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And then the future of USF.

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You know, we talk about expanding broadband and the importance
of having these  federal appropriations filter down to the

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states. Well, that's great for capital projects and construction
of networks, but at the end of the day, it's going to be equally

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as important and even more important, that we be able to
maintain these networks into the future.

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So we advocate as a rural broadband provider to build future
proof networks.

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Fiber is where the demand is going to be met for our consumers
in the future.

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So we know 20 years from now that fiber can meet the demands and
the increased demands for video and which is what's driving the

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need for additional bandwidth right now.

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And so the importance of the Universal Service Fund and
contribution reform, the future of that fund is going

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to be a hot topic in the near future.

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And so I think we'll have some conversations that will focus on
what the future of USF looks like.

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Carrie Huckeby:
We received several speaker proposals this year and remind me, is
there six breakout

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sessions, and you'll be choosing from those?

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And give us a look at what we can expect there.

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah. We'll announce that within the next day or so, actually.

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I have got a list to actually send back to you that we had
initially met and agreed on some topics.

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And but yeah, we typically have three or four breakout sessions 
– or I'm sorry – three or four general sessions and then we'll

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have six breakout sessions.

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That's been the typical format of our meeting.

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And so, we'll have three breakout sessions going on concurrently
at two different times.

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So it again, we look to have a diversified meeting content.

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So we try to get something for everybody that wants to attend
this meeting.

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And so I think you'll see that again this year, as in years past
with those breakout sessions, typically those general sessions

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tend to be those what I will say more general meatier topics in
terms of federal legislative and regulatory

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issues. Maybe like something like you said, the future of the
USF.

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And then those breakout sessions are very much focused on maybe
innovative technology that could be beneficial to our telcos and

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our broadband providers in both Kentucky and Tennessee.

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So those more technology specific issues that may come up,
you'll see those in those breakout sessions.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah. Those breakout sessions are always very popular because not
only [does] it give our associate members an opportunity

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to be in front of the audience, but to also have those
discussions one-on-one and, and,

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you know, those specific topics.

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So those breakout sessions are very popular.

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And as you said, we'll be announcing those very soon to get the
agenda ready.

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The last day, half day, is the showcase, and that's always a
good showing.

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I think you said other day that 50% of the booth space is sold.

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So that is a good sign that it's going to be very active again
this year.

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But tell us about the showcase and what the attendees will see
and why that's so popular.

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah. I think it's really popular just because, like you said, it
is the one time of year where we get together and have a

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traditional trade show, so to speak.

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You know, we'll have some smaller meetings where the vendors
will be there, but they really can showcase the latest and

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greatest with their company and what they have to offer.

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And, you know, it gives them an opportunity in a setting that's
I think, it's a casual setting, but they're interacting with

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their customers and future customers.

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And we have a ton of foot traffic that comes through.

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We have members from all over Kentucky and Tennessee that attend
this meeting, and they bring their employees.

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So that's one thing that's really nice.

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It's that they bring the technicians and the outside the plant
employees that will actually be installing this equipment or

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using this equipment and interacting with customers.

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And so I think it's a great opportunity if you're a vendor out
there and wondering if you should exhibit at our showcase.

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You know, it is a compact time.

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You know, it's a three and a half to four hour showcase, but
we'll have over 400 people that'll come through that room at one

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point. You know, our showcase has gotten so popular, you know, I
don't know about Tennessee, but Kentucky, we don't have any

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municipal members. But there are so many people that have heard
so many great things about our showcase that I have other

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associations contacting me to see if their members could come to
our showcase.

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It is that popular in that area.

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We have vendors that have great reputations throughout the
United States that attend this meeting.

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And so I feel like the popularity of our showcase continues to
grow each year.

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And I fully expect that we will have a at capacity, you know,
typically that showcase, we will have anywhere between

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80 to 85 vendors.

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We've had as many as 90.

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I definitely think we will be in that 85 to 90 range of vendors
that will be present in the room.

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And so it's a great opportunity for those associate members of
both Kentucky and Tennessee to get in there and

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to interact with people that they may not, they call on every
once in a while, but this is their opportunity to showcase the

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latest and greatest technology that they think will make a real
difference for the consumers that our telcos serve each and every

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day. And so the popularity continues to grow.

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I would highly encourage anybody that listens to this.

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If you're a vendor that may be on the fence about coming down to
Bowling Green, I would highly encourage you to be there because

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the foot traffic is there.

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We have the right people in the room that make those decisions,
and I really think that you will get a lot out of this meeting.

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Carrie Huckeby:
I totally agree with that.

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Come to the showcase.

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As you said, these conventions is where you sometimes can get
that face time and that discussion

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with the member companies where you can't always fit in your
travel schedule or make that appointment.

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So it's really the right time to see those folks.

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And also, you know, with the pandemic, as you mentioned earlier,
the travel stopped, those

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one-on-one conversations or face-to-face meetings stopped.

