Skip to main content

Premier Members Meeting Readout – 2025

The Fiber Broadband Association Premier Member Meeting brought together 150 member leaders in Palm Springs, California, for two days of programming, speakers, activities, and breakout sessions focused on the future of American connectivity and ingenuity.

This page includes highlights from the readout. To review the full details, download the complete PDF.

Download the Premier Member Meeting Summary (PDF)

Why this meeting mattered

Fiber broadband is being deployed faster than ever, delivering greater consumer benefits. At the same time, leaders discussed what comes next as deployment approaches a tipping point: treating fiber as the architecture of what connectivity enables, and positioning the industry as the next generation of critical infrastructure.

A central theme throughout the meeting was the accelerating impact of AI. Speakers emphasized that AI, the compute it requires, the data centers it necessitates, and the speeds consumers expect all demand enhanced fiber broadband deployment and usage. One expert shared that AI data centers will require 213 million fiber miles.

Participants also recognized real headwinds, including higher labor and materials costs, longer deployment timelines, and localized permitting challenges that can extend project schedules and increase costs for customers.

 

 

Breakout outcomes: what Premier Members prioritized

To help inform how FBA prioritizes its work, members “voted with their feet” across breakout topics. The top three priorities for the coming year were:

  1. AI Infrastructure & Emerging Technologies: New Business Models for Network Operators (22 votes)

  2. BEAD Implementation: Supply Chain & BABA (16 votes)

  3. Permitting Reform: How We Can Leverage AI (13 votes)

These three issues reflect both immediate challenges and near-term opportunities for the fiber broadband ecosystem.

 

 

Next steps: what FBA is doing now

FBA will immediately act on member input, priorities, and key message takeaways. Actions tied to the top three priorities include:

  • AI Infrastructure and emerging technologies: Implement AI-related programming.

  • BEAD implementation, supply chain, and BABA: Continue discussions with NTIA on BABA-compliant fiber supply, and continue member surveying through the FBA Supply Chain Working Group to keep members and the industry informed. A preview of the December 2025 Fiber Deployment Study indicated that the fiber industry supply chain has normalized from the post-COVID inventory surplus, and that a 1Q26 “shotgun start” for BEAD deployments may create near-term workforce and supply chain constraints.

  • Permitting reform: Hold a permitting workshop and roundtable with NTIA on January 12, 2026, covering best practices and models, a permitting toolkit, and prioritizing NTIA BEAD non-deployment funds for permitting reform.

Additional breakout themes will be advanced through corresponding FBA working groups and incorporated into FBA’s 2026 planning and latest 5-year plan.

 

 

Download the full readout

For the complete meeting summary, breakout readouts, and full context:

Download the Premier Member Meeting Summary (PDF)

FAQ

1) What is the Premier Member Meeting Summary?

It is a written readout of the Fiber Broadband Association’s Premier Member Meeting, capturing key themes, breakout outcomes, and the actions FBA plans to take based on member priorities.

2) When and where did the 2025 Premier Member Meeting take place?

The meeting took place on December 9, 2025, in Palm Springs, California, with two days of programming and breakouts.

3) What were the top three priorities members selected in the breakouts?

Members prioritized:

  1. AI Infrastructure and emerging technologies (new business models for operators)

  2. BEAD implementation (supply chain and BABA)

  3. Permitting reform (including leveraging AI to improve processes)

4) What actions is FBA taking on BEAD, supply chain, and BABA?

FBA will continue discussions with NTIA on BABA-compliant fiber supply, and the FBA Supply Chain Working Group will continue surveying members on supply chain changes and challenges to keep members and the industry informed.

5) What is happening next on permitting reform?

FBA will host a permitting workshop and roundtable with NTIA on January 12, 2026, focused on best practices and models, a permitting toolkit, and prioritizing NTIA BEAD non-deployment funds for permitting reform.