Fiber Broadband Association Brings Fiber to Capitol Hill

Fiber Broadband Association Brings Fiber to Capitol Hill

Educational event welcomed Congress and Administration to learn about the many benefits of fiber broadband

WASHINGTON, D.C.—(May 6, 2024)—The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced the success of its second annual Fiber Day on the Hill event, held April 11 on Capitol Hill, with over 350 participants. The educational event is an opportunity for policymakers from Congress and the Administration to learn why fiber is the superior broadband technology to connect Americans to reliable, future-proof internet service and a world of new digital opportunities.

“Now is a critical time for the entire broadband industry. Policy is shaping when and how every American can connect to reliable internet. Many rural communities still can only access poor-quality broadband connectivity or have never been connected at all. Thanks to public funding initiatives, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure connectivity to these communities, but we have to get it right the first time—there is no ‘do over,’” said Marissa Mitrovich, Vice President of Public Policy at the Fiber Broadband Association. “FBA and its research serves as a resource to policymakers on the fiber broadband ecosystem and we were thrilled to host this year’s Fiber Day on the Hill and expand opportunities to share more about fiber broadband’s important role in allowing full participation in the digital economy, as well as the innovations it enables.”

Fiber Day on the Hill attracted representatives across Capitol Hill, including Congressional offices and the Administration, as well as FBA’s Board of Directors. Honorary co-chairs for the event were Senators Peter Welch (VT) and Roger Marshall (KS) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Troy Balderson (OH-12). Speakers at the event included Senators Peter Welch (VT) and Roger Marshall (KS) and Representatives Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) and Troy Balderson (OH-12). Also in attendance was Brandon Lang, a veteran who recently completed FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) program and now serves Frontier as a Sales and Service Tech.

The event also featured five interactive demo stations presented by FBA members that demonstrated what fiber is and how it improves U.S. households, communities, and the economy – including facilitating 5G, precision agriculture, education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

Over 40 members of the Fiber Broadband Association participated in Fiber Day on the Hill, including Adtran, AFL, altafiber, altice, Bekaert, brightspeed, Calix, Ciena, Clearfield, Inc., CommScope, Cooperative Broadband Coalition, Corning Incorporated, Crown Castle, C Spire, Dow, Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority (ESVBA), EPB, Frontier, Google Fiber, Graybar, Lumen, Lumos, Nex-Tech, NextLink Internet, LLC, Nokia, ofs, PLP, Prysmian Group, Status Solutions, TRAXyL, Inc., and UTOPIA Fiber.

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About the Fiber Broadband Association
The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policymakers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

Press Contact:
Ashley Schulte
Connect2 Communications for the Fiber Broadband Association
FBA@connect2comm.com