Utah Broadband CEO Ben Elkins to Speak at BBC Summit West

Joins Other Panelists From Cityside Fiber, Incompass, Sonic, and Utopia Fiber to Discuss Issues Facing ISPs and Their Customers

Utah Broadband (UBB), Utah’s most trusted high-speed Internet service provider and a subsidiary of Boston Omaha Corporation (NYSE: BOC), announced today that UBB’s Chief Executive Officer Ben Elkins will participate on two panels at Broadband Communities Summit West (BBC Summit West) on October 30 in San Diego, CA.

This will be BBC Summit West’s first conference; however, it is a sister event to Broadband Communities’ highly successful conference in Houston, which has been held for 20 years. The conference in Houston had over 1,500 attendees from companies such as AT&T, Spectrum, Verizon, Frontier, and Cox Communities. BBC Summit West is on track to have 1,000 attendees and 120 industry-leading speakers at the San Diego event, which will run from October 30 to 31.

Elkins will participate in a panel at BBC Summit West at 10:05 a.m. on October 30 entitled “An Update from Service Providers,” along with representatives from Cityside Fiber, Incompass, Sonic, and Visionary Communications. The panel will offer insights into the current investment landscape, funding, and regulation for ISPs, including the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. It will cover key policy updates, explore how networks are expected to evolve by 2030, and highlight the long-term benefits of fiber optic technology.

Elkins will participate in a second panel at 2:20 p.m. on the same day entitled How to Differentiate Your Network with Better Customer Experience, along with Harry and Utopia Fiber representatives. The panel will offer insights into key industry trends, including shifting customer expectations and the importance of fostering a customer-centric culture. It will discuss how Tier 2 and Tier 3 ISPs can meet and exceed these expectations and build lasting brand loyalty by leveraging customer feedback, such as Net Promoter Scores and other performance metrics.

 Elkins, in particular, is interested in delving into marketing tactics for both urban and rural communities.

“I am excited to be part of the BBC Summit West and to be on these panels with such prestigious industry leaders,” said Elkins. “The topics we will discuss are very rich and pertinent to service providers and their customers. I hope attendees will get a lot out of our sessions and the conference overall.”

About Broadband Communities

Broadband Communities Summit West is the newest addition to the Broadband Communities event portfolio, which is part of Total Telecom. The conference series offers leading events for community leaders, property owners, network infrastructure builders, and telco service providers to meet and discuss strategies for delivering connectivity for communities all over the United States. Celebrating its inaugural year, Broadband Communities Summit West offers a regional platform and focuses on how to connect every community in the Western United States with next-generation communications infrastructure – from densely populated cities to rural towns, multifamily properties to master planned developments, suburban areas to Native land and more.

Utah Broadband Appoints Ben Elkins as New CEO

Arizona’s AireBeam CEO to Work in Both Capacities

Draper, UT – May 15, 2024 – Utah Broadband (UBB), Utah’s most trusted high-speed Internet provider and a subsidiary of Boston Omaha Corporation (NYSE: BOC), announced today the appointment of Ben Elkins as its new CEO, following the retirement of Taunya Martin, former president of Utah Broadband. Elkins is presently CEO of AireBeam, a visionary Internet service provider and a Boston Omaha Corporation subsidiary based in Arizona City, AZ. He will assume Utah Broadband’s CEO position as an additional role for Boston Omaha Broadband.

“We are very pleased that Ben will be taking over at Utah Broadband,” said Butch Burgers, Chief Business Officer at Boston Omaha Broadband. “Ben has achieved an incredible amount of success at AireBeam and we know he will bring the same energy and passion to Utah Broadband to help it further its customer base in the Salt Lake area.”

Utah Broadband serves seven counties along the Wasatch Front and Back. In this very competitive market, the company has grown consistently year-over-year, increasing revenue significantly over the past few years. In 2021, while continuing to expand the wireless market, the company started offering fiber to the home (FTTH) in addition to its fixed wireless solutions, driving recent growth.

As Utah Broadband’s CEO, Elkins brings over 20 years of experience in telecommunications and strong management skills in the areas of sales and business development, strategy, negotiations, and P&L responsibility in a variety of networking sectors, including with ISPs. In his second year as

the CEO of AireBeam, he saw Arizona’s fastest-growing fiber-to-the-home and fixed wireless Internet service provider expand exponentially to become one of the leading providers in the state. During Elkin’s two-year tenure, AireBeam increased fiber subscribers by 375 percent and increased overall customer count by 20 percent. AireBeam increased EBITDA by 31 percent from 2021 to 2023 as well. Elkins plans to bring the same growth plan to Utah Broadband.

“I am pleased to take on this new challenge and honored Boston Omaha Broadband trusts me to expand and grow Utah Broadband’s business. And, I want to recognize the amazing culture Taunya has built over the last 18 years,” Elkins said. “I’ll be able to bring some of the best practices we’ve cultivated at AireBeam and apply them to Utah Broadband to better serve customers and expand the business. I look forward to Utah Broadband continuing to be known for its outstanding customer service and great value.”

About Utah Broadband

Utah Broadband has consistently been ranked one of the best Internet providers in Utah. Since 2002, Utah Broadband has proudly served communities of the Wasatch Front and Back and is known for providing customers with fast and reliable Internet speeds at a great value. Utah Broadband is a subsidiary of Boston Omaha Corporation (NYSE:BOC).