What it's like to build broadband in some of the most remote states in America

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk to two technicians about building broadband in some of the most rural areas in America - Wyoming, and Montana.

We also put them on the spot by asking them to build a STEAM packet for local kids. This is what happened. 

Recommended links:

Range.net

Goodera

Chapters

• 3:23 Pursing a data technician career
• 7:00 What is STEAM?
• 7:36 Danny and Jackson's background
• 11:00 Nadia and Goodera
• 12:00 The STEAM challenge

Transcript

Jessica Denson (00:07):

On this episode of Connected Nation, we continue our coverage from Calix Connexion's 2025 conference. This time we talk to two technicians about building broadband in some of the most rural areas in America, Wyoming, and Montana. And we ask them to build a STEAM packet for local kids on the spot. I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation. Okay. So I just stopped two people, Jackson WolfE and Danny Friez. Is that how you say last name? You guys are with your data network technicians with Range? Yeah. Where is range at?

Jackson Wolfe (00:46):

Uh, it's in Southeastern Montana and Wyoming. We cover from Denver all the way up to Billings. And then we have Transport Network all the way to Seattle that we lease fiber to, and then all the way to Minnesota as well.

Jessica Denson (00:56):

Oh, wow. And I've been through Wyoming that you have to plan when you get gas, so I can't imagine trying to do broadband is, what's it like doing the rural broadband there?

Jackson Wolfe (01:06):

Uh, it's challenging. Everything is extremely expensive. Um, but we just gotta keep going. That's about all we can do.

Jessica Denson (01:14):

What would you add to that, Danny?

Danny Friez (01:15):

I think, I think we have a lot of, a lot of subscribers who are in the extreme rural areas, so providing a good quality service to them has, is always a challenge. But I think we're up for it. And I mean, really it just is it, the end of the day it boils down to money to get them what they need, which is, it is, it's just, it's just one of the, one of the biggest challenges we, we face as a small cooperative.

Jackson Wolfe (01:41):

Yeah. When your neighbors 20 miles away, that pre presents little challenges.

Jessica Denson (01:46):

So you guys are a cooperative at, so just so people understand, that's generally the money goes back into it. It's not a like a typical for profit, right? So every dollar you guys make goes back into the system, correct?

Danny Friez (01:58):

Yes. Yeah. Every, every dollar that our subscribers are, are paying us for the services we pump back into them. Whether it's upgrading the equipment that feeds them, whether it's upgrading the infrastructure or coming to these to, to learn more and, and get more educated for the, the betterment of the customer.

Jessica Denson (02:20):

Is that why you guys are at cx?

Jackson Wolfe (02:22):

Uh, yeah. Yes and no. I mean, we want to be leaders in Montana too. And Montana's pretty CX rich in general. Um, and I'd like to add to what he said, range is before different companies rolled together and with the transport side that I mentioned, we actually developed a non reg portion. Oh. And that's our transport. So everything that they do, they can kind of help fund some of the other things that we have going on, including increasing the transport network across to South Dakota or over to Idaho. So,

Jessica Denson (02:53):

So what do you mean by non reg?

Jackson Wolfe (02:54):

So the government, it's, there's no regulation from the government. Well, not none, but it's a lot less, yes. A lot less. So they're a lot more free to do what they need to, to make revenue, whatever. Um, as far as special circuits, um, dark fiber releases, all that kind of stuff. So,

Jessica Denson (03:12):

So there's kind of, there's been talk that there's a shortage of people who can do what you guys do. Uh, data network technician, people out in the field. What would you say to those who are considering career in this?

Danny Friez (03:24):

Do it. Get your foot in the door. Um, that's, that's exactly what both of us did. Neither of us went to school for this. We've both been with range for, for seven, a little over seven years of peace. And, and I think the people before us gave us a really, really good platform to, to succeed. So get your foot in the door if you're not qualified, apply anyways. I mean, everything we've learned has been from conferences like these, or on the job training or from, from people who have had so many years in the industry. Um, and the people that that we work with are just a wealth of knowledge. I mean, if, if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be where we were, where we're standing today.

Jessica Denson (04:10):

And Jackson, uh, I've really heard that you need a mentor for this. It's not just traditional school. Would you agree with what, uh, Danny's saying?

Jackson Wolfe (04:17):

Absolutely. Um, excuse me. The guy that taught me how to do this had been a contractor for like 45 years. He went down to help rebuild, uh, new Orleans after Katrina. You know, he was all over the us. So having somebody that can do that and show you is it, I don't even know how to describe it. It's something that you have to have and you also have to, the people you hire, they have to be able to adapt and learn quick. 'cause it's ever evolving. Um, and nothing's the same, uh, as it was a year ago even.

