Panel: Light It Up: Long and Winding Road: Bringing Fiber to the Most Remote Locations on Earth

Monday, June 2, 2025

9:25 AM - 9:55 AM CT

Location: Presidential Ballroom

Moderator(s)

Kathryn de Wit (she/her/hers)

Project Director, Broadband Access Initiative
Pew Charitable Trusts

Panelist(s)

Jason Thune

Vice President, Fiber Strategy and Deployment
Hawaiian Telcom
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
DH

Donna E. Hilty (she/her/hers)

Chief Operating Officer
Whidbey Telecom
Langley, Washington, United States
Bill Hetherington (he/him/his)

CEO/General Manager
Bandera Electric Cooperative
Bandera, United States
Andrew Butcher (he/him/his)

President
Maine Connectivity Authority
Portland, United States

Not every location is created equal, but every home deserves equal access to fiber broadband. Overcoming significant deployment challenges and obstacles, as network operators look to connect everyone, everywhere takes planning, partnerships, and dedication. This panel of network operators and industry experts will share their experiences as they each have worked to connect homes in some of the most remote locations in America.