Women of Fiber Connect Luncheon Brings Cross-Industry Leaders to Fiber Connect 2026
This week, FBA announced details for its annual Women of Fiber Connect Luncheon, taking place during Fiber Connect 2026. This year’s luncheon, themed “Strong Minds, Strong Bodies, Strong Communities,” will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026.
The program will feature a keynote address from Abby Farris Rogers, Executive V.P. and Chief Development Officer at YMCA of the USA, titled “Creating Connected Communities in a Digital Age.” The keynote will be followed by a Fireside Chat discussion with Ramsey Alwin, President and CEO of the National Council on Aging, in conversation with Ash Brown, Chair of the FBA Board, about navigating leadership and longevity.
Fiber Broadband Association Expands OpTIC Path™ Rodeo at Fiber Connect 2026 to Spotlight Workforce Skills Amid Industry Shortage
This week, FBA also announced the return of the OpTIC Path™ Rodeo at Fiber Connect 2026, building on the momentum of last year’s inaugural event with a larger field of competitors and exciting new challenges.
The 2026 Rodeo will take place on Monday in the Expo Hall, with bleacher-style seating to improve spectator viewing of the arena. This year, 12 technicians—double the number from the competition in 2025—will compete in a series of hands-on challenges designed to reflect real-world fiber work.
Fiber Broadband Association Urges House Leadership to Advance American Broadband Deployment Act
FBA today signed onto a multi-association letter urging House leadership to advance H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act. FBA released the following statement on behalf of Marissa Mitrovich, Vice President of Public Policy:
“Connecting every community with high-speed fiber broadband requires not only sustained investment, but the ability to deploy networks efficiently. Streamlined deployment benefits every stakeholder, from providers to local governments to the communities we serve. Yet permitting challenges remain one of the most significant barriers facing our members—slowing projects, increasing costs, and delaying critical connectivity for the communities that need it most.
“This legislation includes provisions to establish clearer, more predictable permitting timelines, contributes to nondiscriminatory treatment of broadband infrastructure, and creates greater transparency around fees and processes at the state and local level—steps that align with FBA’s long-standing focus on improving deployment efficiency and advancing the broadband economy.
“Accelerating fiber deployment is essential to closing the digital divide and ensuring the United States remains competitive in an increasingly connected, AI-driven economy.”
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👯♀️ Women in Fiber Mentoring Program! 👯♀️
FBA is now accepting applications for its Women in Fiber Mentoring Program, a professional development initiative that connects emerging leaders with experienced mentors across the fiber broadband industry.
The program helps participants build skills, expand their networks, and support one another’s career growth in a collaborative, inclusive environment. The committee is always looking for additional mentors who are interested in giving back, sharing their experience, and helping shape the next generation of industry leaders.
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.
Smart Funding, Smart Deployment — The Strategy Behind 100% Coverage
The path to universal broadband access isn’t just about building networks — it’s about aligning infrastructure, policy, and affordability in a way that actually works on the ground.
On this week’s Fiber for Breakfast, Gary sat down with Jeff Lopez of New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion to walk through how one state is trying to solve that equation in real time. What emerges is a model that goes beyond deployment alone, focusing on how access and adoption come together to close the gap.
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