Fiber Forward - Q4 2022

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That’s how much total economic benefit a newly-released independent study shows our community has realized in the 10 years since we completed Chattanooga’s community-wide fiber broadband network. In fact, we continue to see the many benefits of our smart city’s infrastructure. From education and innovation to job creation and real estate investment, our customers are realizing possibilities we could only imagine a decade ago. Needless to say, we are community fiber’s #1 fans, and we’re always happy to share our story with you.

epb.com/broadbandsolutions

* Independent study, conducted by Bento Lobo, Ph.D., head of the Department of Finance and Economics at the Rollins College of Business at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Gary Bolton, FBA President & CEO

Dear FBA Members,

As we head into the New Year, we celebrate the leadership and insights from our outgoing Fiber Broadband Association Chairman, Kevin Morgan. I have known Kevin and worked with him for over a decade at my former employer and when I was an FBA board member. Kevin has served 12 years on the board and was an extremely active FBA member prior to being elected to the board. He terms out this year and will be joining the Senior Council committee. Kevin shares his insights on the evolution of FBA over the past two decades and shares his beliefs and vision for the organization’s third decade in this edition.

Earlier this fall, FBA Board Member Scott Jackson and the FBA Supply Chain working group issued a very timely industry whitepaper, “Mitigating Supply Chain Challenges for Fiber Networks.” We shared this work with NTIA and the State Broadband Offices across the nation and the Supply Chain working group held an industry-wide webinar to discuss this topic and to provide insights on how to ensure that the fiber industry continues to move forward. You’ll find a recap of the webinar discussion here in the magazine.

On the technology front, I am excited about the amazing progress of the fiber industry as we now enter commercial deployments of 25G PON. The article “25G PON Continues to Advance” highlights how FBA members, large and small, are rolling out the latest technology.

“North Carolina’s Toolbox Approach to Closing the Divide” is a wonderful article providing insights on how that state is working to close the digital divide with different programs targeted at specific needs.

Our weekly “Fiber for Breakfast” webinars, occurring Wednesdays at 10 AM ET, continue to deliver very interesting topics and debates as they go into their third year of production. In October, we hosted backto-back weekly sessions with two of our industry’s top experts on rural broadband as they debated whether the

NTIA BEAD funding will be enough to close the digital divide. Fiber Forward Editor-in-Chief Doug Mohney did a wonderful job in capturing this debate in this month’s Fight Club article – “BEAD vs. Digital Divide – Enough Fiber for Rural America?”

I hope you enjoy our committee and working group updates and the recap of our wildly successful Regional Fiber Connect workshops at Copper Mountain in Colorado in these pages and more recently in Columbus, OH, which exceeded all our previous regional event records.

In 2023, we will continue our Regional Fiber Connect workshops in Raleigh, N.C., in February, Oklahoma City in April, Lake Tahoe in the summer, and Minneapolis in October. At these events, we will continue to offer our OpTIC Path Fiber Optic Technician “Train-the-Trainer” sessions as we ramp up the FBA training program to all 56 states and territories. You can read about the latest progress in delivering OpTIC path here in the magazine as well.

Before I close, I would like to highlight the service of Joanne Hovis, President at CTC, who will be terming out from FBA’s board in December. Joanne is one of the most insightful people that I know, and she has such an exceptional finger on the pulse of our industry. I have leaned on her over the years for key issues regarding public policy and delicate issues. Her leadership across our industry and with numerous State Broadband Offices is highly regarded. She will continue to serve FBA on our executive advisory committee.

This is an incredibly exciting time for everyone in the fiber industry as we work to close the digital divide. Our Association will continue to drive the industry forward as we accelerate our mission and realize our vision to drive Fiber Forward

Sincerely,

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Best Safety, Best Practices –

FBA’s Deployment

Specialists Committee

By Doug Mohney

With billions of dollars going into fiber projects over the next five years, the Fiber Broadband Association’s Deployment Specialists Committee is working to make sure construction is done in a safe and effective fashion.

“The Deployment Specialists Committee looks at the types of deployment, how they have matured since their inception, and what the challenges and considerations are for the actual shovel work that goes into installing fiber with other infrastructure,” said Brendan O’Boyle, FBA Deployment Specialists Committee Chair and Western Regional Sales Manager – Communications Markets at Preformed Line Products. “We’re all about safety, not marketing or the business case for fiber. We’re making sure we are promoting proper locating of fiber, avoiding damaging critical utilities and potential for injury or loss of life. We also explore what new deployment mediums are available that others may not be aware of.”

Fiber is a very benign medium but putting it into the ground or on utility poles can create significant problems if not done properly. “The high risk is the heavy equipment used to dig trenches, bore, and bucket trucks in proximity to power lines,” said O’Boyle. “Training is required to understand what we’re doing in the process of deploying fiber so as not to damage ourselves, others, or critical infrastructure.”

The “Safety First” mantra begins at training technicians and understanding the type of fiber deployment being undertaken, especially when it comes to deploying fiber on poles alongside electric lines. High voltage lines present a specific hazard that can easily injure or kill a field technician while unmarked or mismarked underground utility lines can be damaged or lead to a gas explosion.

One safety area that the FBA is trying to draw attention to is utility locates. Unmarked or mismarked utility lines not only lead to obvious safety risks, but can also lead to unnecessary outages, including fiber breaks. “The data from the Common Ground Alliance shows fiber operators damage fellow fiber operators more frequently than they damage other utilities,” O’Boyle said. “If broadband carriers aren’t participating in the CGA reporting, it doesn’t enable the fiber industry to tell the full story,” O’Boyle said. “We need to explain that safety is our top priority. The way we need to do that is through our actions, not our words. We want to make sure we are elevating safety to the forefront by being involved in entering the damage metrics.”

The Deployment Specialists Committee is also working to promote technology to accelerate fiber deployment and further improve safety for those installing fiber. “Microtrenching has been around for over 15 years. Based on our member data, it is the primary method that fiber is being installed today,” said O’Boyle. “A lot of people look at it as being immature or potentially dangerous and neither of those are true. Tens of millions of feet have been deployed at this point across the US. Unless we explain to legislators that they need to push for regulators to allow or give special exception for microtrenching, we aren’t going to be able to deploy fiber to make the timelines that BEAD requires. I’m not saying everything has to be microtrenching. We just need to help people understand that it’s not as dangerous based on what they’ve heard or an opinion someone may have shared at a trade show, it is quite the contrary.”

Excavator with very narrow bucket cleans the bottom of a mini trench in town performed for the construction of a fiber optic network. Source: Adobe Stock.

Is BEAD Enough?

By Doug Mohney

What does it take to close the digital divide and deliver high-quality, high-speed, low-latency broadband to every household in the country? Is $42.45 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Development (BEAD) program money over the next five years enough to expand fiber internet access to every rural household in America?

Some people believe that BEAD will be more than sufficient to finish the job of lighting up every rural household in America, regardless of cost. Others are more skeptical and think more money will be required once BEAD is finished to cover the remaining extremely highcost areas that will remain out of reach without substantial capital expenditure.

YES: BEAD Is Plenty

No stranger to the economics of rural fiber and the baseline assumptions of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Plan published over a decade ago, Jonathan Chambers, Partner at Conexion and former FCC Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning is adamant that there’s enough money and fiber is the only choice to connect rural America.

Chambers made his case in an October 12, 2022, Fiber for

Breakfast webinar, bringing plenty of points to the table. According to a 2010 estimate by McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm retained by the FCC, it would cost over $300 billion to bring fiber to every rural household in America.

“At the same time the consultants were preparing the national broadband plan, they were also preparing the budget for the FCC,” Chambers said. “The FCC had determined that it would spend about four and a half billion dollars annually for rural broadband. So, simple math, four and a half billion dollars a year over 10 years was the budget, $45 billion. That’s not sufficient if you thought it was more than $300 billion for fiber.”

Chambers said the FCC made a series of decisions to exclude so called “extremely high-cost areas” from broadband finding, “dumb down” the broadband standard to 4 Mbps/1 Mbps, and examine alternative technologies as being “sufficient for rural America, even though the FCC believed they were insufficient for the rest of the country.”

“It was the mismatch between the budgeting, projections, and the cost and amount of funding the FCC had available, which led to a decade’s worth of misspent funds and a digital divide,” stated Chambers.

The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.

“Which of course included that when the country needed broadband most during the pandemic, with an inability to travel and work and go to school in person, Rural America was left out.”

Since that time, two factors have come into play that Chambers believes makes fiber broadband affordable to even the most high-cost areas. Competitive bidding built into previous federal programs has managed to drive down the cost to connect a rural home at around $2,000 per location. “Sometimes it’s a little more, $2,500 up to $3,000,” Chambers stated. “Sometimes it’s a little less, but on average, the tens of billions of dollars that has been spent over the last few years and allocated for fiber construction typically works out to about $2,000 per location, on average, on less dense areas. That should be one guidepost for budgeting how much money is necessary for fiber to the home.”

Secondly, detailed analysis by Conexion through its experience in working with electrical cooperatives on broadband projects shows federal funding already invested and committed through programs such as USDA ReConnect, CARES Act, and ARPA will cover a lot of unserved and underserved territory even before BEAD funding comes into play.

“What’s going to be left for BEAD after ARPA?” Chambers asked. “We estimate the number across the country is going to be fewer than 10 million [locations]. Fewer than 10 million locations times $2,000 per location leaves a lot of extra money.” That extra money can be applied to providing service for extremely high-cost locations with competitive bidding keeping the overall costs lower.

NO: BEAD Doesn’t Come Close

Others believe BEAD just begins to close the connectivity gap, scoffing at the average cost estimates suggested by Chambers.

“This idea that we can get to all these remaining households with only $2,000 in support per location is ridiculous,” said Larry Thompson, CEO of Vantage Point Solutions. “There are areas in California where we have clients that have construction costs of $400,000 a mile with only three customers per mile. I don’t think people really understand how rural some areas of our country are and how difficult some areas are to construct. When I laid out one of our client’s exchanges in Montana, it averaged 0.17 customers per square mile.”

Thompson has put a lot of thought into the challenges of funding universal network coverage, putting them down into a white paper published by his company titled, “Cost of Bringing Broadband to All.” Vantage Point Solutions

has been engineering fiber to the home networks for two decades and the 500-person company has worked on projects in 40 states.

“We have a good grasp on what it costs to build broadband networks in these areas, what the construction issues and location densities are,” Thompson said. “Our best estimates are that we’re going to need a lot more money than BEAD.”

How much more? Vantage Point estimates there are 18.8 million unserved households in the U.S. as of June 2020. On top of that, there are another 45 million households in the U.S. that fall into the NTIA’s definition of underserved with less than 100/20 Mbps service that will have to be upgraded as well.

Vantage Point’s recent work assisting 80 companies bidding for FCC RDOF money produced numbers that averaged $12,000 per location across 16 different states, an estimate he believes is “on the low side” because firms were ignoring more difficult, extremely high-cost areas when bids were being generated a few years ago.

Factoring in “modest inflation” of eight percent annually, Thompson estimates that providing fiber connectivity to the 18.1 million unserved locations at $15,000 per location will run up a bill of $256 billion just for capital expenses. The actual number may be higher because the white paper model hasn’t been adjusted for the large amounts of inflation over the last two years dueå to supply chain and labor shortages. Upgrading the 27 million underserved to fiber would cost between $6,000 and $9,000 per location, which adds anywhere from $140 billion to $220 billion to the tab.

Thompson concedes that his estimates are based on FCC F77 census tract data that lags by about 18 months during which some broadband has been deployed, but the total amount of money needed is still going to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. “There’s been quite a bit of an investment, but not at the magnitude that we’re going to need to substantially reduce that number of unserved and underserved households,” he said.

WINNER: To Be Determined

Labor shortages, supply chain issues, and inflationary issues will drive up the cost of construction in the future. At the same time, there have been substantial investments through federal funding programs such as ARPA that will also make an impact before BEAD funding goes into full swing.

Beyond that, there are no clear answers other than Thompson’s closing comment to Fiber Forward – “We’ll know in about a decade who’s right.”

Building the OpTIC Path™ of Training

By Doug Mohney

Since the launch of Fiber Broadband Association’s OpTIC Path™ fiber optic training program, there has been some name refinement and considerable growth for the 144-hour certification program since the pilot launch this spring. As of October 1, the FBA is in discussion with over 40 institutions in 32 states and two countries outside of the U.S. making OpTIC Path available everywhere it is needed, reducing the need for students to travel to learning institutions.

“Every day I get interest from a community college, service provider, or contractor,” said FBA Vice President of Research and Workforce Development Deborah Kish. “We want to have the course offered through workforce training programs in all 56 states and territories.” Telecom research firm RVA LLC estimates that up to 205,000 new fiber-related jobs will be created by 2026.

Originally called OpTIC™, Kish said it was necessary to expand the name for clarity purposes. “OpTIC is an acronym for Optical Telecom Installer Certification,” stated Kish. “People started confusing the training course with the FBA Optics newsletter, so we added ‘Path’ to differentiate between the two. It’s a play on words since path is used in optics and photonics and we are creating a path to a telecom certification and ultimately a longlasting career.”

The pilot OpTIC Path training program took place this spring at Wilson Community College in Wilson, North Carolina, with eight of the nine students successfully completing the certification course. The next set of classes is anticipated to take place this fall with Alcorn Electric, North East Mississippi Community College, Vermont Tech, and Old Dominion University in Virginia all offering the program. For 2023, so far Bossier Parish Community College, S&N Communications and Learning Alliance Corporation will be offering OpTIC Path in the first quarter and Wilson Community College will

be running another class in the spring.

Of the eight graduating students in the pilot class, seven were already employed by service providers while one was hired by Greenlight Community Broadband. One of the other graduates-- already a Greenlight employee but in a different role than fiber technician -- found himself using his new skills two days after graduation to help restore service after severe weather ended up snapping cables.