Danny Friez (04:52):

Yeah. You just, you have to roll with the punches. There's, there's going to be things that you don't know, and there's gonna be times where you don't know what you don't know <laugh>. So you just have to ask, ask informed questions, but don't be, don't be afraid to not know something somebody before you has done it. There are the resources out there. So ask the questions, take it upon yourself to learn

Jackson Wolfe (05:18):

And know the history too. Yeah. That's one major thing. It's important to know why we do what we do and how these things have evolved. And it also helps you troubleshoot too from people's past experience or like the Nortel fiasco back in the day, right? Yeah. And that wasn't all telecom related, but you know, that's why you don't put it in stock options and stuff like that. We all know how that went. It was ugly and those people are still in prison. So, um, but it just, it, and that's the other thing too. You can't know everything in this industry. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. If you just take the little chunk that you enjoy or you know, you're really good at, build on that. And then if you want to move on to something else, you can always learn that. But also rely on your colleagues to be your support system. Because none of us can do it

Danny Friez (06:03):

All. No, you can, you can be a jack of all trades, master a none kind of kind of guy. But, but if you are really good at, at one thing or you really like one part of it, dive deep. You can, if you're really good at just networking or provisioning or whatever, most places will say, get really good at this and this is what we want you to do. This is what we want you to teach people how to do. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. But again, we've, we've come from the very bottom outside plant guys just doing residential installs to leading full blown fiber to the home cutovers. So

Jessica Denson (06:47):

That's fantastic.

Danny Friez (06:48):

We've been very, very involved in our combined 14 years.

Jessica Denson (06:53):

So I stopped you guys because there's this cool thing that Calex is doing with Steam. Um, which is, what do I have? What's Steam again? Remind me. Nadia Ho, right?

Nadia Ho (07:04):

Yes. Hello. So Steam, uh, stands for science, technology Education, uh, arts and Math. Yeah. And math.

Jessica Denson (07:15):

Uh, thank you. I, I, uh, was held up on t for some reason <laugh> Science, technology, education, arts and math. And the reason I stopped y'all is 'cause they had this little thing that you could build something to help a local nonprofit. And Danny and Jackson were kind enough to say, yeah, we'll help. And then I just jumped into an interview, um, before we do this little build that I'm gonna follow you on, um, which should just take a few minutes, right? Um, I do wanna ask, did you guys both grow up in that area? Do you like living in a rural area? Why is it important? Just gimme quick thoughts on why it's important for people to be connected.

Danny Friez (07:51):

So both of us are, grew up in the town that we work in. Forsyth, we grew up there, went to elementary school, high school, the whole, the whole nine yards. So, and both of our families have deep roots in that area. And we've been members of our community for our entire lives. We're familiar faces and, and we want to help provide the best kind of service to those people. We want to be leaders in our community.

Jessica Denson (08:21):

And what about for you, Jackson?

Jackson Wolfe (08:22):

I'd say that same thing Danny said. I mean, we've, and specifically him and I, we were, we're both Eagle Scouts. We both have been part of that community and done a lot of things in this, even though we didn't go into it right away outta high school. I, I was a machinist and a welder. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. That's when I went to college for Danny went to college for engineering. Yep. So, and that's one thing, like he said, we didn't expect to be phone guys. We are now. And we both really enjoy it. So yeah, being a part of the community is a pretty big deal, especially in the small towns. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So, you know, it's, it's nice when your neighbor is like, Hey, my internet's out. Okay. Yeah. Lemme look in the switch or whatever, you know? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Everyone's got your cell phone number and sometimes it gets old, other times it's like, yep, I can take a look at that. And sometimes there's something else going on that affects more than just that person. And you find out before things get really ugly and you can fix it. And everyone is,

Jessica Denson (09:19):

Everyone's happy.

Jackson Wolfe (09:19):

Yeah. Everyone's happy and you fix the problem. So

Jessica Denson (09:22):

Yeah. I don't wanna gloss over the fact that you both are Eagle Scouts, so it's kind of a big deal that's hard to become an Eagle Scout, isn't it? Yeah. <laugh>,

Danny Friez (09:28):

It's a process. I mean the, the troop that we were in, how many, there was like eight or nine of us. Wow. Nine of us, eight or eight or nine of us in that troop. And in just a short period of time, like six of the nine got Eagle Scout rank. So

Jessica Denson (09:45):

Wow.

Danny Friez (09:45):

So we had, we had a very good leadership platform that, that

Jackson Wolfe (09:52):

Mentor

Danny Friez (09:52):

Mentors. Yeah. And those guys really just laid the framework out for us. They, they set us up for success.

Jackson Wolfe (10:00):

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Times and people change and it, it seems like nowadays having that kind of a upbringing is not as common.

Danny Friez (10:13):

Extremely rare.

