Welch Joins Fiber Broadband Association to Celebrate Bipartisan Momentum in Rural Broadband Deployment
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) for a public policy summit to discuss forward momentum in the deployment of fiber broadband networks to ensure digital equity and enable every community to leverage economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver.
“Whether you’re talking about Vermont or North Carolina, folks in rural America have got to have affordable broadband. You need it for the doctor, to start a business, work from home, and even go to school. We have to keep up the fight to ensure every house and farm on every dirt road has access to broadband,” said Senator Welch. “I’ll continue working across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions that expand high-speed broadband and get rural America connected.”
✨ Celebrate 25 Years of Fiber Excellence at the Fiber Connect 2026 Anniversary Gala ✨
Step into an elegant, black-tie evening dedicated to the trailblazers shaping the future of fiber. The 25th Anniversary Gala shines a spotlight on the innovators, changemakers, and industry champions whose work continues to move broadband forward.
Be part of a memorable night as we recognize outstanding achievements, reflect on the progress of the past quarter century, and look ahead to what’s next.
📅 Gala Date: May 19, 2026 🎟 Tickets are required and available through Fiber Connect 2026 registration here.
🤠This Could Be You - Compete in the Fiber Technician Competition at Fiber Connect 2026!
The OpTIC Path Rodeo returns to Fiber Connect 2026 as a high-energy skills competition for fiber professionals. Technicians and field teams go head-to-head in timed challenges that showcase the craft, precision, and problem-solving needed to build world-class fiber networks. It is equal parts competition and celebration of the people who power America’s digital future.
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When Fiber Shows Up, Prices Come Down
Competition in broadband is often talked about in theory – more providers should mean lower prices. But this week’s Fiber for Breakfast put real numbers behind what many in the industry have long suspected: not all competition is created equal.
Ernesto Falcon, Program Manager at the California Public Advocates Office, joined Gary Bolton to walk through new research from the agency and the University of California, Santa Barbara examining pricing behavior across California’s urban broadband markets. By focusing on dense cities – where deployment cost isn’t the primary barrier – the study isolated one central question: what forces incumbents to lower prices?
