Fiber Forward Weekly: Gimme Fiber

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🎉GIMME FIBER DAY 2026🎉

FBA Honors EPB's Katie Espeseth with Dr. Kao Award

Each year, we celebrate Gimme Fiber Day on November 4 to commemorate the birthday of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Charles Kao, widely recognized as the “Father of Fiber Optics," and celebrate the transformative economic and societal benefits of fiber infrastructure worldwide.

Katie Espeseth, Vice President of New Products at EPB, has been named the recipient of FBA's 2026 Dr. Charles Kao Award, recognizing her longstanding leadership, commitment to advancing fiber infrastructure, and contributions to the growth and success of the fiber industry.

Read about Katie's Accomplishments

OSP Solutions Appoints Chad Punchard as President & CEO

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Inside DC Government’s Technology Playbook: Fiber, Cybersecurity, AI, and How OCTO Helps Keep the District Running 24/7

When most people think about local government technology, they probably think about websites, online forms, or cybersecurity. In Washington, DC, all of those things depend on the fiber network underneath them.

This week's Fiber for Breakfast looked at how the District is using that infrastructure to support government services around the clock. Gary sat down with Stephen Miller, Chief Technology Officer for DC Government, to discuss DC-Net, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, AI, and the work that goes into making government technology reliable enough that residents rarely have to think about it.

Miller described the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) as the District’s central technology operation, responsible for enterprise systems and services that keep DC Government operating 24/7. At the center of that work is DC-Net, the government-owned fiber network serving agencies, federal partners, and nonprofits across the city.

📖 Read the Full Summary | 📺 Watch the Full Episode

Fiber for Breakfast is sponsored by Amdocs.

🙌 Upcoming FBA Member Mingle 🙌

📆 Wed., Nov. 18 | Vancouver, B.C. | 5 PM local time

There is no cost to attend FBA Member Mingles. Remember to bring business cards to enter door prize drawings! RSVP to any of these events by emailing membership@fiberbroadband.org. Stay tuned for more upcoming Member Mingles and track all upcoming FBA events here.