Fiber Connect 2026 to Spotlight How Fiber Powers AI, Agriculture, Healthcare, and the Future of Connectivity
This week FBA announced new thematic programming for Fiber Connect 2026, taking place May 17-20 in Orlando, Florida. Sessions will explore how fiber is advancing communities and industries “Light Years Ahead” with programs focused on AI-driven data centers, policy, precision agriculture, streaming and gaming, telehealth, and tribal connectivity.
“Across every sector — from households that work from home and game to farms, hospitals and data centers — applications are pushing networks to deliver greater capacity, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity than ever before,” said Jessica Koch, FBA Conference Chair and Controller at Consolidated Business Services. “Fiber Connect 2026 brings together the leaders building and operating these networks to explore how fiber infrastructure is enabling the next generation of innovation."
FBA released the following statement this week in response to the FCC’s draft Network and Services Modernization Order, which would streamline copper retirement and reduce regulatory barriers that slow investment in modern fiber networks:
“The FCC is recognizing what consumers and providers already know — copper networks can no longer meet the demands of today’s digital economy. By simplifying outdated rules and enabling faster technology transitions, the FCC has the opportunity to clear the way for greater investment in fiber infrastructure that delivers faster speeds, stronger reliability, and long-term economic growth. This is an important step forward in the Build America agenda and we applaud Chairman Carr for his leadership.”
- Gary Bolton, President and CEO, Fiber Broadband Association
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FBA’s ThoughtWaves film is now available on Amazon Prime TV on Demand!
ThoughtWaves captures the infrastructure challenge of our lifetime. More than a documentary, ThoughtWaves uncovers the seismic shift that fiber broadband and the internet are creating — just like electricity drastically changed our way of life a century ago. Today, fiber broadband is an essential utility powering modern life.
To watch, please click on the relevant link below:
Feel free to share these links with anyone you think would enjoy the film. We will share additional distribution updates as they are secured.
✨ Join us for the FBA Canada Member Mingle ✨
📍 Mississauga, ON 📅 Tuesday, April 14 | 5–7 PM local time
This exclusive networking event is your chance to connect with fellow FBA members and non-members, enjoy great conversations, build new relationships, and relax over light refreshments. A cash bar will also be available.
Fiber demand isn’t just growing — it’s accelerating in two directions at once. On this week’s Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton sat down with Mike O’Day to talk through what feels like a pivotal moment for the industry. The conversation centered on a simple but powerful reality: broadband expansion and AI infrastructure aren’t separate trends. They’re reinforcing each other in real time.
O’Day, who now leads optical communications at Corning, described an industry that is “sprinting” into 2026. On one side is continued fiber-to-the-home growth, with record deployment levels and millions of locations still to be connected. On the other is the rapid buildout of AI infrastructure – hyperscale data centers, massive GPU clusters, and the dense fiber networks required to connect them. Individually, either trend would be significant. Together, they are creating a level of demand the industry hasn’t seen before.
