In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap, Pete Pizzutillo catches up with Chris McKenzie, VP of Network Operations at Rapid Fiber, while at Calix ConneXions 2025. Chris shares his unconventional journey from the music industry to corporate IT to rural broadband, and how that experience shaped Rapid Fiber’s fast-moving deployment strategy. In just two years, the team has grown from zero to 7,000 subscribers while building out their entire network—staying a full quarter ahead of schedule. He explains why they rejected traditional demand aggregation and instead marketed fiber availability feeder-by-feeder, dramatically improving customer satisfaction and community engagement.
Chris also breaks down how AI is quickly becoming essential for small, efficient broadband teams. Rapid Fiber is using automation to reduce truck rolls, stay ahead of network issues, and keep subscriber experiences strong. He also highlights the value of Calix ConneXions, where operators gain direct access to industry leaders and emerging technologies. Tune in to learn how Rapid Fiber is scaling rural broadband with precision, creativity, and AI-driven operations.
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In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap, Pete Pizzutillo catches up with Chris McKenzie, VP of Network Operations at Rapid Fiber, while at Calix ConneXions 2025. Chris shares his unconventional journey from the music industry to corporate IT to rural broadband, and how that experience shaped Rapid Fiber’s fast-moving deployment strategy. In just two years, the team has grown from zero to 7,000 subscribers while building out their entire network—staying a full quarter ahead of schedule. He explains why they rejected traditional demand aggregation and instead marketed fiber availability feeder-by-feeder, dramatically improving customer satisfaction and community engagement.
Chris also breaks down how AI is quickly becoming essential for small, efficient broadband teams. Rapid Fiber is using automation to reduce truck rolls, stay ahead of network issues, and keep subscriber experiences strong. He also highlights the value of Calix ConneXions, where operators gain direct access to industry leaders and emerging technologies. Tune in to learn how Rapid Fiber is scaling rural broadband with precision, creativity, and AI-driven operations.
Episode 468: Jeff Wabik on Data Center Design, Power Challenges, and Delivering True Reliability
The Broadband Bunch
40 minutes 47 seconds
1 month ago
Episode 468: Jeff Wabik on Data Center Design, Power Challenges, and Delivering True Reliability
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, host Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Jeff Wabik of DC BLOX for a tour of how modern data centers are conceived, powered, cooled, and connected—especially across the underserved Southeast. Jeff traces his tinkerer roots (think Heathkit computers at age 12) through launching one of the earliest ISPs in the late ’80s, to helping build DC BLOX’s “bunker-plus-connectivity” model and its evolution from regional edge facilities to hyperscale projects—including a Myrtle Beach cable landing station serving global web giants.
Jeff discusses what it takes—from site selection and power realities to five-nines reliability and Tier III design—to deliver on the simple promise of “doing what you said you would do.” He talks through today’s biggest constraints—grid capacity, generator and fiber lead times, and skilled labor gaps—and where innovation fits, from AI-assisted construction verification to smarter alarm reduction across tens of thousands of sensors. Along the way, he offers candid career advice (keep reinventing yourself—and don’t forget sunscreen) and a pragmatic view on on-site generation (natural gas today, nuclear tomorrow?) to meet AI-era demand.
The Broadband Bunch
In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, sponsored by ETI Software and VETRO FiberMap, Pete Pizzutillo catches up with Chris McKenzie, VP of Network Operations at Rapid Fiber, while at Calix ConneXions 2025. Chris shares his unconventional journey from the music industry to corporate IT to rural broadband, and how that experience shaped Rapid Fiber’s fast-moving deployment strategy. In just two years, the team has grown from zero to 7,000 subscribers while building out their entire network—staying a full quarter ahead of schedule. He explains why they rejected traditional demand aggregation and instead marketed fiber availability feeder-by-feeder, dramatically improving customer satisfaction and community engagement.
Chris also breaks down how AI is quickly becoming essential for small, efficient broadband teams. Rapid Fiber is using automation to reduce truck rolls, stay ahead of network issues, and keep subscriber experiences strong. He also highlights the value of Calix ConneXions, where operators gain direct access to industry leaders and emerging technologies. Tune in to learn how Rapid Fiber is scaling rural broadband with precision, creativity, and AI-driven operations.
