On opening day at Fiber Connect 2024 in Nashville yesterday, the Fiber Broadband Association made several announcements, including new research and certifications. FBA and the Power & Communication Contractors Association announced the result of their “Broadband Market Workforce Needs” study, predicting that the amount of federal and state broadband funding will exceed the engineering, permitting, locating, and construction workforce capacity to absorb it.
The new study confirms broadband users should subscribe to get the fastest level of broadband service (gigabit+) offered by their provider. With a gigabit or more of fiber broadband service, the research estimates that the U.S. could add $326 billion to its Gross Domestic Product.
Other announcements included:
- The Sustainability Working Group published a new white paper focusing on analyzing carbon footprint of FTTH versus HFC (Hybrid fiber-coaxial) data over DOCSIS 4.0 networks, revealing the carbon footprint of FTTH networks is lower than HFC networks.
- The Deployment Specialists Committee published a new white paper on “Accelerating Timelines of Utility Locates” to share the latest research from affiliated organizations as well as share the best practice recommendations to optimize the timeliness of locating underground utilities and more.
- The Fiber 101 Series is a collection of concise resources designed to demystify and clarify technical fiber topics, including two documents on aerial fiber deployment. This series will grow to include topics for FBA members.
- Twelve FBA members recently achieved All Fiber Certification in North America since Fiber Connect 2023. The All-Fiber Certification is an accreditation reserved for FBA members that demonstrate a high-level of strategic commitment to all fiber deployment by ensuring 90 percent or more of their networks rely on fiber optic infrastructure.
The conference ends tomorrow.
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