TELECOMMUNICATIONS By John Irwin, Keith Mobley, Dave Sabala, Diane Garcia and Chris Tamarin
Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference An Oregon Tradition
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he twenty- fth annual Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference is scheduled to be held at the Ashland Hills Hotel and Suites on October 28 and 29, 2021. The theme for this year is Oregon Connections: Onward! The 2021 conference presenters and attendees will look forward as we begin to move beyond a disruptive pandemic. The Keynote Speakers include Jonathan Chambers of Conexon, a company that works with rural electric cooperatives to bring ber to the home and Gigabit speeds to rural communities, and Rey Ramsey of CentriTech, a company focused on building broadband networks, creating content and creating applications for a social purpose. This year’s conference is hosted by Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc.
a wide variety of attendees, experts, and pundits to explore the technologies, policies, and future of telecommunication technologies in Oregon. It is a grass roots conference that attracts attendees from industry, government, education, healthcare, and business. As ful lling as the presentations, exhibits, and discussions are, so is this annual gathering Oregon’s telecom family ful lling. In many ways it is a sort of tribal gathering with all the camaraderie and explorations of new contacts that goes with the many hallway discussions, and yes…dealmaking. It’s a lot of fun, too! Yet this conference is more than an opportunity to make contacts and to hear from experts presenting and discussing a wide variety of pertinent and timely broadband technologies and policies. Oregon Connections is also where we salute and recognize the many Oregon telecommunications heroes with recognitions in several important categories including applications, projects, regional/local strategies, partnerships, policy, legislation, advocacy and enduring achievement.
The conference has long been viewed as a key forum for Oregon’s statewide broadband community of interest. Here are some re ections on the conference shared by ve of its frequent participants.
Celebrate 25 Years of Oregon Connections!
As an attendee since the early days of Oregon Connections, serving on the planning committee starting in 2003, acting as the emcee from 2004-2015,
The Oregon Connections Telecommunications Conference continues a 25-year history of gathering
and playing the role of conference photographer for many years (over 10,000 memories caught in time!), I have enjoyed an up close and personal relationship with the conference and many of the attendees that come from all over the world. We will show a selection of those photos taken over the years at the conference. Will you see your photo from years past? Oregon Connections is one of the highlights of my year. From what I’ve heard over the years, it has been a source of information and contacts for many looking to engage in broadband issues. This conference has been the venue at which many seeds were planted that produced new champions, alliances, partnerships and infrastructure making it one of the most important and rewarding events for telecommunications anywhere in the Paci c Northwest. Come join us at the 25th Oregon Connections conference for the education, discussion, networking and fun! Onward!! John Irwin Central Point, OR
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Southern Oregon Business Journal September 2021 | 17
