Fabric Forward 26 Draft Agenda
*Subject to Change*
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3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Event Check-In
Visit the Terrace Room at the Edgewater Hotel on the 4th floor to check-in and grab your event badge.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Join us in the Olympic Ballroom at the Edgewater Hotel for the Fabric Forward Welcome Reception, check-in, and grab your event badge.
8:00 Am – 9:00 am
Breakfast
Join us for breakfast from 8:00 to 9:00 AM.
8:30 Am – 9:00 Am
Office Hours
Come ask us our experts your specific questions.
Morning General Session
9:00 Am – 10:15 Am
The Fabric, Decoded: Evolution, Logic, and Competitive Intel for Today’s Broadband Landscape
The Location Fabric is the foundation of every federal broadband program and serves as a powerful framework for understanding how it is built, why it changes, the insights it reveals, and how Location IDs work. This session traces the origin and evolution of the Fabric, explains the logic behind its structure, and introduces new Fabric concepts laying the groundwork for the future of location-level intelligence.
You’ll gain a clear understanding of industry trends shaping the Fabric’s role, why Location IDs behave the way they do across versions, and why building a strong compliance strategy starts with understanding the data itself. Whether you’re new to the Fabric or a seasoned user, this session sets the framework for every conversation that follows at Fabric Forward 2026.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
10:15 Am – 11:00 Am
DC Broadband Outlook: BEAD Status & What’s Next
This panel will deliver a candid update on where BEAD stands today (timelines, oversight expectations, and state-by-state realities), plus the latest on NTIA direction, FCC actions, USF contribution reform, enforcement posture, and the future of federal broadband investment.
Expect practical guidance on what policy changes mean for funding certainty, compliance risk, and competitive dynamics in 2026–2028.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
11:00 Am – 11:15 Am
Break
11:15 Am – 12:00 Pm
Convergence & the Customer Focus
Wireline, mobile, and satellite broadband are converging at an accelerating pace and the strategic implications for ISPs, SBOs, lenders, and investors are profound. As fiber pushes deeper into legacy territories, fixed wireless scales, and satellite partnerships reshape the competitive map, the focus is returning to the customer relationship. This session explores what convergence means for your competitive positioning: how wireline is shaping mobility (and vice versa), where value sits in a multi-technology world, how BEAD is reshaping competitive profiles, and what the emergence of “free wireline” and intensified cable competition means for your business.
If you’re trying to understand how to retain customers, price services, and plan infrastructure in a converging market, this session will provide the strategic framework.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
Join us for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM.
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch & Office Hours
Come ask our experts your specific questions.
Breakout Session A
1:00 Pm – 1:30 Pm
Beyond Speed Tests: Proving Network Performance for BEAD with Confidence
Passing BEAD network performance requirements takes more than running a basic speed test—it requires repeatable methodology, defensible data, and operational readiness. This session will break down practical approaches to performance measurement: test design, sampling, tools and automation, common pitfalls, and how to align engineering reality with reporting requirements.
You’ll hear perspectives on how to build a network performance program that supports compliance, improves customer experience, and stands up to audit scrutiny.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
Breakout Session B
1:00 Pm – 1:30 Pm
Keep Mapping on Point: A GIS Troubleshooting Lab
Bad satellite imagery, mis-geocoded addresses, and point-to-structure mismatches are common factors that can derail analysis, challenges, and build plans. In this hands-on walkthrough, you’ll learn a repeatable process to diagnose location issues, validate Fabric points against authoritative sources, and document corrections in a way that supports both planning and compliance. We’ll cover common failure modes, QA checks, and best practices for achieving high-confidence spatial outputs.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
Breakout Session C
1:30 Pm – 2:00 Pm
TBD
Speakers:
*Details coming soon*
Breakout Session D
1:30 Pm – 2:00 Pm
TBD
*Details coming soon*
Afternoon General Session
2:00 Pm – 3:00 Pm
Anticipating Competitor Moves: Using Data to Think Strategically About Positioning (Game Theory)
Competitive analysis often stops at identifying where competitors are today, but the most consequential strategic decisions require understanding where they’ll go next. This session will introduce a game-theory-inspired approach to competitive positioning using spatial data, helping analysts and decision-makers think beyond static views of competition. If you build here, what will competitors likely do next? How do BEAD awards, fiber overbuilds, and converging technologies reshape the competitive board? Drawing on competitive intelligence data, this session will help you frame stronger strategic questions and make positioning decisions that account for the dynamic nature of broadband competition.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
3:00 Pm – 3:30 PM
Break & Office Hours
Come ask our experts your specific questions.
4:30 Pm – 6:00 Pm
Elliott Bay Cruise Reception
Experience one of the most iconic views in the Pacific Northwest.
As part of Fabric Forward 2026 registration, attendees who RSVP are invited to join a cruise excursion around Seattle’s Elliott Bay. Attendees will board a private Argosy Cruise and enjoy sweeping views of the city skyline, the Olympic Mountains, and the working port that helps define this world-class city.
8:00 Am – 9:00 am
Breakfast
Join us for breakfast from 8:00 to 9:00 AM.
8:30 Am – 9:00 Am
Office Hours
Come ask us our experts your specific questions.
