Staying Connected

Hosted by TC2 & LB3

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

TechCaliber Consulting (TC2) and Levine, Blaszak, Block & Boothby (LB3) provide strategic business and legal advice to leading companies around the globe covering the procurement, deployment, and regulation of Information and Communications Technology. Our Staying Connected podcasts deliver insights, tips and market commentary from TC2 consultants and LB3 lawyers, collected from our work on the cutting edge of ICT procurements, deal negotiations, and regulatory proceedings.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 19, 202611 min

Upper C-Band, Cleared for Takeoff

The next phase of C-Band deployment is moving forward, but this time the wireless and aviation industries are operating under a more coordinated framework. The FCC's new Upper C-Band rules bring wireless operations closer to aircraft radio altimeter frequencies while adding stricter emissions limits, antenna-height restrictions, mandatory aircraft upgrades, firm transition deadlines, and a radio altimeter rebate program funded by auction winners. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by LB3 Partner Steve Rosen to discuss how the new Upper C-Band framework differs from the Lower C-Band rollout, what the FCC and FAA have done to address interference risk, and what wireless and aviation stakeholders should expect between now and full deployment. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice webpage.

October 19, 202611 min

Comcast and Equinix Push Network Sourcing Into the API Era

Comcast and Equinix are moving last-mile connectivity into an API-driven environment where customers can check availability, get pricing and place orders digitally. But faster ordering raises important questions: if the transaction becomes almost effortless, are the architecture, commercial terms, competitive checks and lifecycle controls keeping pace? In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Keith Cook to discuss what API-driven network procurement could mean for enterprise customers and why sourcing strategy increasingly needs to be built into the operating model. Tony and Keith explore how the enterprise can automate routine connectivity decisions without weakening pricing discipline, contract protections, diversity requirements or future flexibility. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Strategy webpage.

September 29, 202610 min

Back Billing, Recovery Rights, and the Cost of Billing Errors

Back billing and recovery provisions can look like routine contract language, but they determine who carries the financial risk of the supplier's billing errors. A supplier may have up to 12 months to collect charges it failed to invoice, while the customer may have a much shorter contractual window to recover amounts that were billed incorrectly. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Theresa Knutson and Jaime Hansen to discuss how enterprise customers should approach supplier back billing, audit recovery rights and the billing controls needed to protect both recovery of billing errors and the future run rate. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.

September 21, 202610 min

How to Escalate Supplier Problems Without Starting a War

Supplier escalation does not have to mean open warfare. When service quality drops, customers need more than frustration and another status meeting. They need a controlled escalation path built on facts, business impact, clear remedies and credible options. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Bryan Carriker to discuss how the enterprise can escalate serious supplier problems without creating unnecessary conflict. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts webpage.

September 13, 202610 min

Does "On-Net" Still Matter?

As suppliers use software and partner networks to deliver service across owned and third-party access, the old on-net/off-net distinction is becoming less straightforward. Customers may not need to manage every underlying circuit relationship themselves, but they still need to know who provides the access, what changes because of it and whether the supplier remains accountable when something goes wrong. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss what Lumen's Multi-Cloud Gateway expansion says about the changing network market and how enterprise customers should rethink sourcing questions around access, accountability, digital operating platforms and network diversity. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing & RFx webpage .

September 10, 202614 min

A Modern Expression of TC2 and LB3

TC2 and LB3 have recently completed a refresh of their brands and digital platforms to convey their breadth of capabilities, their depth of expertise and the sophistication of their work. In this 15-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by LB3's Andrew Brown and TC2's Ben Fox for a discussion about the exciting changes at our enterprise and what they mean for our future work with our clients. If you would like to learn more about the wide portfolio of technologies, services and expertise that TC2 and LB3 offer, please explore our new websites at www.techcaliber.com and www.lb3law.com .

September 4, 202610 min

Staying Ready Between Major Projects

Between big projects, customers deal with supplier quotes, change orders, renewal proposals, billing questions and "standard" terms that can create cost, reduce flexibility or simply set bad precedent. The challenge is staying commercially ready for such business as usual items without turning every supplier event into a full sourcing project. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Frank Zagrodnik to discuss how customers can stay ready between major sourcing projects by stress-testing supplier claims, validating quotes, reviewing change orders, monitoring renewals and preserving leverage while still moving at the speed the business requires. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Lifecycle Services webpage.

August 24, 20269 min

Comparing Cloud, Software, and Network Deals Without Getting Lost in the Math

Cloud, software and networking deals all sit under the enterprise technology umbrella, but they do not behave the same way. Enterprise customers need a benchmarking approach that compares lifecycle value, flexibility, operating reality and commercial risk without forcing dissimilar deals into a misleading math exercise. In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Brent Knight to discuss how customers can benchmark complex cloud, software and network proposals in a way that supports better decision making, stronger negotiation positions and clear internal alignment. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Benchmarking and Strategic Sourcing webpages.

August 24, 202610 min

HPE + Juniper: What Network Consolidation Means for Enterprise Leverage

The HPE-Juniper combination may create stronger technology options, but it also changes the competitive map for enterprise networking. Customers that once viewed HPE, Aruba and Juniper as distinct sourcing alternatives need to reassess how consolidation affects channel strategy, roadmap decisions, pricing leverage, and future flexibility. A broader supplier relationship can simplify operations, but it can also create dependency if the commercial structure makes it harder to compete, reduce or unwind parts of the technology estate. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss what the HPE-Juniper transaction means for enterprise customers and how they can protect leverage by revisiting supplier alternatives, asking roadmap questions early and negotiating portfolio deals with future options in mind. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.

August 24, 20268 min

Finding Run-Rate Waste Without Disrupting the Business

Run-rate waste often hides in the gaps between contracts, invoices, service inventories and operational ownership. In dynamic network environments, old services may keep billing after new circuits are installed, closed sites may retain active charges, and valid overlapping transition costs can quietly become permanent waste. Enterprise customers need a disciplined way to recover value without creating operational chaos. In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Jaime Hansen to discuss how enterprise customers can identify stranded services, validate pricing, separate planned migration cost from avoidable waste, and drive supplier remediation without creating service continuity risk. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Contract Compliance & Optimization webpage.