Hawaiian Telcom currently operates a market-leading fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) network, offering the state’s fastest internet speeds of up to 3 Gigabits per second (Gbps) symmetrical (both upload and download). This network already reaches over 400,000 homes and businesses, representing 60% of the state, with plans to connect the remaining 40% by the end of 2026.

In collaboration with federal, state, and county leaders, Hawaiian Telcom announced a historic initiative to position Hawai‘i as the first fully-fiber enabled state in the nation by 2026. This transformative $1.7 billion public and private investment aims to meet the rapidly evolving technology needs of families and businesses across the state, ensuring Hawaiʻi remains at the forefront of broadband innovation.

With Special Guest:

Su Shin, President, Hawaiian Telcom

Read the full Fiber for Breakfast summary article here!

With the acceleration of models, data and applications, AI is enabling fiber networks, fed by huge growth in data centers and the middle mile. During this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Peter Cresse, President at Entropy, Inc., talks with FBA CEO Gary Bolton to discuss Entropy’s latest analysis on how AI is transforming the fiber landscape from data centers, across the fiber network, and into the new AI Fiber Home.

With Special Guest:
• Peter Cresse, President, Entropy, Inc.

Read the full Fiber for Breakfast summary article here!

As the new administration sets its policy agenda, broadband expansion emerges as a critical priority for economic growth, digital equity, and national competitiveness. While fiber broadband remains the gold standard for high-speed, scalable connectivity, the administration is expected to adopt a technology-neutral approach that includes fixed wireless access (FWA), low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and cable network upgrades to quickly and cost-effectively reach underserved communities. Key initiatives focus on expanding rural broadband infrastructure, promoting affordability programs, and fostering competition to drive innovation. But will a diverse mix of broadband solutions be the answer to solving the digital divide?

During this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Ajit Pai, Partner, Searchlight Capital joins FBA CEO Gary Bolton to discuss the possibilities and challenges this new administration faces, how the funding and deployment might roll out and what he sees happening competitively to the fiber broadband landscape.

With Special Guest:

Ajit Pai, Partner, Searchlight Capital

Read the full Fiber for Breakfast summary article here!

Wolfe Research, LLC, the top ranked independent, sell-side equity research firm recently analyzed broadband subscriber growth in 3Q24. Last quarter, industry residential broadband net adds were much better than expected across their cable & telco coverage. After broadband growth fell from 2.5M in ‘22 and ‘23 to under 1.5M (est) for ‘24, do stronger 3Q results signal better broadband growth in ’25? Wolfe does see improvement to 2.0M in ’25 but isn’t extrapolating Q3’s trends as a signal of a return to historical growth rates. Wolfe is cautious about false signals in 3Q relating to household formation, immigration, and adjustments to subscriber reporting relating to ACP. And what about the bigger industry questions relating to saturation, rural expansion, fixed/mobile substitution, FWA, Fiber, and LEO satellites?

During this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Peter Supino, a Sr. Analyst & Managing Director at Wolfe Research who was highly ranked in Institutional Investor’s 2024 investor poll, joins FBA CEO, Gary Bolton, to discuss the current broadband market, the challenges, and how providers can take advantage of new opportunities.

With Special Guest:

Peter Supino, Senior Analyst & Managing Director, Wolfe Research

This week, Jennifer Kent, Vice President of Research at Parks Associates, joins Fiber for Breakfast to share the latest trends and innovations driving the smart home market. Attendees will learn about emerging trends, the competitive landscape, and how advancements in smart home technology intersect with high-speed connectivity to shape consumer demand. Join this week’s episode to gain valuable insights into opportunities for collaboration and growth as fiber networks become the backbone of next-generation smart home ecosystems.

With Special Guest:

• Jennifer Kent, Vice President, Research, Parks Associates

Achieving universal broadband coverage is only possible with reliable, data driven, and truth tested maps. The Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development have a years long partnership that has built a model broadband availability map before the national version was published, secured an additional ~$250 million in funding under the BEAD program for Virginia, and fact checked national availability data to help Virginia achieve truly universal coverage under BEAD and beyond.