Morning General Session
9:00 am – 9:45 am
Why Running a Tight Compliance Program Ensures a Successful Build & Cash Flow
The BEAD award letter is just the beginning — with up to five years of buildout and a decade of reporting ahead, compliance directly impacts how quickly you get reimbursed and whether you keep your funding. This session breaks down what’s required from day one: documentation standards, milestone reporting, permitting workflows, draw requests, and the federal oversight framework you’ll operate under for years. Many operators have never managed a federally funded program of this scale, and the pain point is real: “I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and now I’m behind.” Learn why proactive compliance isn’t a checkbox — it’s a force multiplier that protects your investment and keeps cash flowing.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
9:45 Am – 10:30 Am
One Reporting System: How BEAD Subgrantees & SBOs Work Together to Ensure Maximum Efficiency
State Broadband Offices are managing subgrantees simultaneously, each with different internal systems, reporting capabilities, and interpretations of data requirements. Meanwhile, subgrantees feel overwhelmed by reporting demands that seem inconsistent, duplicative, or unclear. The pain point on both sides is the same: “We’re spending enormous time on reporting and compliance administration instead of building networks”.
Learn how technology-enabled reporting frameworks, including standardized templates, shared data platforms, and automated validation, are the difference between a reactive, fire-fighting approach and a proactive, high-functioning partnership.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
10:30 Am – 10:45 Am
Break
10:45 Am – 11:30 Am
TBD
*Details coming soon*
11:30 Am – 12:15 PM
Keynote
*Details coming soon*
12:15 PM – 1:15 Pm
Lunch
Join us for lunch from 12:15 to 1:15 PM.
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm
Lunch & Office Hours
Come ask us our experts your specific questions.
Breakout Session A
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Decode the Competition: Using Data to Analyze Footprints, Track Deployments, & Win at the Location Level
The BDC data holds powerful competitive intelligence — if you know how to unlock it. Analyze provider footprints and service levels at the individual location level, compare your coverage against one or more competitors, and track deployment patterns over time, including what technologies competitors are deploying and where.
You’ll see why location-level analysis delivers sharper, more actionable insights than hex-level views, and how to quantify results achieved in a market by individual point rather than broad geography. Whether you’re evaluating where to expand, defending territory, or building a case for investors, this session gives you the analytical playbook.
Breakout Session B
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm
Permitting Playbook: Clearing the Path from Award to Build
Permitting is the silent killer of broadband deployment timelines. This session tackles the operational reality that many BEAD subgrantees and ISPs face once construction begins: navigating local jurisdictions, managing pole attachment processes, coordinating right-of-way access, and keeping field workflows aligned with compliance documentation requirements.
Breakout Session C
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
From Build to Subscriber Growth: Using Data to Power Precise Sales & Marketing
Customer acquisition costs remain one of the biggest drags on broadband ROI and most providers are still marketing with a broad brush. This session demonstrates how to use precise, location-level Fabric data to power targeted sales and marketing campaigns that reach the right households at the right time. Learn how to identify serviceable addresses, prioritize high-propensity targets based on competitive context, and generate real customer connections using the same data you already license for compliance and planning.
Breakout Session D
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
TBD
*Details coming soon*
Afternoon General Session
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
State Broadband Panel: Leading Through Complexity
State Broadband Offices are navigating one of the most complex periods in broadband history. This panel brings together state broadband leaders for a candid discussion about what’s working, what’s breaking, and what they need from partners on all sides of the industry to succeed.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
3:00 Pm – 3:15 Pm
Break
3:15 Pm – 4:15 Pm
From Competition to Consolidation: What’s Coming & How to Position Your Organization
The broadband industry is entering a period of significant consolidation, but what kind? Are we seeing empire-building M&A fueled by private equity, distressed asset acquisition from overextended BEAD builds, or bankruptcy-driven restructuring from operators who can’t sustain rising costs? This session examines the forces driving consolidation, from intensifying competition and BEAD-reshuffled markets to rising capital costs and converging technologies, and helps you evaluate where your organization sits on the strategic chessboard.
4:30 Pm – 6:30 Pm
Data on the Rocks Reception
Join us for drinks! More details coming soon.
8:00 Am – 9:00 am
Breakfast
Join us for breakfast from 8:00 to 9:00 AM.
8:30 Am – 9:00 Am
Office Hours
Come ask us our experts your specific questions.
9:00 Am – 9:45 Am
Managing Federal Funding in one Map: How to Track Commitments, Identify Gaps, & Reduce Overlap at the Location Level
Federal and state funding programs are run off of different data sources, at varying levels, whether that is Fabric versions, polygons, or addresses, maintaining a unified view of funded locations across programs becomes increasingly complex. For SBOs, you’ll learn how to identify funding overlaps and gaps, produce stakeholder-ready reports on program progress and track where unserved locations persist despite funding. For ISPs, you’ll see how to use the same data to identify adjacent locations near existing funded builds that make sense to infill — turning compliance data into a growth opportunity.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
9:45 Am – 10:30 Am
Innovations on the Horizon
CostQuest’s data and tool library is evolving and this session gives you a first look at what’s on the horizon. Learn about the latest releases from CostQuest’s “CQLabs,” an innovation hub that produces new data and tools that enhance how teams operate, make decisions, and shape how you interact with broadband data in the years ahead.
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
10:30 Am – 10:45 Am
Break
10:45 Am – 11:30 Am
Data Workflows for Compliance: From Location ID Change Management to Audit-Ready Outputs
Location IDs change. This session combines two critical capabilities into one hands-on walkthrough: first, how to build repeatable data workflows that turn raw Fabric files into compliance-ready outputs for BEAD milestone documentation and BDC filings; and second, how to detect, categorize, and manage Location ID changes using CostQuest’s APIs, change files, and records matching tools. You’ll learn how to keep your internal systems synchronized with each Fabric refresh, preventing the compliance gaps and data mismatches
Speakers:
*Coming soon*
11:30 Am – 12:15 Pm
Keynote
*More details coming soon*
12:15 Pm – 1:00 Pm
Tying it All Together: The Road Forward
*More details coming soon*
1:00 Pm – 2:00 Pm
Office Hours
Come ask us our experts your specific questions.