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So I think everybody's really anxious to get back into these
type of showcases and be able to have those meetings and

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visits with one another.

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If nothing else does, to keep, you know, catch up with family.

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How is your family doing?

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Because our industry is like that.

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah. I really think that's one thing I love about our industry.

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You know, they really do look at each other like family, you
know?

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I always said that rarely did I have a job before this where
somebody asked me how my kids were, and all 16 of my board

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members know my kids names and ages.

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And, you know, they always ask how they're doing.

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My kids are getting ready to start school here in Kentucky.

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We start next week.

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And it really is a family.

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You know, it's a family environment.

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And that's why I said I really do feel that the greatest benefit
for people to get involved with these meetings is that you build

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those relationships.

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They want to do business with people that they know and they
trust.

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And the foundation for the future business and the future of
both of our associations can be found in attending

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meetings like this.

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Carrie Huckeby:
All right. So what else can we look forward to during the
convention?

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I know there's a golf day, right?

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And that's on Tuesday.

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Tyler Campbell:
Yeah, the first day is what I always really refer to as a
peer-to-peer kind of networking day.

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We'll have our KTA/TNBA Fall Conference golf scramble, which is
always popular there at Crosswinds.

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And so typically we'll have close to 100 golfers that will
participate in that.

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We'll have the registration and welcome reception.

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The welcome reception is that night.

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Then the next day is when we will have our general session and
our breakout sessions.

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We have the ever popular vendor dessert reception.

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We always get rave reviews over the desserts there that evening.

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And so if once our folks can go out to dinner and interact, they
come back and have that wonderful dessert reception.

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They'll be able to set up for their vendor booths the next day.

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And then on Thursday, we will have the supplier showcase that
morning.

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So it's a jam packed three days.

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There's a lot going on, but there's a lot of opportunity for
casual interaction.

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And like I said, it's a casual environment in many ways.

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It's low key, that first day especially.

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And like I said, I highly encourage anybody that may be on the
fence about participating.

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It's a wonderful opportunity to get to interact with a number of
telcos from both Kentucky and Tennessee.

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We'll have, I know from Kentucky, we'll have every telco in
Kentucky that's a member of our association.

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We'll have somebody there.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Great. So registration is open.

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Hotel blocks are available.

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Remind us what the hotel cutoff is and the registration cutoff
is, dates.

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Tyler Campbell:
The hotel cutoff will be Saturday, September the 10th.

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And we are already having to add, we have added to the room 
block.

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So if you have not reserved your room online on the KTA, it's
KTAoffice.org

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website on the event registration page, there is a link there to
reserve your room there in Bowling Green at the Holiday Inn at

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the Sun Convention Center.

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So I would highly suggest that you go ahead and reserve your
room as soon as possible, because we are already having to add

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rooms to the block and at some point they probably will not
allow us to add anymore.

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So I would highly encourage you to do that.

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And then the registration cut off will be October the third, the
close of business on October the third.

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So if you have not reserved a vendor booth, if you don't want to
reserve a vendor booth as an associate member, but just want to

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attend the conference, there are conference-only options there
to just attend the conference.

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We also have a showcase-only option for individuals that may
want to just come and check out and just talk to the

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vendors on the day of the showcase.

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That's an option as well on our website.

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And if you have any issues, please feel free to contact me at
any time.

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Happy to help anybody through the registration process.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Fantastic. As we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to
add regarding the conference?

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Tyler Campbell:
No, I really just want to like I said, I think I've done the plug
a couple of times, but I really just I think a lot of this

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meeting, again, it was the the first meeting that I was in
charge of as the executive director for the KTA back in 2015.

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I'm very fond of this meeting.

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I think it's a great opportunity to collaborate.

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I always enjoy working with my counterparts in Tennessee in the
volunteer state, and

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so it's a great opportunity for our telcos in Kentucky and
Tennessee to get together, compare notes.

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And like I said, I really feel that it's a high quality meeting.

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The meeting content is always stellar, and I don't think that
this year will be any different.

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I'm very confident we will have a very informative and
well-attended meeting.

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Carrie Huckeby:
I agree. I look forward to seeing everyone in October, which is
right around the corner, as we said.

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And I always look forward to the content and the showcase.

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So again, I'll add to what Tyler said.

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If you haven't registered, do that as soon as possible and grab
your room.

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And if you're interested in a booth at the showcase, you better
grab that up too, because that's going fast as well.

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So thank you, Tyler.

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Tyler Campbell:
Thank you again. Look forward to seeing everybody in Bowling
Green, October 11th through the 13th.

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Carrie Huckeby:
Right. My guest has been Tyler Campbell, who is the executive
director at Kentucky Telecom Association.

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And you've been listening to Lead Tennessee Radio, produced by
the Tennessee Broadband Association, cooperative and independent

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companies connecting our state's rural communities and beyond
with world class broadband.