Building Smart Connections for a Smarter Year

Happy New Year to our members and their families. I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and had a chance to reset and reconnect with loved ones. The new year brings a fresh focus and a chance to regain momentum. As we step into 2026, we set our intentions for continued innovation, advocacy, and connectivity for all.

The Tennessee General Assembly is now in session, and our government affairs team will once again have boots on the ground, monitoring legislation that could impact our members and ensuring your voices are heard. We’ll gather in March for Day on the Hill and again in April for NTCA’s Legislative and Policy Conference. Both events are vital touch points for advancing broadband priorities and demonstrating how much stronger we are when we speak as 1 unified industry.

Meanwhile, the conversation around innovation continues to evolve. On February 12, our members will take part in an AI workshop sponsored by JSI, Calix, and Twin Lakes. After sparking new ideas at our conference last fall, Carlton Davis returns to lead this hands-on session on how broadband professionals can move beyond the buzz and use AI tools to work smarter and solve real challenges.

Workshops like this, along with our annual conferences and our peer groups, are part of what makes TNBA membership so valuable. They provide the space to share ideas, forge relationships, and stay ahead of emerging technologies shaping our work. Whether in the halls of a government building, at a conference table, or at a local community event, the power of broadband continues to bring people and ideas together. Here’s to a productive year ahead, filled with smart connections and shared purpose.