OpTIC Path’s “Train the Trainer” sessions are proving to be popular as well. “We had 28 participants in at the Train the Trainer session at Fiber Connect 2022 in Nashville,” said Kish. “The next live Train the Trainer will take place in Columbus, Ohio in early November at the Regional Fiber Connect event. We plan to have at least one in-person Train the Trainer session at a forthcoming 2023 Regional Fiber Connect as well as the national Fiber Connect conference in August 2023. We will also start offering a remote Train the Trainer class by the end of 2022.”

FBA is working to have OpTIC Path certification recognized by the industry as an essential factor in hiring. “Essentially we want FBA OpTIC Path to be the Cisco CCNA of the fiber world,” Kish stated. “A person with the OpTIC Path certificate is a more desirable hire due to the amount of hands-on in-class work he or she has completed as well as the deep knowledge provided in our course.”

While Kish is happy with the course content and certification process, she’d like to see a younger and a more diverse group of people enrolled in the future. “I’d really like to see more women in this career,” she said. “We also need to attract young people to the industry. We don’t want to be in the same position five years from now where there are a more people on the retirement track and no one in line to do the installs.”

Students in FBA’s OpTIC Path program learn about fiber installation during the course. Source: FBA.

25G PON Continues to Advance

By Doug Mohney

Enthusiasm for 25G PON is literally worldwide, with AT&T, EPB, Google Fiber, and LUS Fiber among the service providers that have made commitments to deploy the technology in their networks. Other operators who have publicly conducted 25G PON trials include AIS (Thailand), Bell (Canada), Chorus (New Zealand), CityFibre (UK), Delta Fiber, Deutsche Telekom AG (Croatia), Fiberhost (Poland), Frontier Communications, Hotwire (USA), KPN (The Netherlands), Openreach (UK), Proximus (Belgium), Telecom Armenia (Armenia), TIM Group (Italy), and Türk Telekom (Turkey), according to an October press release from the 25GS-PON Multi-Service Agreement (MSA) Group organizing 25G PON interoperability.

cost continues to come down. Deploying 25G PON is expected to provide a competitive advantage against cable providers talking about rolling out multi-gigabit DOCSIS 4.0 services in the future.

But Google Fiber isn’t waiting. The company announced it is launching 5G and 8G symmetrical home services in early 2023 at price points of $125/month for 5G and $150/month for 8G and has teased speeds as high as 20G, according to its public blog posts, with it expecting to compete against at least one cable company and one or more fiber providers down the road.

“The reception for 25G PON has been extremely positive,” said Mark Klimek, Business Center Leader, North America, Nokia. “The prevailing technology these days is XGS-PON. With our portfolio, effectively when you buy XGS, you get a 25G-ready network. It’s a very reasonable path to better compete into the future. Toward that end, we’ve already shipped over one million 25G-capable ports.”

One of the primary advantages of 25G PON is that it can happily coexist with existing GPON and XGS-PON networks as a wavelength overlay, so network operators can easily deploy it as a rolling upgrade onto an existing network as needed where needed.

Nokia has seen operators announce 5G, 8G, and 10G symmetrical services based on 25G PON, with an initial expectation that most operators will first deploy the service to support mobile backhaul and enterprise applications. “They want to be able to offer an actual 10 gigabit symmetric service,” said Klimek. “For that you need 25G PON.”

Nokia doesn’t initially expect 25G PON to be a residential technology beyond some applications in high-density MDU environments, with overall deployments being to ramp up in the second half of 2023 and moving into a mainstream deployable technology in 2024 as

For EPB, embracing 25G PON is part and parcel of its primary mission to the community it serves. “EPB has made a commitment since 2010 to keep Chattanooga on the cutting edge with the best internet speeds and capacity available,” said J. Ed. Marston, Vice President, EPB. “We were the first to roll out 10G PON in 2015. When the 25G PON technology became available, it just made sense for us to implement that technology as well.”

EPB’s implementation of 25G PON is part of a major overall network upgrade with core network capacity being boosted to 100 Gbps. The 25 Gig internet service isn’t cheap at $12,500 per month for commercial users, but that’s expected to change over time. “As when we were the first to launch 1 Gig and 10 Gig services, we’re ahead of the market” Marston said. “As use cases and the adoption rate increases, we’ll proactively identify when we can adjust pricing.”

EPB’s anchor customer for 25G PON is the ChattanoogaHamilton County Convention Center, the first in the world. In combination with a technology upgrade funded by Hamilton County and the City of Chattanooga, the 25G deployment will support the Wi-Fi 6.0 access points throughout the convention center, providing unprecedented wireless service for visitors and users of the facility.

We see 25G as a tool for attracting new companies to our community.

– J. Ed. Marston, Vice President, EPB

“When we’re talking about 25G, we’re talking about capacity, not just speed,” said Marston. “Individual devices can’t make full use of 25G speed. They just don’t require that kind of bandwidth. But if you have hundreds or thousands of devices that need broadband at the same time, the 25G service is a really good option.”

EPB projects that it may identify somewhere between three to five 25G customers in the next 12-24 months, with potential users including entertainment venues, video production, health care facilities, MDUs, and educational institutions, but there’s not a specific goal or quota in mind.

“We see 25G as a tool for attracting new companies to our community,” Marston said, reflecting on how EPB’s initial gigabit fiber and 10G fiber deployments enticed new businesses and investments to the Chattanooga area.

“We’re actively engaging with the economic development groups in our community to utilize our community’s cuttingedge fiber optic network as a tool for business recruitment.”

Louisiana-based LUS Fiber also believes that deploying 25G PON is as much of a community service obligation as a technology upgrade. “LUS Fiber is proud to be known as a pace setter as we continue to push the limit of innovation,” said Ryan Meche, Director of LUS Fiber. “It’s surprising that gig service has grown to 10G service for not only industrial super users but now also residential customers. Moving

toward offering 25G PON is the next natural evolution. Providing speed and capacities this large will significantly help communities thrive. Technology is constantly changing, and we’re excited to stay on the forefront of what’s coming next.”

Implementing 25G PON is part of LUS Fiber’s larger core network upgrade to 100 Gbps, like EPB’s plans. LUS has several trial customers working with the 25G PON service, including one in the oil and gas industry moving around large amounts of data. Meche believes there’s significant potential for 25G PON for cellular use. “As we continue to grow and expand, 25G PON positions us to provide residents and businesses with this high-speed, low-latency service,” he said.

Service pricing is still a work in progress as LUS continues to work with customer premise equipment costs. “Some users want and need the best, but there’s going to be some price sensitivity,” Meche said. “We’re testing the market and hoping to keep it affordable.”

Larger service providers trialing 25G PON include Cox Communications and Frontier, but they’re being more circumspect. “We continually assess network technology upgrades and expansion that broaden our product portfolio, including the deployment of 25G PON for business customers, but don’t have any specific plans to share at this time,” said Todd Smith, Assistant Vice President, Public Communications, Cox Communications.

EPB Field Service Technician J.T. Shankles installs Nokia 25G PON. Source: EPB.

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FBA Public Policy Committee Update

By Co-chairs Ariane Schafer, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google Fiber,

Champion, VP Government Relations, C Spire

USDA RUS Administrator

On October 6, President Biden appointed Andy Berke Administrator of the Rural Utilities Services (RUS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is excited to see Andy in this position given his long-term advocacy for broadband. During his tenure as Mayor of Chattanooga, he established a first-of-its-kind program to expand free high-speed internet service to families with children receiving free or reduced lunch at school. Most recently, he served as a Special Representative for Broadband at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and was a keynote speaker at Fiber Connect 2022.

BEAD Program Advocacy

FBA is leading an effort with 10 other industry associations to conduct a monthly educational webinar series for state broadband leaders, NTIA, communities, ISPs, and key stakeholders focused on key topics relating to the $42.56 billion NTIA program implementation and deployment.

On September 14th, FBA joined forces with NTCA and INCOMPAS to present the first industry webinar on “Broadband Supply Chain Mitigation Strategies for NTIA BEAD.” FBA then collaborated with WIA to deliver the second industry webinar on October 12th on “Leveraging BEAD for Workforce Development.” Upcoming topics include a December 14 session on Permitting/Rights of Way and a January 11 session on Cybersecurity. More information on the webinar series and replays can be found on the FBA website at fiberbroadband.org/webinars.

NTIA Federal Broadband Funding Guide Update

NTIA issued an update to its Federal Broadband Funding Guide site on September 19, 2022. The Guide contains information on all federal government broadband funding opportunities across all organizations. The site includes broadband funding opportunities and information on more than 80 federal programs across 14 federal agencies, including programs for high-speed internet-related activities such as planning, infrastructure deployment, and digital inclusion.

Middle Mile Programs Progress

The NTIA Middle Mile Grant program has closed. There were 235 applications asking for a total of $5.5 billion in funding, over five times the size of the grant program. Grants are expected to be available in the middle of the first quarter of 2023.

FCC Broadband Mapping Update

The first version of the new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Broadband maps is expected to be out by early December, with challenges available around the fabric of the maps and with service provider data. Based on the map challenge processes, FBA doesn’t expect initial proposals for BEAD money at the state level to occur until the third quarter of 2023.

September Capitol Hill Activities

FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton and FBA Public Policy Committee member and Corning Federal Policy Manger Jordan Gross met with Congressional staff in September to discuss the importance of fiber, its key role in today’s economy, and the need to invest in future-proof, long-lasting infrastructure. There was a good response from members from both sides of the aisle. Republicans are going to lead on permitting reform for broadband construction as it is crucial that broadband projects aren’t bogged down in red tape and are expected to attach permitting reform to legislation this year. House Republican and Democratic committee staff have been invited to be guests on a Future Fiber for Breakfast webinar to discuss broadband as a bipartisan effort.

State Activities and Actions

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have amended the state’s universal service program. Newsom objected to a “shot clock” for the PUC to issue grants. Affected by this veto was legislation that would have shown preference to fiber programs. The bill is expected to be refiled in December and started next year.

and Chris

Fiber Broadband Association works with local, state and federal policy makers and regulators to articulate the value of fiber. Source: Adobe Stock.

Mitigating Supply Chain Challenges for Fiber Networks

By Doug Mohney

Building a fiber network is a complicated project in the best of times, dependent upon hundreds of different items in various quantities arriving when needed. Each item has to be created from raw materials and components into a finished product, which then is shipped from a manufacturer to a distributor and ultimately to the end customer to incorporate into their final network.

ongoing supply chain challenges and presents examples of how to protect fiber-related projects from the effects of supply chain stressors. It will help companies carefully plan to overcome current challenges and build more robust systems and processes to buffer them from future challenges, keeping fiber projects on time.

By Doug Mohney

Pandemic supply chain disruptions over the past two years have increased shipping prices and added delays measured in weeks and months, with shippers and manufacturers adjusting to spot shortages and seeking alternative suppliers. In addition, the fiber industry is ramping up for boom demand over the next five years due to substantial federal, state, and private sector investments taking place across the world.

In September, the Fiber Broadband Association published the “Strategies to Mitigate Bottlenecks in the Current Fiber Broadband Supply Chain” white paper. Created by the FBA Supply Chain Working Group, the white paper examines the

The Supply Chain Anatomy

“The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the critical need for fiber broadband to support education, health care, and work from home,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “The white paper offers multiple strategies for service providers in the fiber broadband ecosystem to alleviate issues, including how to pursue stronger partnerships, long-range planning, highlevel design optimization, changing how companies recruit and train their labor force, and smarter technology options to plan and maintain stocking levels.”

Creators of the supply chain white paper discussed their research and findings in an October webinar. “Demand has outpaced supply,” said Scott Jackson, National Broadband

The pandemic introduced multiple complications to getting goods and services delivered.

Source: FBA Supply Chain Working Group.

Market Manager at Graybar, Fiber Broadband Association Board Member and Chair of the Supply Chain Working Group. “We’re going to see massive amounts of funding, historical in this industry. Everyone’s trying to keep up and build capacity. What’s important is careful planning and implementing mitigation strategies is critical.”

Backlogs and Waiting

Supply chain challenges have been identified to include raw material shortages, assembled component challenges, labor shortages, increased costs across the supply chain, and shipping and logistical delays.

In the summer of 2022, lead time for fiber optic cable was anywhere from 52-60 weeks, cables and splitters 10-20 weeks, multiport terminals 20-30 weeks, hand holes 22-26 weeks, and home equipment anywhere from 3-6 months lead time. Despite pandemic supply challenges, the fiber broadband industry added 12 percent more homes in 2021, Jackson said, with 60.5 million households now served by fiber. But issues continue throughout the fiber broadband ecosystem.

For example, optical electrical components for ONTs are affected by both material shortages and shipping costs. “The lead times for front-end raw materials have gone up greatly,” said Jerry Cederland, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, Calix. “Lead time for some components is out at 50 to 60, even 78 weeks at this point. The raw materials shortages are starting to turn around. When it comes to increased costs, we were paying $2,000 to $3,000 for a container coming to the United States from Asia pre-pandemic. It got as high as $24,000 [during the pandemic] to get a container into the United States. It’s now down to $7,000 to $8,000, but the costs have increased and may stay up there.”

Cederland noted that the semiconductor industry has invested heavily into new fabs and plant in the U.S. and around the world, which will cause them to keep pricing up through the end of the year in the short-term until consumer demand goes down on the electronics side.

“My advice is plan out as far as you can,” Cederland stated.

“It would be good to have a two-year forecast of where you think you’re going to be and make sure your manufacturing partners have that information. They can plan out and make sure they have the capacity and they’re in line to support those products in the future.”

