FC26 – State of the Association: The State of Fiber

FC26 – State of the Association: The State of Fiber 

Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association discussed the pivotal role of fiber connectivity in the emerging thinking economy, emphasizing the shift from an information economy to one where value is created by turning information into intelligence. Over the past five years, 45.9 million U.S. homes have been connected with fiber, with plans to add another 60 million in the next five years. The expansion is driven by 1,561 active providers, including 42 new entrants. Major companies like AT&T aim to double their fiber footprint, targeting 60 million locations by the decade’s end. The discussion highlights the convergence of connectivity and intelligence, with fiber being crucial for AI infrastructure, requiring low latency, massive bandwidth, and resilient interconnection. The goal is to build a nervous system for a thinking world, enabling rapid, reliable, and scalable intelligence.