Speaker of the Oklahoma House featured as Fiber Broadband Association Launches their Fiber Policy Labs

Speaker of the Oklahoma House featured as Fiber Broadband Association Launches their Fiber Policy Labs

Industry, policymakers, and tribal leaders convened to advance future-ready broadband on tribal lands

OKLAHOMA CITY — (February 5, 2026)–The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today launched their new Fiber Policy Lab series at their the Oklahoma City Regional Fiber Connect, bringing together policymakers, including Oklahoma Speaker of the House of Representatives Kyle Hilbert, the U.S. Small Business Administration, tribal leaders, and industry partners to focus on expanding high-speed broadband access across tribal and rural communities. The one-day conference examined the unique challenges facing tribal broadband deployment while highlighting collaborative, fiber-forward solutions to close the digital divide and support long-term economic growth.

“Fiber broadband is the foundational infrastructure for opportunity, and that is especially true for small businesses and tribal communities working to strengthen economic development, education, healthcare, and public safety,” said Marissa Mitrovich, Senior Vice President of Public Policy of the Fiber Broadband Association. “This Regional Fiber Connect underscored the importance of partnering with tribal leaders to design solutions that respect sovereignty, overcome deployment challenges, and deliver networks that will serve communities not just today, but for generations.”

A centerpiece of the event was FBA’s inaugural Fiber Policy Lab, the first in a new series designed to bring FBA members and policymakers together for direct, meaningful conversation. The Oklahoma City Policy Lab featured a roundtable discussion with Bill Gravell, Region 6 Advocate for the Small Business Administration (SBA). These conversations will continue amplifying the voices of those building and operating fiber networks while also helping to inform public-policy decisions surrounding broadband deployment.

“We’ve seen how broadband infrastructure opens doors for rural communities, strengthens local economies, and creates opportunities for growth,” said Kyle Hilbert, Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. “I want to thank the Fiber Broadband Association for highlighting this critical issue and bringing leaders together to focus on solutions. Tribal communities deserve the future-ready broadband infrastructure needed to support connectivity and long-term prosperity.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, 24% of Americans living on tribal lands lack broadband access, compared to roughly 7% of individuals nationally, underscoring the connectivity gap between tribal communities across the country. While fiber broadband offers the most reliable and scalable connectivity, deployments on tribal lands often face higher costs, geographic complexity, and funding hurdles.

The Oklahoma City Regional Fiber Connect focused on practical strategies to overcome those barriers and accelerate fiber deployment on tribal lands. Panels, sessions, and fireside chats explored topics including:

• Case in Point: Choctaw Nation
• Building Beyond Boundaries: Creative Solutions for Complex Tribal Broadband
  Deployments
• Fireside Chat: Tribal Broadband and NTIA Programs
• Rural Broadband Deployment: Myths and Realities

The conference featured remarks from Gary Bolton, FBA’s CEO, Kyle Hilbert, Oklahoma Speaker of the House, an opening keynote from Mike Sanders, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office, and various other industry leaders. Additionally, the conference featured a tribal blessing from Gordon Yellowman, Cheyenne Peace Chief Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Southern Cheyenne Nation.

For more information, visit fiberboadband.org.

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About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is the voice of fiber, helping providers, policy makers, and communities make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. FBA is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists. Since 2001, FBA and its members have worked to advance fiber broadband deployment to accelerate innovation and increase quality of life by enabling every community to leverage the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MENA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.