Even something as straightforward as making a fiber cable requires roughly a dozen major components, each of which depends on their own raw materials suppliers, said John George, Senior Director, Solutions and Professional Services, OFS. “When you drill down to the supply chain for an optical cable, there can be hundreds of different components that have to be sourced,” George stated. “A shortage of any one of those can cause a delay. During that pandemic lockdown period, there were lot of situations where factories weren’t able to operate at full capacity while we had this huge demand [for fiber] and it created a big backlog.”

Finding skilled labor is especially challenging due to record low rates of unemployment.

Todd Heyne, Chief Construction Officer at ALLO Communications, continues to wrestle with that issue, and while good for the economy, is less so if you need employees. “The Nebraska unemployment rate is at a history low at 1.7%. One of the counties where we are actively building out, it’s 0.8% unemployment. It’s an extremely tight labor market. As of August, there are still more jobs in the state of Nebraska than there are people to fill them if everyone just took a job.”

ALLO’s workforce availability is “a little bit better” in Arizona and Colorado, two other states where they have active construction projects. “They’re setting at 3.4% and 3.5% unemployment,” Heyne said.

In such a tight labor market, ALLO is focusing on the managerial level to make sure they’re getting the quality employees they need. “We want to make sure we’re getting great teammates who want to be career ALLO employees and focusing on that as well as implementing exceptional training programs,” Heyne stated. “We can take someone who might not have telecom experience and bring them up from a zero level to a fully contributing member of the team in a very rapid fashion. We do that through a series of

The Distribution Chain

The FTTx supply chain: manufacturers source raw materials from multiple tiers of suppliers; make a finished product to sell to distributors and/or directly to network operators/sometimes contractors; network operators perform and/or contract out part or all of the build

Building a fiber network involves a large number of parties building things and putting them together. Source: FBA Supply Chain Working Group.

classroom training as well as on-the-job training.”

Pre-pandemic, ALLO was around 500 employees but is now “well over” 1,000 and continues to grow, Heyne said. Labor shortages aren’t limited to construction but are industry-wide, as another webinar panelist noted for his own company.

our distributors, working with manufacturers, just to get a better understanding of what the demand looks like, what the consumption looks like. When we used to plan on ten to 12-week fiber deliveries, it’s pretty easy to do. You start talking about lead times of one year or more, you’ve really got to start early on understanding what the true demand of the project looks like.”

Manning said Shentel has done a lot with its internal standing meetings with engineering and construction teams to establish a forecast, then communicate that with the distributors it works with for supplies. It also goes a step further and works with manufacturers as well.

Raw Material Challenges –Optical Cable

• 72M miles of US fiber demand in 2021

• 109M miles of fiber was produced in 2021

o 37M miles of fiber surplus (34%) was exported

o Glass fiber supply can be shifted from export to domestic use

• Optical cable in short supply

o Petroleum, resin, helium, neon, methane, steel, copper, aluminum, wooden reels

“Just to echo some of what Todd said, we’re looking to get talent that maybe isn’t experienced in the field,” said Jeff Manning, Vice President of Operations at Shentel. “How do you get them trained up and to full production as quickly as possible? We use a mix of in-house and third-party contractor talent. We’ve shifted a little bit in some areas, where we are bringing in even more in-house talent to areas like our drop-bury crews. We were almost exclusively outsourced. Bringing in some internal resources provides some additional flexibility when there may be a particular area where there could be a contractor shortage. Contractors can move around from location to location, and some would move from our drop-bury business into construction and leave us with a shortage.”

Shentel has been “fortunate,” said Manning, because the company is both a LEC and a cable company and has been able to “retool” telecom and cable technicians to transition to fiber roles. “Training programs are certainly critical to be able to fill the gap and fill it quickly,” Manning said. “You have to train and get technicians and construction labor up to speed and more quickly than we have in the past so we can get to full production, that’s been a focus of ours.”

Multiple Mitigation Strategies

Manning and Heyne discussed how the pandemic has changed the way their companies work internally and externally. “When you see the lead times that are represented, you certainly have to change the way you work with new partners in building out these networks,” Manning said. “For us, that meant changing the way our internal relationships work. How are we working with our engineering teams and our construction teams on the forecasting? How are we changing the relationships with

“Communication has been key and making sure that everyone’s in sync,” said Manning. “Everyone is fully clear on what the roadmap looks like. Understanding through those relationships if distributors and manufacturers can meet the demand or not. In some cases, it’s going to be a ‘No,’ but that lets us know we’ve got to look for a different avenue to fill that supply. So that’s been the key thing for us…we know there’s going to be misses…the earlier we know about it, the better we can react or if it’s a change on our side, the earlier we can communicate those changes, the better.”

Much like Shentel, ALLO does the same sort of longerrange forecasting to spot potential bottlenecks, but Heyne attributes an additional aspect beyond communications.

“What we’ve historically done and we continue to do today is really build partnerships,” said Heyne. “Our vendors are part of our team and an integral part of our success, or quite frankly, failure. If we don’t have that partnership, and we don’t have that trust to have open and honest communication about what the challenges are from their perspective as well as from our perspective, no one does well.”

Having open and honest communications with vendors and treating them as partners has helped in times where suppliers have run into difficulties to meet deadlines. “They had the trust in us to know we wouldn’t immediately fire them and move on to another vendor. It’s having that trust (cont. on page 56)

There are numerous components involved in building the cornerstone of fiber networks –optical cable. Source: FBA Supply Chain Working Group.

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Fiber Broadband Association Enters Third Decade –A Retrospective with Kevin Morgan

As the Fiber Broadband Association enters its third decade of operations, conditions are prime for the organization’s continued long-lasting success. In June, the association had a record 387 member companies for the North American chapter on the books, representing a 77% rate of growth since 2020. States are putting billions of federal ARPA dollars and their own budgets towards closing the digital divide while the IIJA is steadily moving forward with delivering $45 billion in BEAD funding over the next five years.

“The Fiber Broadband Association has come a long way in the last twenty years from its humble roots as the Fiber-toThe-Home (FTTH) Council,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO. “We have and continue to be a single and effective powerful voice in Washington D.C. to make sure the industry is heard. The next decade will be pivotal for all of our member companies and, most importantly, for the cities, towns, and communities receiving and taking advantage of the transformative power of fiber broadband.”

To memorialize FBA’s journey and discuss where the organization is headed in the future, Fiber Forward talked with the outgoing board Chairman Kevin Morgan, who got involved with the organization in 2008 and previously served as Chairman in 2015 and 2019. During his twelve consecutive years of service on the board, Morgan has watched FBA grow from its beginning steps through today. You could say he knows where the conduit is buried.

“Kevin got plugged into the Marketing Committee and the Program Committee,” said Joseph “JJ” Jones, FBA Vice Chair. “He was a faithful advocate of the industry and exposure from that got him elected to the FBA board. He’s just so good with people, he’s very relatable. He brings a

lot of common sense to the board and treats people right, and to me that’s helped him sustain his involvement with the board and continue to be reelected over the years.”

Outgoing FBA board member Joanne Hovis praised Morgan as well. “Kevin is extremely adept at building board members, staff, and management, collaboration and camaraderie, and really approaching the work we do in a collaborative and team way,” she said. “He was a mentor to me from early on. He is a remarkable leader with such extraordinary dedication to the fiber industry.”

Education – The First Decade

In FBA’s early years as the FTTH Council, fiber-to-the-home was a novelty. The organization spent its energies educating the industry, policy makers, and the public on the advantages of fiber, but one firm’s move into the space shifted the discussion onto another level. Verizon’s trailblazing work showed it was technically and economically possible to build and operate a residential fiber broadband network.

“I joined FBA when I was at Adtran in 2008 and became a board member in 2010,” Morgan said. “The name of the association at the time was the FTTH Council, Americas. Everyone was big into DSL at the time while Verizon FiOS was rolling out. Verizon was right out of the gate, doing whatever they had to do to deliver fiber to the home. They did a lot in those early years and they bled on that hill, God bless them. We learned a lot as an industry.”

Meanwhile, interest in fiber as more than a long-haul medium began to grow worldwide.

“The FTTH Council in North America was the initial

By Doug Mohney

Kevin Morgan addresses the sold out crowd at Fiber Connect 2022. Source: FBA.

organization and we reached out and helped to start FTTH counterparts around the world,” Morgan said. “We helped form FTTH Councils in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. We became the FTTH Council Americas. In 2009, regional businesses in Latin America formed a chapter [FBA LATAM] within the organization to provide a home for providers in that region.”

When Google announced it was getting into the fiber business in 2010, it uncovered and unleashed a demand for high-speed broadband that few realized existed. “We had 1,100 applicants who wanted to be the first Google Fiber City,” Morgan said. “It was a turning point for the market and a great time for the FTTH Council to be in the space and the focal point for all things fiber. It created a critical mass of suppliers, engineering firms, and services providers who all needed to come to a common place for knowledge and information. And that’s the critical role the FTTH Council played at that time.”

Accelerating Fiber Deployment – The Second Decade

Google’s entry into the fiber world caused a demand shift in the market, opening the eyes of established telcos and local municipalities. It incentivized smaller companies to get into the fiber market and lead to community broadband projects, Morgan said. “If you were a utility, municipality, or a small independent telco, you realized you could build a fiber network because the demand was there. You didn’t need to have Google, you could do it yourself.”

It also pushed fiber construction into a phase of construction simplification. “With Google looking at new ways of doing things to lower cost and speed construction, the industry got into plug and play,” he said. “Instead of having to splice every connection, you could use connectors and techniques that didn’t require highly-skilled labor to do everything. It removed a barrier to construction because you didn’t need a technician for every part of the network. That allowed more homes to be connected and passed.”

As the FTTH Council entered its second decade, fiber deployments accelerated around the world both in terms of deployment speed and overall numbers. The era of building networks in earnest had begun. As fiber deployments grew beyond their initial expectations, so did the mission of the original organization.

“In 2016, we changed our name from the FTTH Council to the Fiber Broadband Association,” said Morgan. “As we started to think about where the market was headed, we didn’t want to be pigeonholed into the ‘home.’ Fiber was going to be everywhere, in buildings, enterprises, cell towers, data centers. It was a critical change to the brand and where we needed to be. Today, fiber is everywhere, enabling 5G and delivering multi-gigabit services to homes and businesses alike.”

Converging Onto Digital Equity – The Third Decade

With the latest round of federal funding through ARPA and BEAD being put into delivering low-latency gigabit speed broadband and closing the digital divide, FBA is once again in the right place at the right time to continue to speak for the community at large.

“The Fiber Broadband Association is a channel by which all stake holders have a single voice around the idea of fiber deployment,” Morgan said. “We’ve made a very intentional effort on the board to make sure we put all of wood behind one arrow, one single thing. As the voice of the fiber industry, it’s been the key to keeping us effective in bringing together a diverse set of members that are competitors in the marketplace. By pooling resources, we make sure all boats are rising with the tide, especially when it comes to influencing government policy as a trade association.”

As the association has grown, so has the number of committees. “When I joined in 2010, we had a technology committee, a conference committee, and a public policy committee, plus an international committee at the time because we were loosely organized around the world.”

Kevin Morgan speaks at FTTH Council event in 2015. Source: FBA. Kevin Morgan shares insights during the welcome reception at Fiber Connect 2022. Source: FBA.

Morgan said. “Today, we’re at 15 committees, with nine subcommittees and working groups. The more committees we have, the more opportunities it gives our members to engage and contribute. As we grow, we have more ways for members to contribute in a very tangible way.”

But FBA has new challenges to address in its third decade as well. “With the huge demand curve shift triggered by the pandemic, suppliers and equipment manufacturers are stepping up, but there are issues, specifically supply chain, labor shortages, and sustainability,” Morgan said. “We’re starting to address things beyond FBA’s traditional technology focus. For labor, our OpTIC Path course is

Improving the in-home experience is another area FBA and its members are working on. “As we get higher and higher bandwidth delivered to the home over the fiber optic network, the handoff from fiber to in-building wireless systems can cloud the experience,” Morgan said. “We’ve got to improve that experience. We have a technical committee putting together recommendations on how to make that happen, so you get the same gigabit speeds within the home and office as you would from the fiber at the entry point.”

FBA will also continue to promote the advantages of fiber over other network technologies. “Speed is one

a long-term effort to address the need for skilled fiber technicians over the next five years as the industry grows. With the supply chain, the telecommunications industry has raised issues about fiber quality, where it is produced, and the security of the network, with questions around some suppliers being able to provide secure product. In response, we formed the Trusted Fiber committee to examine and address these concerns.”

Sustainability is increasingly important worldwide. “We’re reached to the European FTTH Council because we know sustainability is an important aspect for them as well,” Morgan said. “One of the attributes about a fiber network is that it uses less power compared to other types of communications technologies, especially copper and fixed wireless. Having fiber means you have less cars on the road, since you are enabling work from home and telehealth, so it leads to a better environment.”

characteristic, and the ability to seamlessly upgrade network speeds without extensive capital expense,” Morgan said. “Latency is another. If you look at applications like AR, VR, and the Metaverse, latency is critical. Concurrency is also crucial to the Metaverse, being able to have multiple applications running at the same time over the same connection, all at the same level of service. You can’t do that without the symmetrical bandwidth that fiber delivers. I think we’ll hear more about the importance of concurrency in the future, especially for virtual workgroups leveraging videoconferencing.”

Due to by-laws, changes he helped enact, Kevin will be terming out from the board. “I’m really proud being a thirdtime chair,” he said. “The term limits were designed to ensure we have fresh opportunities for new faces to come on the board and become influencers. So, I will be transitioning to our Senior Council committee.”

The Fiber Broadband Association is a channel by which all stake holders have a single voice around the idea of fiber deployment,” Morgan said. “We’ve made a very intentional effort on the board to make sure we put all of wood behind one arrow, one single thing.

– Kevin Morgan, Outgoing FBA Board Chairman

Kevin Morgan cuts the ribbon opening the Expo Hall at Fiber Connect 2022. Source: FBA.

