The Fiber Broadband Association’s annual Fiber Connect conference, held in Nashville, brought together over 5,000 attendees to discuss deployment progress, policy developments, and technical challenges in fiber broadband. Following the event, I spoke with FBA's President and CEO Gary Bolton about the state of the industry, the role of private investment to compensate for the messy federal programs like BEAD, the impact of AI on network operations, and developments in both U.S. and Latin American markets.
Private Investment Takes the Lead
While federal funding programs like BEAD continue to slog through bureaucratic delays, private investment has surged ahead. With AT&T committing to 60 million homes and already passing 30 million, and other players like Frontier, T-Mobile, and Google Fiber aggressively expanding their footprints, the fiber boom is clearly not waiting on Washington.
The impact of this private sector drive is measurable. "Just those—AT&T and Verizon—will be 100 million homes," Gary said. Smaller operators are also making significant progress, from Brightspeed’s 5 million target to Consolidated’s goal of reaching 70% of its footprint.
Skills, Not Just Cables
A highlight from Fiber Connect 2025 was the “Optic Path Rodeo,” a competition spotlighting graduates from FBA’s fiber technician training program.
“We started with a cohort of 18 students and now have over 1,000 graduates—87% veterans—all fully employed,” Gary noted.
The rodeo underscored the critical labor challenge the industry faces and how targeted training can turn that challenge into a competitive advantage.
Rural Connectivity: Beyond the Race to the Bottom
When we discussed broadband access in rural and underserved areas, Gary Bolton made a strong case for prioritizing fiber deployments. Drawing on past experiences with programs like the Connect America Fund, he argued that lower-cost alternatives often result in repeat spending. “
Gary emphasized fiber’s ability to support not only home broadband, but also public safety, smart grid modernization, AI, and precision agriculture. “If the power company can get electricity to your house, we can get fiber there too,” he asserted.
While that view reflects fiber’s technical superiority, Maravedis holds a more technology-neutral stance, recognizing that fiber is not always the best or only solution for rural connectivity—particularly when deployment cost, terrain, and time to market are factored in. In many rural and hard-to-reach areas, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks can offer faster, more cost-effective broadband coverage.
FWA, especially using mid-band and millimeter wave spectrum, has shown strong performance in sparsely populated regions and can be deployed rapidly without the permitting and trenching fiber requires. Likewise, LEO constellations like Starlink have demonstrated potential in delivering broadband to isolated homes and communities where terrestrial networks are either too expensive or logistically infeasible.
Maravedis believes in a multi-technology approach: combining fiber where feasible, FWA where efficient, and LEO satellites where necessary. As our research has consistently shown, “one size does not fit all” in rural broadband. The goal should be universal service, not universal fiber—especially when communities need solutions now, not years from now.
The real challenge lies not in promoting one access technology over another, but in aligning deployment strategies with local realities, service requirements, and cost structures. As federal and private funds continue to flow into broadband, flexibility and pragmatism will be essential.
The AI Imperative
Artificial Intelligence has become a key driver behind the acceleration of fiber deployment. Beyond the need for greater bandwidth, AI is influencing how broadband networks are managed and optimized. AI enables predictive maintenance, improves fault detection, and enhances the overall customer experience by allowing providers to act on network issues before users even notice them.
The FBA has launched a dedicated AI Working Group, hosted workshops, and engaged with policymakers to emphasize the infrastructure requirements AI places on broadband networks—particularly the importance of high-capacity, low-latency fiber connectivity.
From the operator’s perspective, AI integration extends into the home environment as well. With the growing number of connected devices and mesh Wi-Fi networks, AI plays a role in managing in-home performance, optimizing traffic flows, and ensuring consistent quality of service. As homes become increasingly “smart,” fiber serves as the backbone needed to support AI-driven automation and real-time responsiveness.
Latin America’s Fiber Wave
The conversation also turned global. With growing involvement in Brazil and across the region, FBA’s Latin America chapter—led by Lisa Poe of Corning—is tracking just two years behind the U.S. in deployment terms but is punching above its weight on sustainability.
“Brazil is buzzing,” Gary said, citing ABRINT’s major congress and upcoming FBA events in Argentina. “There’s amazing activity, and a lot Latin America is teaching the rest of the world.”
Monetizing the Future
The evolution of fiber broadband isn’t solely defined by physical deployment—it also hinges on the viability of long-term business models. While operators have delivered faster speeds to stay competitive, this has often come with declining average revenue per user (ARPU), fueling a race to the bottom that threatens profitability. Offering more bandwidth for less money may win short-term market share, but it’s not a sustainable strategy on its own.
In response, many operators are looking beyond residential gigabit plans and exploring diversified monetization strategies. These include enterprise services, leasing of dark and lit fiber for middle-mile connectivity, and enabling smart grid modernization. Emerging use cases—such as fiber optic sensing for infrastructure monitoring and security—introduce new revenue streams that build on existing network assets.
At the same time, there are commercial segments that remain underserved. Multi-dwelling units (MDUs), particularly those in affordable housing and senior living contexts, present high-impact opportunities for targeted investment. These environments demand thoughtful deployment strategies that account not just for infrastructure, but also for equity, accessibility, and long-term service reliability.
Closing Thoughts
The momentum behind fiber broadband is broad and accelerating—spanning applications from artificial intelligence to precision agriculture, and extending geographically from industry gatherings in Nashville to deployment initiatives in São Paulo. Despite continued delays and complications within federal funding programs like BEAD, the broader ecosystem is advancing through private investment and regional partnerships.
It’s important to recognize that fiber does not operate in isolation. It forms the foundational layer of a larger set of technologies that together deliver the modern digital experience. Wireless networks, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), and satellite solutions all play complementary roles in enabling connectivity—especially at the edge and within the home.
Maravedis is an independent research and analysis firm founded in 2002. We focus on managed connectivity and the convergence of WiFi with 5G/6G. Contact us to learn more about our syndicated reports, custom research, consulting, and bespoke marketing services. We are recognized for our long-standing collaboration with the Wireless Broadband Alliance and our relationships with MSPs.