This week on Fiber for Breakfast, Gary is joined by Chandler Vaughan, Associate Director of the Virginia Office of Broadband, and Brandon Herndon, Director of the Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Virginia Tech, who will discuss this important partnership.

With Special Guests:

• Chandler Vaughan, Associate Director, Virginia Office of Broadband
• Brandon Herndon, Director, Center for Geospatial Information Technology at Virginia Tech

Join Gary Bolton for this week’s episode featuring Annie Stroud, Broadband Director Generation West Virginia. Drawing upon her experience with fiber deployment in West Virginia, Annie will discuss the complexities of deploying broadband in rural areas and, specifically, the challenges related to pole attachment that are delaying broadband expansion in the state. She will share how organizations like Generation WV are helping to close the digital divide by addressing these issues and ensuring that federal and state funding – like the $1.2 billion allocated under the BEAD program -effectively connects unserved communities. The conversation will also touch on innovative approaches, such as state task forces and rapid response mediation teams, to overcome regulatory and logistical barriers, minimize delays, and control costs when connecting rural areas.

With Special Guest:

Annie Stroud, Broadband Program Director, Generation West Virginia

Louisiana’s broadband office understands the first mover advantage. It was the first state to be federally approved for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, first to receive funding from the American Rescue Plan and first in the country in how well the state is executing broadband programs. Its efforts will help ISPs establish broadband networks to 67,000 locations with $176M through the GUMBO grant program; it will connect 140,000 locations with $1.356B from the BEAD program; and it will deliver internet service to more than 175,000 homes and small businesses in rural Louisiana with $342M through the FCC’s RDOF. It is also helping local economies and job markets, with an estimated 5,000 jobs created for construction and maintenance of new broadband networks throughout the state. With 95.4% of its BEAD unserved and underserved locations to be served with fiber broadband projects, the broadband office is ensuring its communities have the capacity to thrive.

This week on Fiber for Breakfast, Gary welcomes Veneeth Iyengar, the Executive Director of Louisiana’s broadband initiative, ConnectLA, who will discuss the state’s broadband efforts and the first mover advantage. You won’t want to miss it.

With Special Guest:

Veneeth Iyengar, Executive Director, ConnectLA

In the first Fiber for Breakfast episode of 2025, Gary welcomes Public Policy and Government Affairs Manager at GFiber and the 2025 FBA Board Chair, Ariane Schaffer. Ariane will review FBA Board priorities for 2025, and share FBA Policy updates and plans to engage with Washington in the new year. Ariane will also share the latest on GFiber.

With Special Guest:

Ariane Schaffer
Chairperson, FBA and
Head of US Federal & State Policy, GFiber

Join the FBA Conference Chairman and Fiber Connect Program Director for a sneak peek at the plans and programs in 2025. We’ll detail the seven Regional Fiber Connect Workshops, including locations and themes, as well as dive deep into all the new things we have planned for Fiber Connect 2025, June 1 – 4, in Nashville.

With Special Guests:

• Evann Freeman, VP, Government and Community Relations, EPB

• Rich Williams, President and CEO, Connect2 Communications, Inc

This session will dive into the current deployment numbers, market drivers, take rates, and the status of field inventory excesses that developed over a year ago. The session will also discuss the future – the consumer demand for fiber, the total addressable market, the money flowing into the market from different sources, and the challenges to growth to be overcome.

Special Guest:

Michael Render, CEO & Principal Analyst, RVA LLC

This week Gary is joined by Blair Levin, the US Policy & Regulation Advisor to New Street Research and former executive director of the National Broadband Plan from 2009 to 2010. Mr. Levin will share his insight regarding the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program earlier this year and illuminate broadband priorities of the new incoming administration.

With Special Guest:
Blair Levin, US Policy & Regulation Advisor, New Street Research