Kevin Morgan enjoys the content at a general session keynote during Fiber Connect 2022. Source: FBA.

Fiber Forward magazine is proud to recognize the young, emerging leaders within its ranks, shining a spotlight on individuals recognized by their companies and peers as making substantial contributions to their organizations and to the community at large.

We received over 80 submissions from nearly as many companies. Due to time and space limitations, we could not feature them all. Congratulations to all the nominees listed below for being recognized by their peers as contributors within their communities and companies.

Chris Alben, Manager Comm Data Business, Broadband, Graybar

Lindsay Brinker, Advertising Solutions Supervisor, Nex-Tech

Ashley Brown, Senior Director, Field Marketing, Adtran

Josh Carmack , Administrator of Network Operations , GoSEMO Fiber/SEMO Electric Cooperative

Aaron Cooper, Sales & Partner Manager, Comsof

Luis Fillipe Couto de Araujo Pereira, Solutions Consultant Fiber Optics , VIAVI Solutions

Shakti Dash, Managing Director, Copilot Networks

Alexa Edens, Director, Cloud Service Providers, KGPCo

Pat Edwards, Product Manager, VETRO, Inc

Luke Ervin, Regional Manager, Ervin Cable Construction, LLC

Mitch Ervin, Director of Operations, Ervin Cable Construction, LLC

David Gibbons, Owner & CEO, Black Bear Fiber (dba of Centre WISP Venture Company, LLC)

Ryan Greene, Electrical Engineer, Loveland Pulse (City of Loveland)

Kiley Gregory, National Sales Manager Fiber Optic Division, Channell Commercial Corporation

Tanna Hanna, Director of Marketing, ALLO

Andrew Hmielewski, Director of KUB Fiber Operations, Knoxville Utilities Board

Michelle Hohlier, Manager of Sales & Business Development, OEC Fiber

Solomon Howes, CEO/Visionary, Backbone Fiber Systems LLC

Andy Johns, VP, Marketing, Pioneer Utility Resources

Carson Joye, Product Line Manager, Cable, AFL

Rachel Karvia, Associate Account Executive, VETRO, Inc.

Kyle Leissner, Owner & President, WireStar Networks

Nicolai Long, Applications Engineer, Hexatronic

Josh Luthman, CEO, Imagine Networks

Tanner Lyle, Network Operations Engineer, Nex-Tech

Daniel Masters, Product Specialist, Hexatronic US

Tim May, General Manager, Direct Communications - Rockland, Idaho

Trenton McVicker, Manager of TV and Network Operations, OEC Fiber

Jason Moore, CEO, co-founder, RouteThis

Nick Moyer, Network Technician II, OEC Fiber

Lee Mudd, President, RLM Underground

Matt Peaster, Network Expansion Manager, C Spire Fiber

Zachary Peres, President, KwiKom Communications

Grey Pittman, Director, Customer Experience, GEOGRAPH Technologies, LLC

Brett Powell, Inside Sales Manager, Adtran

Eric Rajchel, PE, Engineer, Vantage Point Solutions

Daniel Romer, Director of Sales, Sterlite Technologies, Inc.

Fernando Rubio, Manager of Engineering, Superior Essex Communications

Tristan Saint, Inside Sales Manager, Adtran

Matthew Schneider, Marketing Specialist, Pioneer Connect

Erika M. Shaughnessy, Product Manager, Southwire

Cole Smith, CEO, Aptitude Internet

Andrew Stone, OSP Engineer 1, Ritter Communications

Derick Summers, CAD Technician, Nex-Tech

Joe Valen, Director of Rentals & Leasing, Millennium

Alp Yaldir, Director of Operations and Systems, Wire 3 LLC

Nathan Zehringer, General Manager, Independents Fiber Network

Fiber Under Forty – A Snapshot of FBA’s Upcoming Leaders and Doers

By Doug Mohney

As Fiber Forward credits the contributions of past board members such as Mike Hill, Joanne Hovis, and Kevin Morgan in this issue, so too must we consider the efforts of the many rising talents working at FBA member companies, including construction companies, equipment and fiber manufacturers, telecom and electric co-ops, service providers, and others in the fiber ecosystem.

From the many submissions we received, we selected a cross-section of 21 people spanning job titles from CEO and Director to Network Engineer and Marketing Manager in organizations big and small. We wanted to provide a snapshot of the many FBA people in the office and out in the field building the companies and networks that are fueling the communications infrastructure of this century.

Ben Bawtree-Jobson, CEO, SiFi Networks

Ben became CEO of SiFi nearly a decade ago at the age of 25. Since joining the company, he has been instrumental in its formation and growth as it has raised nearly $2 billion towards building privately-financed large scale multi-tenant open access networks in the United States. Last year, SiFi Networks announced plans to launch open access networks in 30 cities by the end of 2022, with the expectation of passing 40,000 homes per month by 2023.

Ben has also championed the company’s FiberCity Aid program to help households most in need to benefit from a subsidized subscription. The combination of SiFi Networks citywide infrastructure and FiberCity Aid subsidized rates will help to close the digital divide, giving digital equality for the entire community, which has a knock-on effect of positive social change.

Matt Becker, Market Manager, U.S. Communications, PLP

Ben Bawtree-Jobson, CEO, SiFi Networks

Matt Becker, Market Manager, U.S. Communications, PLP

Nate Buhrman, CFO, ALLO Communications

Josh Collver, Regional OSP Construction Manager, Irby Utilities

Zachary Cronauer, Fiber Network Manager, Blue Ridge Communications

Brandon Curry, Network Engineer, Alcorn County Electric Power Association

Alex King, Director of Broadband, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC

Sean Kio, Executive Director, Northwest Fiberworx

Nicole Lajousky, Network Engineer, Hawaiian Telcom

William Marx, Head of Government Affairs, DZS

Ryan Meche, Director of LUS Fiber, LUS Fiber

Ksenia Michel, Assistant Vice President, Product Marketing, AT&T

Matt Peaster, Network Expansion Manager, C Spire Fiber

Jenna (Wandres) Rave, Director, Fiber Projects, Google Fiber

Charlene Roux, Solutions Marketing Manager, VIAVI Solutions

Joel Schneider, Network Operations Supervisor, Nex-Tech

Jeremiah Sloan, CEO, empower delivered by Craighead Electric

Jessica Slow, Regional Manager, Ervin Cable Construction, LLC

David Smith, Chief Network Officer, Lumos

Claudia Tarbell, Senior Engagement Manager - Tribal, Indigenous & First Nation Communities, Calix

Kayla Wade, Senior Manager of Fiber Marketing and Subscriber Support, OEC Fiber

Matt started his career at PLP in 2012 as a technical support engineer and steadily rose through the ranks holding the positions of Product Marketing, Engineering, Product Manager and Communications, before obtaining his current position of Market Manager, U.S. Communications.

Over his decade plus career in the telecommunications industry, Matt has initiated and led several product development projects that created new, advanced fiber solutions for network providers. He has created parts for internal fiber optic management, storing and routing componentry, and mounting hardware; been responsible for new product development projects for PLP’s telecommunications market; developing and marketing new products for OSP, including splice closures and trays, routing and fiber storage products, cable retention hardware, and mounting hardware; and is responsible for U.S. customer support for bid proposals, product life cycle management, and P/L statements.

Nate Buhrman, CFO, ALLO Communications

Joining ALLO as Chief Financial Officer in 2017, Nate has been instrumental in the company’s growth from five small Nebraska markets to over 30 markets in three states today. He has overseen the execution of over $600 million in capital deployment across Nebraska, Colorado, and Arizona for new fiber builds, with his efforts and fiscal executive oversight leading to the largest expansion of

fiber in Nebraska by any competitive company. Managing a staff of 10, Nate is engaged on all ALLO financial decisions and cost control measures and deftly communicates financial requirements and achievements to ALLO’s investment partners.

Josh Collver, Regional OSP Construction Manager, Irby Utilities

Josh joined Irby Utilities two years ago as the Regional OSP Construction Manager. He heads a team of five OSP construction managers and has worked with them to develop needs-based professional development programs. The monthly training sessions are open not only to his team but any employee in Irby, enabling the company’s staff to further develop their skills and expand their capabilities and confidence as leaders. Josh’s attention to details and project awareness lead to his largest project being 1.5 years ahead of schedule.

In a recent closeout session, his construction team hit KPIs with near-perfect accuracy, with a 2% variation between projected and actual costs – a physical difference of 23 feet in total between the build from estimate. His leadership is enabling Irby to complete OSP projects more accurately and efficiently, providing cooperatives and municipalities with faith in the company’s operations.

Zachary Cronauer, Fiber Network Manager, Blue Ridge Communications

Starting his career as an Outside Plant Engineer, Zac has worked his way through Blue Ridge as a Headend Technician, FTTH Design Engineer, as well as Head of Fiber Initiatives. He is responsible for all fiber optic-related training, standards creation processes, procurement, and

next-generation technology at Blue Ridge Communications.

Zac has been a key decision-maker in Blue Ridge’s XGSPON network update and is frequently seen speaking at industry events and engaging with the industry through a large following on LinkedIn. As the subject matter expert for the company in all fiber characterization and troubleshooting of fiber optic cable, he has built and implemented the fiber training course for all Blue Ridge technicians since he understands the importance of skilled workers.

Brandon Curry, Network Engineer, Alcorn County Electric Power Association

Brandon started his career in fiber with an internship at C Spire as an installation tech running cables, later moving into a position as a member of the company’s hosted voice core engineering team. He spent almost a year at FiberRise as a network engineer before joining Alcorn County Electric Power Association’s subsidiary, ACE Fiber.

At ACE Fiber, Brandon’s work in design, operations, and production led to ACE running three years ahead of schedule. He has also been instrumental in leading and planning the core curriculum for training and certifying fiber network technicians within North Mississippi.

Alex King, Director of Broadband, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC

Under Alex’s leadership, Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Member Corporation (EMC) has grown by thousands of broadband customers, miles of main line fiber, and secured nearly $14 million in grant funding for the Young Harris,

Alex King, Blueridge Mountain EMC. Source: Blueridge Mountain EMC.

Brandon Curry, Alcorn County Electric Power Association. Source: Alcorn County Electric Power Association.

Charlene Roux, Viavi Solutions. Source: Viavi Solutions.

Claudia Tarbell, Calix. Source: Calix. Jenna Rave, Google Fiber. Source: Google Fiber.Jessica Snow, Ervin Cable Construction. Source: Ervin Cable Construction

Georgia area. He has done an exceptional job of getting fiber-optic internet to some of the most unserved and underserved areas in Blue Ridge’s territory, leads an inhouse team, and works with outside contractors to get the jobs done.

Sean Kio, Executive Director, Northwest Fiberworx

Sean has been integral to Vermont’s technology scene for many years, starting as the Marketing & Public Relations Director at Burlington Telecom, where he focused on community support and consumer education, providing awareness of technology-related resources in Vermont rural communities.

At the height of the pandemic, Sean was a founding member of Northwest Vermont Communications Union District, and was elected board chairman in August 2020. When the time came for the organization to hire an Executive Director, Sean was brought in to fill the role. He unified all the communities in Northwest Vermont seeking to build fiber to nearly 30,000 locations, developing what is now known as Northwest Fiberworx from the ground up.

Nicole Lajousky, Network Engineer, Hawaiian Telcom

Nicole has been a Network Engineer with Hawaiian Telcom since 2018 and has been a valuable member of the company’s Strategic Fiber Development team since 2021. Focusing on underserved areas primarily on Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island, Nicole plays a critical role in expanding fiber to where it is needed in the state and serves as her team’s key training resource for engineers, including those new to Hawaiian Telcom.

Nicole finds her work in fiber expansion particularly rewarding because the result is enhanced digital equity, especially for Hawaii’s underserved, rural communities. She is also an active member in supporting her community and Hawaiian Telcom’s volunteer activities to assist local nonprofit organizations.

William Marx, Head of Government Affairs, DZS

William joined DZS as Head of Government Affairs in April of 2022. In addition to managing relationships with over 100 existing customers in the U.S., he has spearheaded outreach to several communities in need of reliable, high-speed broadband service. For example, William played a major role in facilitating DZS’ recent partnership with Digital Connections, Inc. and West Virginia-based Harrison Rural Electrification to bring fiber broadband and voice services to underserved West Virginian communities. He has been instrumental in helping spread awareness of government funding opportunities such as the recent $1 billion Middle Mile Grant (MMG) program.

Additionally, William regularly meets with elected officials and decision-makers from organizations like the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), and the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) to discuss how best to invest in the growth of the fiber industry. He currently serves as a member of the FBA’s Public Policy Committee, offering key insights into strategic funding and deployment of fiber technology at all levels of government.

Joel Schneider, Nex-Tech (R). Source: Nex-Tech.Josh Collver, Irby Utilities.

Source: Irby Utilities.Kayla Wade, OEC Fiber. Source: OEC Fiber.

Ksenia Michel, AT&T. Source: AT&T. William Marx, DZS (Couch, white shirt). Source: DZS. Matt Peaster, C Spire. Source: C Spire.

Ryan Meche, Director of LUS Fiber, LUS Fiber

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Ryan graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and joined LUS Fiber as an intern and worked his way through multiple promotions throughout his 18-year tenure with the organization, becoming its director in 2021. He served in a variety of roles including Network Engineer, Engineering Manager, and Chief Engineer that gave him invaluable experience for taking over the top leadership role.

Today, LUS Fiber operates one of the nation’s largest municipal fiber-to-the-home networks. Ryan has led his team in making significant contributions to its continued success through securing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding, enabling LUS to expand throughout Southern Louisiana, including some of the most dramatically unserved areas of the country.

