In this episode of The Broadband Bunch, recorded live at Fiber Connect 2025, Pete Pizzutillo sits down with Denise Manka, Vice President of Business Development at MP Nexlevel. Denise shares her journey from the housing industry to telecom construction, and how MP Nexlevel’s deep roots, culture, and national reach set them apart in the broadband landscape.

They discuss the evolving infrastructure needs driven by AI and data center growth, the urgency of disaster preparedness in telecom, and why the industry shouldn’t wait on BEAD funding to take action. Denise also previews MP Nexlevel’s upcoming broadband emergency response initiative, set to debut at Mountain Connect, and calls for smarter fiber builds and more proactive public policy to keep pace with digital demands.