Regional Open Access Day 2026: The Public Broadband Edition

What was Regional Open Access Day 2026?

A free, one-day industry event on Open Access broadband. It covered operator pillars, the ISP view and one-to-one meetings between operators, ISPs and vendors.

Where and when did it take place?

At Broadlinc’s offices in Spokane, Washington, on September 29, 2026. The evening continued at The Scalehouse Market.

Who organised it?

COS Systems organised the event. Broadlinc hosted it as Elite Partner.

Panel I: the operator view

• Give customers one clear choice at sign-up. Unclear options cause abandonment and slow the switch from the incumbent.
• Marketing models differ. Some operators run a branded marketplace. Others send customers to ISP sites. All expect ISPs to advertise and differentiate.
• The main bad-actor risk is an ISP that stops paying. Contracts and legal safeguards matter more than reputation alone.
• A physical demarcation point splits support cleanly. The ISP takes first-level support.
• Install cost is easy to underestimate. Drop length, entry points and contractor performance move the business case as much as the main build.
• Design for failure. Extra conduit, redundant paths beyond the backbone and outdoor gear rated for the climate came up repeatedly.
• Address data quality drives truck rolls and support time.
• Handle property access inside the sign-up flow, backed by a short access and entry agreement.

Panel II: the ISP view

• ISPs join networks they do not own to move capex into customer acquisition and shed build risk.
• ISPs screen networks on market opportunity, operator reputation, onboarding ease, API quality, SLAs and fault visibility.
• The contract process works as a filter. Mismatched SLAs and values are red flags.
• Customer acquisition cost and payback time decide which networks work.
• Tiered products help. An entry tier gives marketing a starting price. Most customers still move to faster tiers.
• Add-on services are pure ISP revenue. TV adds stickiness more than margin.
• Hold your position on price. Other ISPs on the network are not yours to control.
• Local presence wins. ISPs from outside the market struggle against local names.
• Long install lead times lose customers. Operators that scale installs earn ISP loyalty.
• Explaining Open Access to customers converts. Co-marketing with a trusted operator brand helps.

Welcome lunch and networking

Doors opened at noon at Broadlinc. Lunch was sponsored by ReadiTech.

Keynote: A Vision for Open Access Outside Large Cities

Ariane Schmidt, Executive Director of Broadlinc, made the case for common ISP onboarding frameworks and closer collaboration between networks.

Panel I: What Makes an Open Access Network Successful?

Operators discussed BSS/OSS for multi-provider operations, ISP APIs and marketplace models, customer self-service, demand aggregation, shared marketing and sales, and auto-provisioning.

Panel II: The ISP Perspective: Getting On, Staying On

ISPs covered layer 2 versus layer 3, IP management, billing integration, greenfield versus brownfield, and how much operator involvement they want.

Mingle and speed dating

Structured one-to-one meetings between network operators, ISPs and vendors, scheduled in advance from each attendee’s picks.

Open Access Bar

The conversations continued at The Scalehouse Market. Bonfire sponsored the cornhole.

Ariane Schmidt

Executive Director

Broadlinc

Claire Ward

Telecom Strategic Business Manager

Kitsap PUD

Shaye Ruitenbeek

Fiber Administrative Services Manager

Lehi City

Kevin McKee

Telecommunications Engineer

Grant PUD

Jeff Erwin

Chief Operating Officer

UTOPIA Fiber

Drew Pappas

Bonfire Infrastructure Group

Aaron Hildreth

Founding Member

Intellipop

David Burr

Founder and President

SumoFiber

David Child

Director of Market Development

Anthem Broadband

Caleb Gutting

Project Manager

KnightCom

Mike McLaren

Director of Strategic Sales

Calix

Network owners and operators

• Bonfire Infrastructure Group
• Broadlinc
• Kitsap PUD
• NoaNet
• Northern Wasco PUD
• Port of Whitman County
• UTOPIA Fiber

Internet service providers

• 509Fiber
• Anthem Broadband
• ClearBeam Networks
• GigSpeed
• Intellipop
• KnightCom
• SumoFiber
• Swell Internet

Technology vendors

• Calix
• Clad Inc.
• Nokia
• Utilities One
• VETRO
• WBE Technologies

Engineering and consulting

• Arcadis
• Coregroup
• ReadiTech Engineering
• RuCon Consulting and Engineering

Content and video partnerships

• DIRECTV