Ksenia Michel, Assistant Vice President, Product Marketing, AT&T

As Assistant Vice President of Product Marketing at AT&T, Ksenia is responsible for understanding what the company’s fiber customers want and need, as well as predicting those needs in the future. In 2018, she was involved in AT&T’s marketing shift from legacy copper broadband to the high-speed internet of fiber. The transition caused a sea change for AT&T, its customers, and the industry.

It is Ksenia’s hard work and consistent future-forward approach that drives AT&T Fiber forward. Today, Ksenia’s team is responsible for developing an audience framework that strategically weighs customer demographics

and propensity to buy, geographical nuances, brand relationships, and other critical, expanded context.

Matt Peaster, Network Expansion Manager, C Spire Fiber

Matt plays a key role in C Spire’s fiber expansion, working with the company’s data analytics, network operations, and financial planning and analysis teams to identify new geographies ripe for fiber expansion and coordinates efforts to develop cost-effective plans for deploying C Spire’s retail and wholesale services to those areas. It’s a difficult job that involves understanding all aspects of C Spire’s business and then working closely with a diverse set of teams and executives to drive consensus toward the company’s growth goals.

Additionally, Matt coordinates C Spire’s growing efforts to identify and secure new public funding streams that are critical to reaching unserved and underserved communities with the symmetric, gigabit services they need to thrive.

Jenna (Wandres) Rave, Director, Fiber Projects, Google Fiber

Jenna has spent most of her career working to make fiber-to-the-home the standard in this country. As the public relations lead for Google Fiber for its first four years, Jenna was the original lead advocate for expanding FTTH at Google and, by virtue of her efforts, through the entire industry. She developed the narrative around the necessity for and the economic impact of making gigabit speeds broadly available, creating a demand and excitement in cities across the country for embracing the vision of what gig access means to communities.

Matt Becker, PLP. Source: PLP. Nate Buhrman (foreground), ALLO Communications. Source: ALLO Communications.

Nicole Lajousky, Hawaiian Telcom. Source: Hawaiian Telcom

Sean Kio, Northwest Fiberworx. Source: Northwest Fiberworx.

David Smith, Lumos (center). Source: Lumos. Zachary Cronauer, Blue Ridge Communications (blue shirt) Source: Clearfield).

Jenna was a key player in Google’s selection of, and rollout of service in, the first wave of Google Fiber cities — a key milestone in creating the inevitability of a Gig, not just for Google but for the entire industry. She is currently the Director of Google Fiber’s Project Management Office (PMO), leading a team of 10 people who captain every major project at the company. As such, she is the youngest member of Google Fiber’s executive leadership team.

Charlene Roux, Solutions Marketing Manager, VIAVI Solutions

With over 15 years of experience in the fiber industry, Charlene has held multiple positions in VIAVI ranging from a product manager responsible for a large global fiber portfolio to her most recent role leading go-tomarket efforts for market segments like Hyperscale and Data Center Providers. She is an accomplished engineer, marketer, and well-rounded business professional focused on driving real value to customers, digging deep in researching new technologies and discovering how VIAVI can leverage technologies to solve specific customer problems and create new opportunities for customers to efficiently grow and scale their businesses.

At industry events or customer visits, Charlene regularly seeks out opportunities to truly understand customers/ users, then applies a technology lens to address customer objectives. Leveraging her rich educational background, Charlene is also an accomplished inventor and currently holds three patents in her name alone.

Joel Schneider, Network Operations Supervisor, Nex-Tech

In 2005, Joel joined Nex-Tech as a help desk technician and worked his way through the company into Research and Development and as a network engineer. He was promoted to Network Operations Supervisor in 2020. Today his responsibilities include overseeing Nex-Tech’s 10,000 square mile MPLS 100 Gigabit transport network and its DWDM network providing connectivity to Tier 1 internet providers and other services such as backhaul for cellular providers.

Joel was instrumental in leading team efforts with the testing and validation of new hardware and software solutions to upgrade Nex-Tech’s network to its current, 100 Gigabit MPLS core. He has exceled in finding ways to connect small communities to Nex-Tech’s fiber network, creating one of the most redundant and resilient core networks in Northwest Kansas.

Jeremiah Sloan, CEO, empower delivered by Craighead Electric

After serving as an officer in the US Air Force, Jeremiah joined Craighead Electric as an electrical engineer and immediately began making an impact. He subsequently volunteered to help with leading Craighead Electric’s broadband subsidiary, empower, where he was successful in deploying one of the first and largest broadband projects

in Arkansas. During this time, he also helped to found Diamond State Networks, a cooperative-owned wholesale middle mile network connecting 13 of Arkansas’ electric cooperative networks - one of the first networks of its kind in the country. Today, Jeremiah serves as CEO of Craighead Electric, bringing together his deep levels of expertise and vision for both electric utility and broadband networks.

Jessica Slow, Regional Manager, Ervin Cable Construction, LLC

Jessica is Ervin Cable Construction’s first female regional manager. Starting right out of high school, Jessica has spent her career making Ervin Cable what it is today. From billing and invoicing, to now running projects in multiple states, she has been an integral part of developing and managing Ervin’s rural FTTH projects in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.

David Smith, Chief Network Officer,

Lumos

David has been an integral part of Lumos for over 10 years. He helped lead the team that rebuilt the core network in 2016 to meet Lumos growth and was part of the integration leadership for the acquisition of North State in 2020 while becoming responsible for all technical operations for the division.

During the separation from Segra, David played a lead role in representing Lumos and identifying asset ownership and commercial agreements that were executed at close. Today, Smith leads over half the company personnel while Lumos has built more fiber addresses than any previous year along with adding the most new customers in its history.

Claudia Tarbell, Senior Engagement ManagerTribal, Indigenous & First Nation Communities, Calix

Prior to joining Calix, Claudia spent five years helping to build Mohawk Networks, a broadband provider that serves the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesane, New York. She fully understands the broadband challenges Tribal communities face, what it takes to be successful, and the positive impact broadband has on quality of life if you get it right. She’s passionate about the impact of economic development that broadband can have on indigenous communities because she’s lived it.

Kayla Wade, Senior Manager of Fiber Marketing and Subscriber Support, OEC Fiber

Kayla has been with OEC Fiber since its inception four years ago. During that time, she built a marketing team of six and has led and coached her team with grace while they have built and launched a new website, developed marketing plans for new product offerings, and while the company successfully deployed new equipment to OEC subscribers.

Most recently, Kayla has taken on the role of managing and restructuring the Subscriber Support team, adding eight more people to her team. Kayla has implemented new processes and training opportunities for her team so that they can ensure the best support for OEC Fiber’s 30,000 subscribers.

The Latest Fiber on the Road –Regional Fiber Connect Workshop, Colorado 2022

By Nadir Noon, Marketing Manager, Fiber Broadband Association

By the time this issue of Fiber Forward is printed, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) will have hosted four Regional Fiber Connect Workshops in 2022, helping communities across the U.S. get access to the information and resources needed to deploy fiber broadband infrastructure with federal and state funding and close the digital divide.

With a goal of helping state and local leaders, local communities, and key stakeholders optimize the opportunities of BEAD and other broadband funding programs, the event series brought together over 1,000 attendees, speakers and exhibitors. These participants were able to share ideas, network, and learn from industry experts and peers on what is required to close the Digital Equity Gap for all Americans, and learn about the resources FBA and other groups, including NTIA, have available for use in the planning, build and service introduction phase of network deployments.

For the 2022 Regional Fiber Connect series, these singleday events were designed to share best practices, grant writing advice, compliance, resource management tips, and provide networking and educational resources to state broadband offices, as well as other members of the fiber broadband ecosystem. The series was held in cities around the country and in 2022 included; Providence, Rhode Island; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Frisco, Colorado; and Columbus, Ohio.

Intended to help state broadband offices, state and local leaders, local communities, and key stakeholders optimize the opportunities of BEAD and other broadband funding programs, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) created this event series to connect on the regional and local level, share information and ideas, and bring together our community to discuss the opportunities ahead.

“We wanted to create opportunities for FBA and its members to share information, best practices insights, as well as hear directly from local officials and operators about what they need to maximize the fiber broadband opportunity ahead,” said FBA Vice Chairman and Conference Committee Chair Joseph “JJ” Jones. “We are thrilled with the impact the Regional Fiber Connect series has had this year and look forward to

creating opportunities for our members to connect and engage in 2023.”

Stand-alone regional events included workshops in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Providence, Rhode Island; Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado; and Columbus, Ohio. We also held a collocated event at the national Fiber Connect conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Local coordination is essential for President Biden’s Internet for All initiative to succeed,” said Sarah Smith, Federal Program Officer, Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth (OICG), NTIA. “Regional workshops like this provide stakeholders with a platform to share their innovative ideas on bridging the digital divide in their communities.”

Speakers over the past four events have included local community leaders and stakeholders, local and state public officials, regulatory and public policy experts and FBA’s members. The event also hosts an Expo area where local and regional operators can discuss the latest product innovation and service creation capabilities with some of FBA’s member companies.

“FBA’s Regional Fiber Connect Workshop Series presents members a fantastic way to show industry knowledge and experience, highlight new products and services, and get in front of the local companies and people are building community fiber broadband networks,” added Jones.

The final Regional Fiber Connect Workshop of 2022 took place in Columbus, Ohio, on November 3, 2022, and included a Train the Trainer workshop as part of the FBA’s OpTICS program. Future Fiber Connect Workshops are planned for 2023, with events scheduled for Raleigh, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Lake Tahoe, California and Minneapolis. Dates and additional information are available on the FBA’s website, www.fiberbroadband.org.

FBA would like to extend a special thank you to all sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers that have participated in this and previous events. Delivering these workshops would not be possible without the support and participation of those organizations and the individuals involved.

Regional Fiber Connect Workshop

FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton meets Jeff Brown of Calix during the Regional Fiber Connect Workshop at Copper Mountain Resort. Source: FBA.

Brendan O’Boyle of Preformed Line Products demonstrates his company’s products during the Regional Fiber Connect Workshop Expo. Source: FBA.

Sarah Smith, NTIA’s Federal Program Officer Supporting CO and WY provides a BEAD Update during the Regional Fiber Connect Workshop at Copper Mountain. Source: FBA.

Denver, Colorado Photo Highlights

UTOPIA Fiber’s CMO Kimberly McKinley leads a panel discussion with Benjamin Seo of Harrison Edwards, Elizabeth Cates of The Sasha Group, and Amanda Peterson of Google Fiber. Source: FBA.

FBA’s President and CEO Gary Bolton welcomes Executive Director, Colorado Broadband Office Brandy Reitter onstage for a Fireside Chat discussion about closing the digital equity gap. Source: FBA.

Anthony Neal-Graves, CIO and Executive Director, of the State of Colorado, sets the stage with remarks about Colorado’s commitment to better broadband services during the Regional Fiber Connect Workshop on August 23, 2023. Source: FBA.

On Trac, Inc. Co-founder

Mike Hill Passes the Baton

By Doug Mohney

Co-founder of On Trac, Inc., Mike Hill is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2022. Hill served as On Trac’s CEO over the past 20 years as well as delivering key leadership in the Fiber Broadband Association for 14 years, becoming the longest tenured board member in the history of the Association.

Hill became involved in fiber and what would become the FBA in 2003. “Mike and I went to the second fiber broadband show in New Orleans,” said Joseph “JJ” Jones, incoming FBA Chairman. “It was about 15 to 20 different tabletops with a lot of key vendors like Corning, OFS, and Optical Solutions, which would be acquired by Calix. We thought this was an industry we should be involved in moving forward.”

Hill initially served as the Chairman of the Government Relations Committee and the Planning Committee, running for the Board in 2005 and being elected to the Board in 2006. As a Board member, he chaired annual conferences in 2007 and 2010, and served as Chairman in 2008, 2011, and 2016. During his tenure, he received the Photon Award in 2014 and the Chairman’s Award in 2018. He continues to serve the FBA on the Senior Council Committee.

Among Hill’s contributions over the years has been considerable in-kind time by On Trac for planning and running the FBA’s annual Fiber Connect conference. “Mike, more than anyone else I know, has given so much of himself and his company to the Fiber Broadband Association,” said Hovis. “Not just his own time and leadership but also committing the resources of his company to supporting the organization on a pro bono basis to advance the association, the fiber industry, and the fiber advocacy community. His generosity and leadership are just singular.”

Mike Hill will continue to serve the FBA through its Senior Council committee. Hill will also continue to work with On Track as a Senior Consultant.

Mike Hill is joined by Joseph “JJ” Jones and FBA’s Jeff Kavadias on the Expo Hall Floor during Fiber Connect 2021. Source: FBA.

Better Broadband Expands Telehealth Capabilities

By Doug Mohney

Once a novelty, basic telehealth has moved into mainstream acceptance thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Doctors, therapists, and patients wanted to avoid getting sick, resulting in an era where people could sit in front of their computers or phone and have a face-to-face virtual meeting for non-critical care. In the psychiatry field, weekly office sessions migrated to more easily established virtual in-home visits, saving caregivers and patients alike time and money by reducing commuter headaches.

However, the key word is “basic” with practices resorting to Zoom and other videoconferencing tools to simply talk to patients outside of the normal office setting without the ability to collect essential vital signs like heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, and breathing rate. The sensors embedded in today’s cell phones and activity data collected in daily use by phones and wearable devices are unique tools that are unlocking a new level of quality care for physical and mental health.

“There are more people in the world with smartphones than those that have running water,” said Eliott Jones, co-founder and CEO of Biospectal. “Smartphones are the number one consumer product and are already in everybody’s

pocket.” Biospectal’s OptiBP software turns any Android™ or Apple® iOS smartphone into a medical-grade blood pressure monitoring platform, using the cell phone camera as a sensor to take a measurement from a fingertip. The application is being used in several nations in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and is in the middle of the regulatory processes in the US and Europe.

