Conference Committee
The Conference Committee plans and coordinates all Fiber Broadband Association events including the annual Fiber Connect conference and Regional Fiber Connect Workshops.
Chair: Evann Freeman, EPB
Content Programming Director: Richard Williams, Connect2Communications
Board Liaison: Evann Freeman, EPB
Deployment Specialists Committee
The FBA Deployment Specialists Committee was created to provide a discussion forum for all entities involved in the fiber deployment process. The group specifically intends to provide education around and raise awareness about the fiber deployment process, effective fiber installs and ensuring a safe worksite while protecting underground facilities in areas of excavation.
Chair: Brendan O’Boyle, Preformed Line Products
Board Liason: Mark Boxer, OFS
Education Committee
The Education committee is focused on workforce development and fiber optic training for the industry.
Co-Chair: Mark Boxer, OFS
Co-Chair: Brendan O’Boyle, Preformed Line Products
Board Liaison: Mark Boxer, OFS
In-Home Experience Working Group
Focus on improving the in-home experience by defining specs for architects, home builders, and consumers and software applications that will ensure that consumers get the maximum benefit out of their Gigabit FTTH experience.
Chair: Doug Blue, Nokia
Board Liaison: Jimmy Todd, Nex-Tech
Marketing Committee
This group of industry marketing experts focuses on best practices for the marketing and promotion of fiber broadband services and hosts a marketing best practice webinar series.
Chair: Kimberly Biddy, EPB
Board Liaison: Kimberly McKinley, UTOPIA Fiber
Middle Mile Working Group
The Middle Mile Working Group’s mission is to champion the deployment of middle-mile fiber networks. Investing in middle-mile fiber networks is a strategic move toward building a robust and inclusive digital infrastructure that drives the growth of individuals, communities, and economies.
Chair: Sachin Gupta, Centranet
Board Liaison: Sachin Gupta, Centranet
Public Policy Committee
This committee focuses on fiber broadband advocacy on Capitol Hill, the Administration, and at key federal agencies such as the FCC, NTIA, and USDA RUS, in addition to weighing in on relevant State broadband issues.
Co-Chair: Chris Champion, C-Spire
Co-Chair: Jordan Gross, Corning
Board Liaison: Ariane Schaffer, Google Fiber
Public Officials Roundtable
This Roundtable includes over 150 elected officials from over 45 States, representing small rural communities to large cities, such as NYC. These officials discuss broadband challenges and share experiences from the communities that they serve.
Co-Chair: Bob Knight, Harry
Co-Chair: Kim McKinley, UTOPIA Fiber
Board Liaison: Kim McKinley, UTOPIA Fiber
Power Utilities Roundtable
This Roundtable includes a wide range of Utility broadband providers, who share experiences and best practices for fiber broadband deployment, operations and challenges from the communities that they serve.
Chair: Pete Hoffswell, Holland Board of Public Works
Board Liaison: Scott Jackson, Graybar
Precision Agriculture Working Group
The Precision Agriculture Working Group is dedicated to advancing the use of technology and data-driven practices in farming to enhance productivity and sustainability. It gathers agricultural experts, researchers, and industry stakeholders to explore innovative solutions for optimizing crop management and resource efficiency.
Chair: John Greene, Mytra Consulting
Board Liaison: Jimmy Todd, Nex-Tech
Supply Chain Working Group
This group is tasked with developing a detailed map of the fiber industry supply chain so that we can educate and focus on the specific bottlenecks that are impacting fiber deployment.
Chair: Scott Jackson, Graybar
Board Liaison: Scott Jackson, Graybar
Sustainability Working Group
A newly formed effort with FBA members that have an interest in establishing “net zero” targets for fiber providers by encouraging industry recycling, reduction of truck rolls, reducing energy consumption, using renewable energy, and a range of ESG initiatives to obtain greater operational efficiencies.
Chair: Mike Emmendorfer, Calix
Board Liaison: Ariane Schaffer, Google Fiber
Tribal Broadband Roundtable
The “Tribal Broadband Roundtable” is a collaborative forum aimed at addressing the unique broadband connectivity challenges faced by Native American communities. It brings together tribal leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to develop strategies for improving internet access and fostering digital inclusion in tribal regions.
Co-Chair: Ernie Rasmussen, Bigfoot Communications of the Colville Tribes
Co-Chair: Robert Griffin, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Board Liaison: Sachin Gupta, Centranet
Trusted Fiber Working Group
This group is focused on establishing metrics and standards for the ethical production, distribution, and pricing of fiber by trusted suppliers.
Chair: Patrick Jacobi, Prysmian
Board Liaison: Ariane Schaffer, Google Fiber
Technology Committee
The Technology Committee develops fiber broadband-related studies and whitepapers that are the basis for the Association’s data/fact-driven advocacy.
Chair: John George, OFS
Board Liaison: Mark Boxer, OFS
Women in Fiber Committee
Women in Fiber has expanded to over 180 members, 5 subcommittees, and over a dozen women who have taken on varying levels of WIF leadership roles. This group celebrates Women in the Fiber industry and works on developing education and best practices to advance our industry forward.
Chair: Alexa Edens, KGPCo
Board Liaison: Ashley Brown, Adtran