Jackson Wolfe (10:14):

You know? So that, I think that's a big part is why, of how we're successful, at least at what we do. You know? 'cause it's, yeah. That's just

Jessica Denson (10:24):

Probably also why you're besties. Yeah. It you seem like besties. I

Danny Friez (10:28):

Mean, yeah. We, we grew, yeah, we grew up together. Jackson's two years older than me in school, but, but we've always been pretty tight knit, good friends and

Jackson Wolfe (10:38):

Yeah. And coming, yeah. Working here. I mean, you have your good days and you have your

Jessica Denson (10:42):

Yeah.

Jackson Wolfe (10:42):

Not so good days, but that's anywhere.

Jessica Denson (10:45):

Yeah.

Jackson Wolfe (10:45):

And, but yeah, we just, we function as a, as a team unit, whatever you wanna call it. And when things go down, we come to fix it and go home.

Jessica Denson (10:56):

All right. Well Danny and Jackson, I grabbed you guys to do as we, we, we stepped in for a second to do the steam challenge. So Nadia ho you're with Guera. Tell us who, who Guera is. Am I saying that correctly? Yeah. And then tell us what this is before the, the guys get, uh, make this steam thing and you guys, you're gonna have to do a good one 'cause you have the, uh, background for it. <laugh>. Yeah.

Nadia Ho (11:17):

Thank you Jessica. It's a pleasure to be on your podcast. So my name is naia, I'm one of the hosts of Guera. Guera is a global company that assists big companies like CX with organizing fun and exciting volunteering events like this event that we are seeing here. And so Guera since 2017, has helped over a million corporate volunteers like you guys, um, reach, you know, um, tens of, of millions of beneficiaries around the world through different types of activities. So today we are assembling steam kits for children here in Las Vegas, and we are collaborating with afterschool all stars, greater Las Vegas to do so. We are assembling 300 kids that will go to 300 students in underserved communities. So what we are doing today is we are going to pack these items inside the, the canvas bags that you have here in your hands. And then I'm going to go through the whole line with you to show you what you have to do

Jessica Denson (12:23):

And I'll follow along. So you guys go ahead and do it. There's like, there's scissors, there's a pen. Okay. There are, there's a little bag that says Steam kit.

Danny Friez (12:36):

A ruler. Yeah, ruler. So

Nadia Ho (12:39):

The first activity is to assemble a spectroscope. So the, the children will be do working on this. And what you are, you are going to do is you are going to provide them with the materials. So you take one of these bags,

Jessica Denson (12:53):

You said a ruler was important. Is that a big deal for you?

Jackson Wolfe (12:56):

Absolutely. I, like I said, I was a machinist and a welder. You gotta be able to make sure things are square. You know, it, it's important. But even when I was growing up, you had to learn how to read a tape measure. Um, being a rural, rural area, I mean it's, you know, it's, it's a skill that everybody overlooks because a lot of people are like, well, it was a third big mark past the two Really, you know, it could be, you know, two and three eighths. Right. You know, so that's, that's kind of why I say that. Yeah. So

Jessica Denson (13:25):

Now, uh, Jackson's putting a tube in his, uh, it looks like, um, Danny's a little ahead. There's another how to here and there's some crowns and some, uh, string. And what is this? Is this a straw?

Nadia Ho (13:36):

Yes, there's a, these are the straws. And what are they making? They're making a spectroscope here. They are making therma tropes. Oh, okay. What is that? So Therma trobes are a very fun activity. So what they do here is they will take two sides of this, um, these, these circles. Uh, and then they're going to draw, for example, a bird and a cage. And when a child will turn this around, they will see the bird inside the, the cage. Oh. Which is, which is a lot of fun.

Jessica Denson (14:07):

Pretty neat. Yes. So yeah. And then there's also some

Nadia Ho (14:09):

Glue here, some glue here. And then at the end you are going to write a note for the child that will receive your package.

Jessica Denson (14:17):

So Danny and Jackson are gonna write little notes to the kids, encouraging them. Um, which is pretty cool coming from a data network technician and a data center technician, I think <laugh>. So these are, you only have about 25 left to do, right?

Nadia Ho (14:32):

Yes, that's correct.

Jessica Denson (14:34):

Yep. So you're almost there.

Nadia Ho (14:35):

Yes, we are almost there. Volunteers are, have been very excited to work on this activity.

Jessica Denson (14:42):

Well, Danny and Jackson, thank you both for talking with me again. They're both with the range. And um, Nadia, you are with Guera, right? Yes, correct. Thank you all.

Jackson Wolfe (14:51):

Yep, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Nadia Ho (14:54):

Thank you very much as well.

Jessica Denson (15:00):

Still ahead this year we'll continue our coverage from CX Connections 2025 and talk with leadership from CX as well as other high profile speakers and those with broadband companies from across the country. Until then, I'm Jessica Denson and this is Connected Nation.