“We can distribute our software with extremely low friction at global scale,” Jones stated. “As a software driven solution delivered through the cloud we can easily serve both low and high income settings. With electronic medical records (EMRs) that are becoming a part of daily life, we can also e provide easy capture of data and effective action around hypertension.”

The traditional blood pressure cuff, an established part of a doctor’s visit, is bulky and inconvenient outside of a medical setting and can be irritating and painful for some to use. Home monitoring of blood pressure has been encouraged for several decades, but the equipment isn’t something you can pack up and drop in your pocket.

“You won’t take a blood pressure cuff out to the restaurant,”

Broadband unlocks the potential for telehealth, bridging the gap between where you live and the location of doctors, hospitals and healthcare facilities. Source: Adobe Stock.

Jones said. “But you will put your finger on your phone for 10 to 20 seconds to capture your blood pressure. That now automatically connects in the background to your doctor’s records, which is exactly where you want it to go. That’s what we’re doing on the surface, but the scale and impact is really promising.”

Biospectal and other companies fostering telehealth and home monitoring are part of a larger macro shift enabled by reliable high-speed low latency broadband that is now coming into play for the medical world.

“Clinical capabilities are being pushed to the periphery, we call it the point of patient,” Jones said. “You are taking something that you had to do in a clinic and you are putting it into the context of daily life. That’s a really huge shift from an economic perspective, taking out the high cost of the hospital or a doctor’s visit but capturing the same kind of data that you get from the hospital in people’s homes. And it’s a more natural environment to capture that data.”

Jones sees a ten-year transition for blood pressure and other diagnostics traditionally done in a clinical setting to become easily and readily available in the home, coming with a surge in data collection and analytics that nobody’s ever seen before.

“The systems Biospectal is building to ingest millions of people’s blood pressure measurements on a daily basis is the kind of health data pipeline that hasn’t existed before,” Jones said. “We’re only part of a whole huge picture where telehealth platforms are ingesting many different sources of data from devices and other sources, with an order of magnitude of growth of the medical data that needs to be managed and analyzed. And we’re a tributary flowing into this huge river. The infrastructure for all of this is going to have to grow to accommodate it.”

However, changing clinical models doesn’t stop at the cell phone. Biospectal is combining its software with a low-cost device it has created that is designed for both home and clinical use. The Biodisc, roughly the width of a hockey puck but much prettier, combines blood pressure monitoring, fingerprint ID, and wireless charging to create new uses.

“Imagine walking into a clinic to check in,” Jones said. “You put your finger onto the Biodisc for ten seconds. Not only does it measure vital signs – and possibly other information in the future – but it also has fingerprint identification and signs you in for your visit. You start to do really interesting things that are beyond blood pressure, facilitating the clinical interaction. For the elderly or other tech-challenged people, even just tapping on an icon on a smartphone is too much of a cognitive load. We can send them home with a device or mail it to them and they can set it next to

the bed. They wake up in the morning, ten seconds with a finger touch, their vitals are recorded, that’s the best user experience for most people.”

AliveCor is also leveraging a combination of consumer devices, cell phone technology, broadband, cloud storage, and AI to move health monitoring out of the doctor’s office and into the hands of patients. Their trio of FDAapproved KardiaMobile devices provide consumer-friendly medical-grade echocardiogram (EKG) data that can be collected anywhere, with the smallest device the size of a credit card.

“We have over 170,000 consumer subscribers,” said Dr. Ben Green, Senior Vice President of Services. “Our devices are highly recommended by physicians, with 60% of devices being purchased on the suggestion of doctors.”

An AliveCor device in contact with a person’s skin collects information on the electrical activity of the heart, with the information sent via Bluetooth to a computer or cell phone and transmitted up to cloud storage for review by AI and a team of in-house AliveCor cardiologists as appropriate. Pattern changes or irregularities spotted by the AI, a live cardiologist, or review by a patient’s doctor can indicate problems such as atrial fibrillation that require further examination or more immediate medical attention.

“We work very closely with cardiologists and doctors who are managing patients with cardiac disease,” said Green. “These doctors don’t see these patients very often, maybe once a year. Our devices and the data that gets back to those doctors helps them manage these patients between those doctor’s visits. We’re providing very high-quality data trusted by the doctor to make clinical decisions without that person being in the office.”

(cont. on page 57)

Low-cost consumer-friendly devices provide enhanced medical data, such as personal EKG readings, from anywhere with a broadband connection. Source: AliveCor.

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Mapping the Way to BEAD Funding

By Doug Mohney

With $42.45 billion in high-speed internet grants at stake for states and territories, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) continues to evaluate and answer questions stakeholders have when applying for and distributing Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding. In September, NTIA released an updated version of their most frequently asked questions (FAQs), but industry advocates anticipate more to come, with questions about mapping still emerging among stakeholders.

“This most recent round of FAQs went a level deeper and addressed a number of the questions people have posed since the NOFO,” said Michael Romano, Executive Vice President at NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association on a Fiber for Breakfast webinar. “It answered some of the most interesting ones that we’re pressing right now. And there are some common indications that there’s going to be another round of FAQs.”

Romano, along with Tom Cohen, the Fiber Broadband Association’s Corporate and Regulatory Counsel and Partner at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, dove into the newest FAQ during the September 21 webinar, highlighting several new areas of information.

NTIA indicated that there could be some eligible uses of BEAD grant funding for operational expenses and for more traditional capital expenditures and discussed what areas are unserved and how reliable broadband fits into the program. The new FAQs also defined extremely high-cost locations and offered clarification on workforce requirements (no mandates for unionized labor), and it explained how assets are to be handed and what federal stake will be held over the lifetime of a network.

Broadband maps, mapping accuracy, and the challenge processes emerged as a key point in the FAQs and a concern of both the NTIA and stakeholders, especially as it concerns the timing of awards. “NTIA is saying the FCC’s challenge process is very important and they’re not going to rush things until they feel that challenge process has worked its course,” Cohen stated. “They’ve made it clear, they want everyone out there to really engage seriously in the challenge process at the FCC. They want those maps accurate. They don’t want to be criticized later on for short circuiting somebody’s allocation.”

Cohen sees an iterative process between states and NTIA between initial and final proposals along with the creation

Former NTIA Special Representative for Broadband Andy Berke (R) chats with FBA Board Member Ben Moncrief of CSpire during Fiber Connect 2023. Source: FBA.

of FCC mapping. “Maps version 1.0,” as Cohen called it, is expected to be out in November 2022, but he doesn’t believe there’s going to be a final “pencils down” version until the middle of 2023 at the earliest.

Romano said there will be several layers of challenges for BEAD awards. “Some folks have expressed frustration as to why this is going to take so long, why are the challenges so involved,” he said. “This is a process Congress contemplated and the good thing is we’re now going to see this process play out. The FAQs highlighted the several different layers of challenge processes built in.”

BEAD challenge processes include a map fabric challenge process, which enables providers, municipalities, and other stakeholders to identify locations that do or don’t exist or are missing from the FCC’s map. A data challenge process enables stakeholders to compare a provider’s broadband report with the fabric and assert if there are uncovered areas or areas the provider cannot serve. Finally, an eligible entry challenge will enable states to examine applications for funding and determine if applicants are capable of meeting their commitments.

Broadband Interagency Coordination Act mandates sharing information between the FCC, USDA, NTIA, and Treasury to account for allocations, but the process is just starting to be set up. “This is a place where there’s going to be some gaps and holes between the FCC maps and what the states know,” he said. “It’s a perfect place for the states to come into the challenge process and say they’ve got a commitment in an area. There’s a little bit of an honor system aspect to this.”

Many states are developing their own maps to facilitate broadband deployment to unserved and underserved areas, creating the necessary information for effective challenges. Georgia and North Carolina have taken different approaches to mapping, outlining their processes in a September 28, 2022, Fiber for Breakfast webinar. Georgia is collecting data from state internet service providers based on a fabric of specific locations while North Carolina has conducted a combination of 111,000 speed tests and detailed survey data to build its map.

People involved in those mapping efforts believe that the FCC 477 census maps have significantly underestimated the unserved households in their respective states. “We

“All three areas of challenge processes are really important,” Romano said. “They are time consuming, but they are a feature, not a bug. I think they’re going to lead to better decision-making and better identification and targeting of the areas that need support and funding. It may be frustrating and it will probably be the middle of next year before we see any ability to move forward with BEAD. But that’s the process we need to follow because it’s the law and it’s going to end up with funding going to the right places.”

Cohen emphasized that the FCC mapping process to determine unserved and underserved areas was going to be an iterative process. “This is not one and done,” he said. “We’re dealing with data [that got submitted] as of September

1. There will be new data on March 1 - it’s going to be part of this process. People have to understand it’s like we’re going to get halfway there all the time. We’re going to keep converging and we’re going to get better at it as we go along.”

Adding complexity to the BEAD funding process is keeping track of existing government funds allocated to but not yet spent on unserved and underserved locations through programs such ARPA and CARES. Romano noted that the

knew that there were about a million unserved in state of Georgia,” said Eric McRae, Associate Director, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia. “According to the FCC, the number that were unserved in the state of Georgia was miniscule.”

North Carolina’s survey results found similar undercounting. “There are thousands of people that are in what the FCC technically considers served [broadband] blocks that typed in their address and said they had no access or came in with horrible speeds,” stated said Ray Zeisz, Senior Director, Technology Infrastructure Lab, Friday Institute, North Carolina State University. “We certainly verified that the FCC data was overstated.”

McRae and Zeise expect their states to conduct verifications to spot differences between state and FCC data, with the results to be measured in dollars. “When NTIA goes to do the BEAD allocation based on the new FCC mapping view, I would expect you guys would say that if you haven’t done your own state mapping, you’re probably not going to get your fair share,” said FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton. “That would be correct,” replied McRae.

This is a place where there’s going to be some gaps and holes between the FCC maps and what the states know. It’s a perfect place for the states to come into the challenge process and say they’ve got a commitment in an area. There’s a little bit of an honor system aspect to this.

– Michael Romano, Executive Vice President, NTCA

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Fiber Broadband Association board member Joanne Hovis is finishing out her term at the end of 2022. The FBA bylaws require that Joanne sit out for one year before she is eligible to run for the board again in 2024.

Joanne, President of CTC Technology and Energy, became involved with the FBA in 2007 when her firm joined the association as a premier member. Initially attending FBA premier member and strategic planning meetings as well as the annual Fiber Connect conference, she made a deeper commitment by participating on the organization’s Public Policy Committee.

“It was so clear to me early on that FBA, of all of the industry associations that deal with broadband, was the one that best understood what the future needs to look like,” Hovis said. “And indeed, I think time has proven that FBA’s advocacy for fiber was so far ahead of its time and exactly the right direction to be going and FBA has known that for 20 years, even as many policymakers have only come to realize in the last few years.”

Six years ago, Hovis ran for and was elected to the Board of Directors, with her term ending this year. “The thing that separates Joanne from a lot of the board members is her connections in the industry,” said Joseph “JJ” Jones, incoming FBA Chairman. “She’s been very dedicated over the years in helping us from public policy to having state speakers at our events. She knows all the state broadband directors and helped them formulate how they run their state offices.”

Joanne Hovis leads a panel discussion on Closing the Digital Divide during Fiber Connect 2022. Source: FBA.

North Carolina’s Toolbox Approach to Closing the Digital Divide

By Doug Mohney

With over one million residents on the wrong side of the digital divide, the State of North Carolina realizes it needs a lot of different tools to close the gap.

“About half of those residents don’t have physical connections to broadband,” said Nate Denny, Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity, North Carolina Department of Information Technology. “Many of those are on the wrong side because they can’t afford a connection, or they don’t have the laptops or tablets or other devices they need to connect. Or the skills to really navigate the modern digital economy.”

North Carolina is applying a range of programs it has created along with over a billion dollars from America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to close the digital divide, including incentive grants for internet service providers to expand service, targeting rural areas that service providers

have traditionally avoided due to service cost, utility pole replacement to improve infrastructure, broadband mapping, and digital literacy.

Denny expects the state’s toolbox to be successful far beyond ARPA spending. “North Carolina is well-positioned to capitalize on the BEAD program,” he said. “We have the existence of a really engaged community of advocates, local stakeholders, county and municipal governments, and a really strong set of internet providers that are already making major investments both as a match for public projects and using their own resources for network expansions. We’ve got a really strong telephone coop and electric coop community here… All of these stakeholders working together will give us an opportunity to draw the maximum amount of federal funds and build smart projects that actually benefit the communities where those projects are.”

Nate Denny, Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity, North Carolina Department of Information Technology (L) with Governor Roy Cooper (R). Source: N.C. Department of Information Technology.

Nate Denny, Deputy Secretary for Broadband and Digital Equity, North Carolina Department of Information Technology. Source: N.C. Department of Information Technology.

North Carolina’s toolbox of programs starts with the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants. Around $380 million in GREAT funding is designed to incentivize deployments to unserved rural parts of the state. It’s nothing fancy and is designed to get internet service providers to expand their coverage to new areas.

“One of the strengths of our GREAT grant program is that it’s been up and running for a number of years now,” said Denny. “It’s very prescriptively scored. An internet provider says where they want to serve, they come to us with an application. We score it on 14 different criteria. We spin out a score that generates a match.”

For high-cost areas, the state has created the $400 million Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program to address high-cost areas where service providers haven’t been able to make a business case, a lesson learned through operating the GREAT grant program for several years. “The cost per location is going to go up if providers connect the 100 most economical households in a county, leaving behind the hardest to connect areas,” Denny stated.

“CAB is a new model by which the county and the state match their recovery funds and jointly identify unserved and underserved areas and put out an RFP to the provider. Instead of waiting for the providers to come to us, we’re

going to say, ‘These are our local priorities for coverage, who can do it and for how much?’”

