The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) opens its 2026 Mobility & Connectivity Show tomorrow in Louisville, Kentucky. In this Tower Talks podcast, CCA President and CEO Tim Donovan spoke with Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief Leslie Stimson before the show about hot topics for the association that represents competitive communications service providers and stakeholders across the United States. The NTIA’s BEAD program, spectrum access, permitting and the FCC’s Universal Service Fund are CCA priorities. So too, is where the Rip & Replace reimbursement fund stands.

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A 1988 Chicago-area telecom fire exposed how dangerous traditional cabling materials were, and how digital infrastructure depends on reliable power systems. As data demand grows and network integrity becomes increasingly critical, power conversion products and cabling must deliver consistent quality, resilience, and performance across wireless and fiber networks, and in central offices, and data centers.

In this episode, Jack Graves, Vice President, Strategic Verticals at Southwire, and Dave Nelson, Chief Operating Officer at Bekerle Consultants, join John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor, to discuss powering the network and the essential components that keep it operating reliably.

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Many delays have impacted the federal government’s BEAD program. This and other events have slowed getting shovels in the ground for government help for states and their contractors looking to expand broadband deployment.

In this Tower Talks podcast, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez speaks with Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief Leslie Stimson about broadband deployment, as well as contested issues like pole attachments, and what the Commission considers when opposing parties both want the same spectrum.

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