Dear Fiber Broadband Association Members,
As we conclude the first half of 2026, the United States is entering one of the most significant infrastructure investment super cycles in modern history. Two transformative trends are converging: the continued expansion of fiber broadband networks and the rapid buildout of the infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence, quantum networking, and other emerging technologies. While often viewed as separate markets, both rely on the same foundational asset—fiber. As intelligence becomes increasingly distributed, data-intensive, and real-time, fiber is evolving from a connectivity platform into the critical infrastructure that will power economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness for decades to come.
At Fiber Connect 2026 in Orlando last month, we challenged our industry to consider the profound shift underway as the economy transitions from the Information Economy to what we describe as the Thinking Economy. The first era of broadband connected people to people. The second connected people to information. The third will connect people, businesses, and communities to intelligence. The infrastructure decisions being made today will determine how intelligence is created, moved, and utilized across the economy for generations.
The stakes extend far beyond universal connectivity. Artificial intelligence and quantum networking will reshape every sector—from healthcare and manufacturing to agriculture, transportation, public safety, and national security. The question is no longer whether these technologies will transform society, but whether every community will have the fiber infrastructure necessary to participate in and benefit from that transformation.
To explore these opportunities and challenges in greater depth, we have developed a comprehensive white paper based on my Fiber Connect 2026 keynote. I encourage you to read it and share your perspectives as we work together to build what we believe is becoming the nervous system of a Thinking Economy.
Read the white paper: Building the Nervous System of a Thinking Economy
FBA Performance
FBA continued its strong growth trajectory through the first half of 2026, with year-to-date revenue through May increasing year-over-year and exceeding budget expectations, supported by disciplined expense management.
Membership growth remained robust, with 40 net new member organizations added year-to-date, maintaining a healthy balance of operators and suppliers. Member engagement also continued to expand, with nearly 2,000 employees from member companies actively participating in FBA committees and working groups.
FBA has already hosted more than 10 member-exclusive events this year and is on track to deliver 30 in 2026. Upcoming member meetups will be held in Denver, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Tysons, and Washington, D.C., complemented by monthly virtual office hours and Lunch & Learn sessions that provide ongoing opportunities for collaboration, education, and industry engagement.
These results reflect the growing influence of FBA and the increasing value members place on the Association as the industry accelerates investment in next-generation fiber infrastructure.
Fiber Connect 2026
Fiber Connect continued its momentum in 2026, achieving a fifth consecutive year of record-breaking attendance and further solidifying its position as the premier global event for the fiber broadband industry. This year was especially significant as we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Fiber Broadband Association. The introduction of our anniversary black-tie optional Gala was a tremendous success, and we anticipate making it a permanent part of future Fiber Connect conferences.
Attendee feedback reached the highest levels in the event’s history, with exceptional ratings for conference programming, keynote presentations, educational sessions, the exhibit hall, and networking receptions. We also saw record participation on the conference’s final day during the AI and Emerging Technology Infrastructure Summit, highlighted by a keynote from Dr. Michio Kaku and in-depth discussions on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and the next generation of digital infrastructure.
The success of Fiber Connect 2026 reflects both the growing importance of fiber infrastructure and the industry's leadership role in enabling the technologies that will drive future economic growth and innovation.
Plans for Fiber Connect 2027 are already underway, including the introduction of the AI and Quantum Infrastructure Pavilion, a new dedicated expo hall space designed to showcase fiber infrastructure’s ability to support emerging capacity and latency dependent applications and services.
Regional Fiber Connect Workshops
As we head into the summer months and into the fall, our popular Regional Fiber Connect Workshop series continues in Bozeman, Montana, on July 21, in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 25, in Boston on September 24, and in Vancouver British Columbia on November 19. Each will dive into specific regional issues and challenges, as well as explore event specific topics such as Industry Impact, Precision Agriculture and Innovation.
FBA Documentary Expands Global Reach
We are excited to announce that beginning July 30, FBA’s documentary ThoughtWaves will be available on the YouTube SPARK Channel (@SparkDocs), a leading destination for science, technology, and documentary programming with a global audience approaching 2 million subscribers.
This new distribution partnership significantly expands the reach of ThoughtWaves, bringing the story of fiber broadband to a broader international audience. The documentary explores the evolution and convergence of computing, the internet, and fiber optics—and highlights how fiber has become the essential infrastructure underpinning today’s digital economy and the next generation of innovation.
As demand for AI, advanced computing, and next-generation networks continues to accelerate, ThoughtWaves helps tell the story of why fiber remains the critical foundation enabling our connected future. [ThoughtWaves - Xumo Free Documentaries | Xumo Play]
FBA Research & Industry Contributions (Q2 2026)
FBA’s committees, working groups, and research partners continued to deliver high-impact insights and best practices, including:
Public Policy Engagement
FBA’s Public Policy team significantly expanded its engagement with policymakers and industry leaders during the quarter, advancing the issues most critical to our members while positioning fiber as the essential infrastructure underpinning America's AI future.
The quarter concluded with a meeting at the White House, where FBA joined members of the Administration to discuss the increasingly vital relationship between artificial intelligence and fiber infrastructure.