Three other programs focus on infrastructure as well. The Stop Gap Solutions program has $90 million allocated to provide broadband to address small areas with particularly high-cost and/or long-installation fiber segments, using tools such as financing towers and downtown Wi-Fi to rapidly address community needs. A pole replacement fund, while not high-tech, has $100 million allocated and there’s $1 million budgeted for broadband mapping.

“We are doing our own mapping,” Denny stated. “We are working with local governments on their address files and working with our [state] Next Generation 911 team to make sure we’ve got an accurate baseline of availability. North Carolina’s Department of Information Technology houses both the state 911 Board and its Center for Geographic and Information Analysis that handles GIS mapping efforts for the state. So, we’ve got some strong in-house partners helping us get to that more granular view of who is served, unserved, or underserved. At the end of the day, we need our providers to step up and share better data too. We look forward to working with the provider community and the FCC to have that more accurate view.”

Efforts for awareness and digital literacy are also funded.

“We’re trying to build a full state of digital equity in North Carolina, which means addressing affordability concerns, getting people devices they need, and helping them build skills,” Denny said. “We know that it’s not enough to just run a line through someone’s front yard if they can’t afford it or don’t have a laptop or a tablet at home, or don’t have any digital skills. We’ve got $50 million to raise awareness of the [FCC] Affordable Connectivity Program, helping make sure low-income North Carolinians have access to those resources and know where they can go to subscribe, as well as to get low-income households the devices they need and build local capacity to create the kinds of skills development programs and trainings that they need, making sure everyone across the state can build skills.”

Denny expects the ARPA funding to connect more than 112,000 new households and businesses across the state between federal and private funding. “We’re really excited about these projects and the breadth of investments that we’ve been able to generate through this program. The $260 million in North Carolina’s 2022 GREAT grant award projects are generating more than $140 million in private sector matching funds to invest in these projects as well. This is a transformative level of investment in North Carolina that we’re seeing and this is all in advance of the additional funding that will come through President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law through the BEAD program and additional

Digital Equity Act programs that North Carolina intends to take advantage of as well.”

One of North Carolina’s major priorities for 2025 is to eliminate the household “homework gap.” Today, 81% of households with school-age children have high-speed broadband connectivity and Governor Roy Cooper wants to have 100% of those households served. “We haven’t maxed out our ACP enrollment and that’s a major focus for us,” Denny said. “We’re working through local governments, local non-profits, religious institutions, and deploying digital navigators and other resources to help drive people through that process. I think that affordability piece is central. We’ve got 550,000 enrollees in the ACP, but we know more than one million households are eligible. We need to make sure nobody is left behind.”

North Carolina’s ARPA-funded broadband programs have laid the foundation for the best usage of future BEAD monies, including applying for supplemental funds beyond the initial state allocation. The CAB program builds relationships directly with counties to accurately map unserved and underserved areas. “I think CAB will be much more impactful because communities will be directly engaged,” Denny stated. “It’s a really important collaboration going into the BEAD program with its requirement for community coordination.”

Amarillo’s Harsh Broadband Climate Tamed by Fiber Adoption

By Doug Mohney

The Texas Panhandle is not kind to cable. With unpredictable weather patterns and drastic temperature changes on a daily basis, the climate is brutal to traditional physical media, making it challenging for legacy service providers who haven’t invested in keeping up their outside plant.

AW Broadband started as a wireless company ten years ago, offering faster speed services to Amarillo and the surrounding towns because cable and DSL providers were stuck at megabit-level speeds. By leasing tower space anywhere they could find it, the company delivered a higher-speed option for residents and business in the area.

“The company – back then Amarillo Wireless – started growing quite quickly,” said Matt Carpenter, President and Co-Owner of AW Broadband. “We started moving into smaller towns that only had a DSL provider and had been looked over for years. We would get on a tower or grain elevator or some vertical asset and started bringing on hundreds of customers very quickly.”

As AW Broadband became more successfully, it took over seven cable systems in local towns and started looking at fiber. “About three years ago, the WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) community started talking about fiber,” Carpenter said. “Around the same time, we bought a cable company in Lockney from a company that was getting ready to shut everything down and vacate the town. The cable plant was over 30 years old. The physical cable was old, cracking, breaking, and falling down. We made the decision to put in fiber. In another town, we were basically given a cable system that was no longer functioning, but it was on the poles. It was a really good deal for us to be able to overbuild using fiber and not have to do pole permits from scratch.”

Once committed to fiber, AW Broadband went all in, buying its own equipment to bore and trench, cable placing trucks, and the workforce necessary to put fiber in the ground, on poles, and to light it up. “We still have a lot of wireless customers and a lot of towns which are wireless-only, but we are slowly expanding our fiber footprint each month,” Carpenter said.

Having started off with a lower-cost equipment supplier, AW Broadband is now using Adtran for its network. “We started seeing some limitations with inexpensive gear,” Carpenter said. “We needed a company that would take us to the next level of robustness and upgradability. We also wanted to

deploy XGS-PON. After evaluating three to four different ones, we decided on Adtran.”

AW Broadband currently has a customer base of around 10,000 subscribers in a combination of wireless, cable, and fiber subscribers, with fiber being the lowest today at around 1,200 subscribers. The company anticipates migrating nearly all of its customer base to fiber over time, with legacy cable subscribers among the first to move due to issues with the age of the cable equipment.

Fiber has proven to be an economic lifeline for the smaller towns in AW Broadband’s service area. “We deployed fiber throughout the town of Dimmitt,” Carpenter said. “The city manager thanked us over and over for helping out the community. He said in years past, large corporations would pass them by because they didn’t have high-speed broadband. Businesses didn’t want to run on 10 Mbps of bandwidth or spend lots of money getting a carrier to put something in. Once we delivered fiber, companies started coming in and building warehouses and other facilities, helping the town grow again.”

AW Broadband is replacing decaying coax cable across its service area with fiber: Source: AW Broadband.

City of Williamsburg Gets 21st Century Network

By Doug Mohney

The City of Williamsburg, Virginia has around 15,000 residents and is steeped in American history. The College of William & Mary was founded there in 1693 and the city became the capital of the Virginia Colony in 1699, emerging as a center of political, religious, and economic life in Virginia. When the capital was moved to Richmond in 1890, Williamsburg remained a small town left with numerous 18th century buildings that survived through the early twentieth century.

Today, through preservation efforts started in 1926 and initially funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr., the city is home to Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest living history museum encompassing 301 acres and including working tradespeople, historic taverns, and two world-class art museums. Millions of visitors come to visit Colonial Williamsburg each year.

Williamsburg’s history with high-speed broadband has been less romantic and more problematic until recently, with city leaders looking for alternatives to the existing cable incumbent.

“We’ve got a single internet service provider that can deliver high-speed broadband,” said Mark Barham, Chief Information Officer, City of Williamsburg, Va. “There’s a lack of competition. We wanted another provider within the market such that households and businesses not only had the benefit of alternatives, but the benefit that competition brings in terms of lower costs.”

About a decade ago, Verizon was in negotiations with the city to deliver FiOS service, but the company pulled out, saying there were not enough households to justify building the network, according to Barham. This left Williamsburg “actively listening” to proposals over the years until the most recent one got very serious.

“We engaged with Shentel very quickly, got through the negotiations of the franchise agreement very quickly and are now at the point where they are installing their Glo Fiber network,” said Barham. “Shentel offers symmetrical broadband speeds through fiber to the home technology. From our perspective, the perspective of folks working from home, kids going to school, a symmetrical connection can really be beneficial. This is huge for the city.”

Shentel’s construction into Williamsburg is part of a larger

overbuild plan the regional carrier has that will deliver its GloFiber service into the surrounding areas, including James City County and York County. “We’ve excelled by partnering with local communities,” said Chris Kyle, Vice President of Industry Affairs and Regulatory. “How we communicate, how we interface, there’s no bureaucracy, this isn’t a Fortune 100 company where you’ve got to go through multiple levels of hierarchy to get an answer.”

The City of Williamsburg says the project will not be hindered by or interfere with historic preservation requirements, with at least 90% of the city having access to the fiber network if they choose to sign up, including the houses and residents living within the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. “Those streets are city streets and we control the right of ways,” said Barham. “We’ve issued permits for a multitude of folks to come in and put services underground. It would be no different for Shentel to come in and pull fiber, coming out of the ground to a location on the side of a home in the same way that you have an electric meter or existing cable boxes.”

Williamsburg businesses are also looking forward to having broadband alternatives after years of a cable monopoly. “We’re very excited for the community to have access to a network of this caliber and certainly the impacts it is going to bring to the residence and the commercial side through competition,” Barham said. “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time and it’s finally happening.”

Colonial Williamsburg encompasses 301 acres and is the world’s largest history museum. Source: City of Williamsburg, VA.

The Era of Digital Network Construction

By Doug Mohney

Designing and building fiber networks has shifted from an arena of lots of paper and ad hoc manual methods using a hodge podge of forms and drawings, Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools, Google Earth, Excel spreadsheets, and work order forms. Today, fiber network construction has become much more efficient with geographic information systems (GIS) integrated with full-blown project management tools specifically constructed for building utility networks. The benefits of going paperless from the first high-level design through construction closeout and lifecycle upgrades of the network are numerous, leading to savings in time and money.

Service providers and state broadband agencies planning ahead for BEAD funding need to think digital and plan to spend up front for the software. “You want to be thinking about tools and processes, interact and learn what options are available in the fiber-specific software segment, and what providers can provide across design, construction and network operations specific platforms and solutions,” said Sam Pratt, CEO of Render Networks. “Eighty cents on the dollar is going to be in construction. If you or a contractor is using a traditional process, paper or a PDF paper-like deliverable in the field, our experience is they’re leaving value on the table in terms of project duration, the amount of field supervision, and the rework required to connect the customer.”

When network construction information is moved from paper and centralized in the cloud, it provides a solid foundation to save time and money even before the first trench is dug. For instance, 3-GIS and other software tools

enable a network planner to start digital at the beginning with the high-level design (HLD) phase, using a GIS to import and track information such as zoning data, county boundaries, rights of way, and permitting.

“HLD is the planning phase where you plan out the network, taking to account any boundaries,” said Tony Franks, Engineering Manager, 3-GIS. “You can pull in wetland data, railroad data, any data that helps you make better business decisions on your route planning for areas that might have high cost to cross. You need to get the network owner the quickest, shortest path possible, but at the same time you don’t want to pass through national forest or railroads that may cost a lot of time and money to try to get permits.”

Once a high-level design is completed on the desktop, a field survey is conducted to make sure the data in the GIS is fully validated with the ability to make notations if there are variations between the electronic copy and what’s actually in the real world. “You send people to the field so they can make adjustments in the field, onsite with a mobile device tied back into your database,” Franks said. “You want to ensure there are no obstacles, obstructions, or other issues that you weren’t aware of from a desktop review, whether it’s constructible or not, you need boots on the ground.”

After verification is done, network planners can go into a detailed low-level design (LLD) which can be used to generate a bill of materials (BoM) for more precise cost estimates, but with today’s supply chain challenges, Franks suggests such estimates might be done sooner.

Cloud-based digital network construction management tools enable real-time documentation of work and construction status. Source: Render Networks.

Using an all-digital approach for network construction from design through final signoff enables service providers to track progress in real time: Source: 3-GIS.

“You can start ordering material at HLD,” said Franks “Especially in today’s environment with a lead time of a year out for most materials. We can generate a BoM automatically based on the assets placed in the system, so the network owner can get a pretty good cost and the quantity of infrastructure materials they need.”

Centralized data for fiber construction from beginning through service turnup provides “a single source of truth,” Franks said, enabling data to be exported to stakeholders as needed. When construction starts, a mobile client can be used by inspectors on site in real-time to verify that the build meets specification and document it.

“At any given point during the construction of any section of a project, the stakeholders can see the progress in real time,” Franks stated. “They can see how much footage was installed; they can see the handhold and other materials that’s been installed. The symbology will change from different stages of the build or design. For example, once it goes to LLD, the symbology for these features is one color, and as they install it, it changes colors, giving a visual representation of work completed. You also are recording what’s been installed and can query against it and see the progress at different stages in a custom report.”

Reporting in real time also enables deficiencies to be flagged and potentially corrected while the field crew is still on site, rather than several days and another truck roll later. Having instant work verification also translates to automatically documenting where fiber is underground. “That’s a huge time savings,” Franks said. “You can turn over your as-builts to 811 or any other type of locate service pretty much immediately so your plant doesn’t get damaged because the records aren’t on file.”

Render Networks takes a slightly different philosophical tack in network construction management. “Our hypothesis is there exists a genuine disconnect between feasibility, design, engineering, and the thoughtful work that’s required in order to optimally design a network to connect customers and understand what all the costs are going to do,” said Pratt. “Generally, with the engagement of a general contractor, there’s a logical disconnect between design and construction. The reason why the industry hasn’t gone and embraced these digital tools is because of that logical disconnect.”

A utility owner or municipality will use GIS and engineering software to design the network, but that design will be handed off to a general contractor who hires subcontractors to do specific tasks. “And the fact is a project by definition is for a finite period of time,” Pratt said. “A contractor is there to do a job and so, generally speaking, unless they are asked to deliver in a specific way by a utility, they won’t be using a digital, end-to-end, purpose-built set of tools because it’s just not the norm.”

Render says applying a network construction management platform like theirs delivers anywhere from five to 10 times return on investment for every dollar spent on its software and services through better efficiencies and reducing waste. “Customers are routinely finishing projects 20 percent ahead of their initial schedule and 20 to 30 percent ahead of budget,” said Pratt. “We don’t claim it’s all down to Render’s technology; obviously those teams and people need to be great at what they do in order to deliver such outcomes.”

With inflation, supply chain issues, and a very tight labor market, building a fiber optic network is more challenging today than several years ago. “What’s imperative is to implement a flexible approach,” Pratt said. “There are known unknowns in fiber builds. We know that there are going to be certain pieces of equipment that are going to be more difficult to obtain throughout the deployment. And these are generally two- to three- or four-year deployments. Some of the larger deployments that were engaged on have five- or six-year deployments across multiple counties. They’re huge infrastructure initiatives. And when you’re planning with that length of time in mind, the flexibility provided by digital is key.”

Chronicling the Economic Benefits of Fiber

By Doug Mohney

Fiber optic networks have a significant economic and societal impact on rural communities across America. This year, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) launched its Broadband Community Profiles series designed to uncover and document the positive effects fiber is delivering to areas around the country by creating jobs and improving government services, public safety, and quality of life. Research for the profiles is conducted by Futuriom Research and sponsored with the support of FBA members.

In addition to the Broadband Community Profiles series, FBA also publishes annual research on the status of U.S. broadband and its impact upon the nation. Conducted by RVA Market Research and Consulting since 2006, the most recent FBA report, “A Detailed Review: The Status of U.S. Broadband and The Impact of Fiber Broadband,” was announced in August 2022. The combination of local and macro-level research shows that fiber generates significant measurable long-term economic benefits for communities.

Fighting Wildfires - Douglas County, Oregon

The first two Broadband Community Profiles published in 2022 examined the areas of Douglas County, Oregon, and Westfield, Massachusetts. Separated by more than 3,000

miles and defined by different histories and geographies, both areas continue to realize substantial benefits from the long-term use of fiber.

Douglas Fast Net (DFN), established as a subsidiary of Douglas Electric Cooperative (DEC) in 2000, was among the first organizations in the state of Oregon to deploy symmetrical 1 Gbps service to the area’s residents. An initial investment of $25 million in public and private funding enabled DFN to start building fiber for the good of the community, with a $25 million Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) award in 2021 that enabled DFN to complete its final fiber installations.

The first connections in 2000 were delivered to the local medical centers in Roseburg, Oregon, including Mercy Medical Center and VA Roseburg Health Care System. By 2003, DFN added residential services and had put in fiber optic service to most anchor institutions in the area by 2005, including schools, hospitals, and government offices in Roseburg. In its two decades of operation and growth organically and through acquisitions, DFN has deployed 2,799 miles of fiber in Douglas County to over 12,500

Fiber broadband has proven to have short- and long-term economic impact on local economies.

Source: Adobe Stock.

subscribers and nearly one-third of the population.

Quality-of-life benefits to health care and education were quickly apparent. Fiber enabled regional hospitals to streamline the sharing of medical records and information to improve medical care. In the school systems, fiber supported remote learning programs for K-12 students and empowered local community colleges to create online programs for continuing adult education – a critical resource for delivering instruction during the pandemic.

DEC has tapped into the network to build smart grid functionality into its electrical infrastructure, equipping all of its substations with SCADA control systems and using advanced metering to improve service and reduce cost for co-op members.

Fiber is also supporting public safety during Southern Oregon’s wildfire season. DFN-owned fiber has been brought to several locations in the area where the U.S. Forest Service sets up firefighting camps when needed, plugging in command posts and Wi-Fi services for the firefighters in residence. Public safety officials also leverage fiber to use pole-mounted cameras (replacing older, manned fire towers) to locate outbreaks and track the progress of efforts to extinguish them.

Over $28 million in “quantifiable annual effects” are delivered by fiber to Douglas County, Oregon, according to Futuriom Research, with government receiving over a half million dollars in savings, $1.6 million in medical applications savings, and a whopping $26.2 million in educational benefits per year.

Creating Jobs - Westfield, Massachusetts

A continent away, Westfield, Massachusetts, reaps a whopping $88 million in job-related benefits per year from the deployment of fiber in the region. Westfield Gas & Electric (WG&E) first installed fiber in the 1990’s to implement a SCADA network for automating utility services. It built upon that experience to launch Whip City Fiber in 2015 and established itself as a broadband leader for the surrounding communities that wanted to replicate WG&E’s success. In 2018, it became a network project manager to 20 municipalities in the Western Berkshire Mountains region that wanted to install their own fiber networks.

Today, Whip City Fiber has generated over 4,600 workfrom-home jobs for a city of 41,000 people, providing highspeed broadband to the public school system, increased home values, and brought new businesses and economic development opportunities into the city. The network now spans over 152 miles and delivers 1 Gbps symmetrical service. Local businesses also lease dark fiber from Whip City for their operations, including medical facilities, a regional bank, and a local manufacturing firm with multiple sites in the region.

In addition, Whip City Fiber generates between $2 million to $4 million per year in revenue which is invested in expanding the network to deliver broadband to more city residents. By 2025, Whip City Fiber expects to have service available to all of Westfield.

The National Economic Value of Fiber in 2022

“A Detailed Review: The Status of U.S. Broadband and The Impact of Fiber Broadband” 2022 report is based on RVA’s annual research, with this year’s report surveying 3,000 consumers selected at random. This year’s report zeroed in on working age individuals from 25-65 making under $65,000 per year and found that fiber is playing a key role in providing improved job quality, education, and health care to people.

“We wanted to really make sure that we were focusing the survey on who would be really impacted and who is most important to be impacted by fiber broadband in our society today,” said Mike Render, Founder and CEO, RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting Group, during a Fiber for Breakfast webinar. “We found 58.6% of the people we surveyed with fiber work from home while only 43% of those without fiber do. About 38% of people with fiber in the select demographic work for a high-tech firm compared to 28.5% of those without fiber.”

Looking at education and health care, fiber provided significant benefits, with 32.6% of those survived said they had access to good health care while only 25% of those without made the same claim. Around 34.5% of respondents with fiber said they had good access to education while only 28% of those without fiber could say the same.

Fiber also gave a two percent boost to people operating their own businesses, what appears to be a small difference, but one that provides significant economic impact since home businesses generate more revenue.

RVA estimates an FTTH community of 100,000 houses sees a revenue increase of over $78 million per year thanks to more home businesses compared to those without fiber.

Other benefits delivered by fiber included a dramatically lower cost of broadband per megabit over the last decade, while other utilities such as electricity, water, and natural gas have all increased over the same time.

The gains provided by fiber broadband networks to communities have contributed to a population shift, with people moving out of cities and to rural areas that have fiber. “There is a desire to move from downtown areas with the strongest increase to small rural communities,” Render said. “People cite affordability and safety as very important for this move. They’re trading off their desires for walkable retail and exciting nightlife for nature and green space. But they need high-speed internet.”

to have that open and honest communication that’s been a part of how we’ve attacked this shortfall.”

Open communication enables manufacturers to better manage their lead times for production and supply as well. Calix’s two-year forecast breaks down into a year outlook on specifics and another four quarters of “rough and tough feel” in the following year, Cederland stated.

OFS works with its customers as a part of their forecasting but has also started to do what George called “crystal balling,” looking beyond customer plans to anticipate future market needs. “We started doing that in the 2018-2019 timeframe,” said George. “We expanded our fiber capacity accordingly. We’ve been doing that steadily and we expect to have an 80% increase in our fiber output in 2024 compared to 2019, based on our forecasting.”

that you can substitute, making sure the inventory and forecasts and contractual obligation are in place to be supplied over time. It will take some time to de-risk some parts. We’ve built up a lot of supply chain in Asia. We have plans to nearshore some products to take some risk out.”

Industry Supply Chain Lead Times (Summer ’22)

One critical risk reduction tool Calix relies on is an AI platform to monitor suppliers. “It looks at tens of thousands of sources of information every day,” Cederland said. “It analyzes and creates what we call a risk event and rates it. If it’s serious or severe, it will create a virtual war room. We’ll call together Calix, our supplier - that may be a manufacturer in Vietnam -, and maybe the sub-suppliers creating the chipsets or the semiconductors. It’ll pull us all together and we’ll talk through the issue and create a solution. I participate in these things all the time.”

Another mitigation strategy is working with the distributor of choice to be aware of what parts and pieces are available and when, and being able to substitute when necessary in order to avoid delays. “From a total cost of ownership perspective, most people want one type of design so everyone’s familiar with it, they’re all trained on it,” said Jackson. “There’s a great expense to train on a vendor’s solution. But in this day and age, having flexibility is critical. You may be able to get an alternative solution now rather than wait.”

AI to the Rescue

From the electronics manufacturing side, substitution can be problematic, especially since Asia is a big suppler. “There are certain components that really only work for a design and they may be single-sourced from one supplier,” Cederland stated. “With those components, you pay more attention to the inventory, and to the contractual requirements of meaning or supply assurance and making sure that single or sole source supplier is obligated to supply all the parts you need.”

For analog and power parts, there may be multiple suppliers available, enabling some substitution if required. “Components substitutability is very important,” Cederland said. “Anything

During the pandemic, the AI played a significant role in preventing a shutdown of key factories. “The Vietnamese government was tracking a very high rise in COVID in the southern region,” Cederland said. “They announced a shutdown and a cleanup of the factories. We got the news the very day the government was talking about it. We got into a war room that evening, which was the next morning in Vietnam. We had this idea to create local housing and transport for the factory workers on this campus and brought it to the Vietnamese government. They approved it and we were back up the next day. Some manufacturing sites on that campus were down two to four weeks.”

Jackson wrapped up the webinar by emphasizing that a combination of techniques and technologies can be used to mitigate current and future supply chain challenges. “Everybody needs to be at the table sharing information. What’s critical is sitting down with your partners and saying, ‘Here’s my statement of work. These are all the materials,’” he said. “It’s the manufacturers, distributors, consultants, and the contractors working with you, the network operator.”

Disruptions in multiple parts of the distribution and shipping chain have lead to drastically increased delivery times for key products, with fiber optic cable topping the list. Source: FBA Supply Chain Working Group.

A fuller discussion of this topic is available through the 24page “Strategies to Mitigate Bottlenecks in the Current Fiber Broadband Supply Chain” white paper, available for download on the FBA website at www.fiberbroadband.org.

(cont. from page 41)

In combination with its devices and its team of cardiologists, AliveCor provides cardiac patients with assurances they are getting the appropriate care at the appropriate time. “In some cases, the patient needs to go to the hospital,” said Green. “The person should be there and they would not have done that otherwise without the data. In other cases, it’s to help avoid the hospital and ER, which can lead to other problems for patients. There’s a cost-saving element, but also the medical complications component as well. We don’t want people to be in the hospital when they shouldn’t be, but we also do when they absolutely need to be and that’s what our solutions and philosophy is in helping patients and consumers.”

Collecting physical metrics through cell phones and supplementary devices provides objective data for doctors to use in diagnosing and monitoring patients, but psychiatrists believe existing cell phone information can be used to provide a better and more comprehensive portrait of a person’s mental health, a concept examined during a late summer FBA Fiber For Breakfast webinar.

“There have been many articles that show both the general population and those with a serious mental illness have widespread access to a smartphone, especially when you compare it to a computer or wearable electronic device,” said Noy Alon, a clinical research assistant at Beth Israel Digital Psychiatry. “In addition, a smartphone can capture a lot of different data streams that can be integrated into clinical care that otherwise wouldn’t be captured. You can look at activity, cognition, mobility, a lot of different data streams. We’re really looking at how can we transition in person help to asynchronous telehealth, which increases the scalability and access to quality care so that you don’t have to transport and physically get to a clinic.”

With increasing awareness and need for mental health care, smart phones and broadband provide a new platform and model to go beyond a therapist-patient video call.

The Division of Digital Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, believes that increased digital literacy education for patients and tapping into the wealth of data and apps that rides on smartphones can result in increased scalability, helping more people access care with current resources and improve quality care.

“We know there’s a shortage of mental health care everywhere in the world, even in the U.S.,” said John Torous, MD MBI, Division of Digital Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “We know that smartphones are going to be the devices that people connect to in order to get their mental health care going forward. Having strong broadband access is going to be critically important.”

A smartphone with the appropriate applications can enable patients to self-monitor themselves, not having to wait for the next doctor visit for assessment. In combination with “digital navigators” to help patients’ setup and work with applications enables Beth Israel to create a “digital clinic,” combining seeing people via face-to-face – either in real life or virtually -- with tools to monitor physical metrics like sleep quality and physical activity, surveys to provide patient self-assessment outside of the doctor’s care, and activities the patient can do on their own, such as mindfulness and cognitive behavior therapy.

Tapping into all this data could transform mental health care, shifting from a reactive mode for mental health issues to a new model where prevention and early intervention can come into play to avoid crisis.

“In some ways, this is a new paradigm of mental health,” Dr. Torous stated. “If we dive into all the clinically relevant data, collected with permission and the appropriate safeguards, it’s what makes the smartphone so exciting and our work so broadband heavy.”

Broadband enables easy-to-use devices that measure blood pressure without the hassle and headache of a BP cuff. Source: Biospectal.

2023 Editorial Calendar

March 2023

Materials due February 10, 2023

• State Broadband Office Programs and People

• Meet the New Board of Directors

• Executive Insights | Federal/State Update | Community Profiles | Innovation at Work

June 2023

Materials due May 5, 2023

• Network-Based Disruptions

• Tower Power | Latency | Cybersecurity | K-12 Broadband

• Executive Insights | Federal/State Update | Community Profiles | Innovation at Work

August 2023

Materials due July 10, 2023

• Fiber Connect 2023 Issue

• Smartest of Smart Homes and the In-Home Experience

• Digital Literacy | 10G for Business | Network Traffic Exchange Points

• Executive Insights | Federal/State Update | Community Profiles | Innovation at Work

November 2023

Materials due October 17, 2023

• Middle Mile Innovations

• Fiber Connect 2023 Highlights

• State of the Association

• Executive Insights | Federal/State Update | Community Profiles | Innovation at

FBA 2022-2023 Event Calendar

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