FBA also hosted a bipartisan Capitol Hill briefing, Connecting the AI Future, featuring House Energy and Commerce Committee members Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) and Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), alongside leading academics and industry experts, to examine the connectivity requirements necessary to support the next generation of innovation.
To accelerate broadband deployment, FBA joined a coalition of industry associations advocating for passage of the American Broadband Deployment Act and launched a new advocacy toolkit designed to empower members to engage directly with policymakers and strengthen the industry's collective voice.
Beyond the Beltway, the policy team:
- Convened the Broadband Policy Upload at Fiber Connect 2026, a standout series of testimonials from industry leaders outside the fiber sector - spanning data centers, autonomous vehicles, healthcare, precision agriculture, and aging services - who underscored that their technologies cannot scale without the high-capacity, low-latency connectivity fiber provides.
- Engaged actively in key FCC proceedings, responding to the Commission's Communications Marketplace Report, filing reply comments in the Lifeline reform proceeding, and applauding the FCC's order modernizing copper retirement rules as a step that clears the path for greater investment in fiber infrastructure.
- Launched the Fiber Policy Lab series, including an Indiana roundtable featuring a fireside chat with Governor Mike Braun and senior state officials on positioning fiber as the backbone of AI-driven economic growth.
- Carried the fiber to industry forums, including the Pennsylvania Telecom Association Conference, WIA's Connect(X), and a first-ever AI and communications panel at the Practicing Law Institute.
FBA will host its 4th annual Fiber Day on the Hill & Public Policy Fly-In in Washington D.C. on July 15-16, convening together industry leaders and policymakers.
LATAM
During the first half of 2026, FBA LATAM Chapter continued to expand its influence across Latin America and the Caribbean through industry leadership, workforce development, and strategic engagement. The quarter was highlighted by the successful Fiber Connect LATAM event in Querétaro, Mexico, which attracted more than 500 attendees, including over 100 company directors and 35 C-level executives, and facilitated a private dialogue with Mexican government authorities. FBA LATAM also delivered six training programs during the first half of the year, certifying 180 professionals and further strengthening the region’s broadband workforce.
At Fiber Connect in Orlando, FBA LATAM brought together more than 140 regional executives through its dedicated LATAM program and hosted a strategic forum with leading Data Center Associations from across Latin America and the Caribbean, reinforcing its position as a key platform for digital infrastructure collaboration. Through expanded regulatory and public policy initiatives, including monthly regional intelligence briefings,
FBA LATAM continues to advance the Association’s mission, strengthen industry alignment, and build momentum for upcoming events in Guatemala and Chile later this year, events that are highly targeted at the data center and digital infrastructure market.
FBA OpTIC™ Path Fiber Optic Workforce Development
FBA’s OpTIC Path program has now graduated 1,640 students across 22 states, in collaboration with more than 36 educational institutions. Building on the success of the Fiber Optic Rodeo competition at Fiber Connect 2026, we will expand Rodeo events to all Regional Fiber Connect conferences—raising program awareness while continuing our partnership with OpTIC Path Distributors to support nationwide expansion.
The FBA Academy is slated to launch in the 3rd quarter, reinforcing our commitment to industry education. We still anticipate BEAD non-deployment funding will prioritize workforce development initiatives, accelerating the growth of our much-needed broadband workforce need to fulfill record demand for fiber deployment.
2026 Strategic Priorities
FBA continues to make progress on its key objectives:
- FTTH Expansion: Advancing toward 90% home passings and 50% connectivity by 2030
- Next-Gen Infrastructure: Supporting AI-driven fiber innovations (e.g., hollow-core and multi-core fiber)
- Public Policy Leadership: Strengthening engagement at federal and state levels
- Workforce Development: Scaling OpTIC Path™ and expanding training offerings
- Industry Engagement: Delivering world-class events, including Fiber Connect and global workshops
Looking Ahead
As we enter the second half of the year, a key strategic priority will be expanding our membership and engagement across the ecosystem to fully capture the opportunities created by the accelerating investment cycle in artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, and quantum networking.
At the same time, we will deepen our engagement with policymakers and industry leaders to elevate the role of fiber as the foundational infrastructure powering the next era of innovation. The industry conversation is rapidly evolving from connectivity to cognition—from connecting people and devices to enabling intelligent systems, AI-driven applications, and advanced computing capabilities.
In this new paradigm, fiber is no longer simply important infrastructure—it is indispensable national infrastructure. The performance, scale, reliability, and low latency required to support artificial intelligence, cloud computing, quantum networking, and next-generation digital services all depend on robust fiber networks. Simply put, without fiber, AI cannot achieve its full potential.
As demand for computational power continues to accelerate, the case for fiber has never been stronger. Our industry is building the infrastructure that will enable the next generation of economic growth, technological leadership, and societal advancement.
Under the leadership of Chair Ash Brown, the Fiber Broadband Association’s Board of Directors will play an active role in guiding the organization’s strategic planning efforts to ensure our members are well-positioned to capitalize on the next wave of fiber investment and opportunity. We look forward to closing out 2026 with strong momentum and entering 2027 prepared to accelerate fiber deployment and drive innovation that will elevate quality of life for generations to come.
As always, I am available by mobile phone (listed below) or email. If I or any member of my team can support you and your organization in accelerating fiber deployment and the technology innovations it enables, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
