World’s largest fiber broadband conference will showcase community impact and fiber’s disruptive market potential

The Fiber Broadband Association today announced the agenda for Fiber Connect 2023, held August 20-23, 2023, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Fiber Connect 2023 is expected to be the largest, most successful Fiber Broadband Association event ever. This year’s theme is “What Fiber Disrupts Next,” showcasing how fiber is a catalyst for change and fundamental for innovation in any market, including gaming, streaming entertainment, Internet of Things, precision agriculture, healthcare, machine learning, and augmented reality. Registration for Fiber Connect 2023 is now open and can be accessed here.

“Fiber Connect 2022 was the largest event in our association’s history, and we already know our 2023 event will surpass the success we saw last year. We have a bigger exhibition hall, expect more than 4,000 attendees, and have added several new programs to the agenda,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Our future is 100% technology dependent and the choice states and communities make as they evaluate the right infrastructure to take their community forward will have a generational impact. During Fiber Connect 2023, we will explore fiber’s unique ability to close the digital equity gap and showcase fiber’s unmatched ability to deliver innovation, create disruption, and so much more.”

Fiber Connect 2023 will feature over 225 speakers presenting sessions and topics that are top of mind for everyone across the fiber broadband industry, including federal and state broadband policy, fiber deployment best practices, and workforce development. New elements to this year’s agenda include Fiber Meet Ups, The C-Suite Forum, The State Broadband Summit at Fiber Connect 2023, and Technology Deep Dives presented in partnership with The Broadband Forum.

Also new to 2023 are Operator Light Talks—a series of six 18-minute, Ted Talk-style keynotes presented by executives from AT&T, epb, Frontier Communications, Google Fiber, Lumos Fiber, and Ting Internet. The sessions will explore how these operators are leveraging fiber networks to create market disruption, including advances in Quantum computing, digital equity, 5G, community engagement, and customer experience.

“Fiber Connect 2023 is all about disruption and the role fiber broadband plays in enabling markets, companies, and communities to alter dynamics in new ways,” said Joseph Jones “JJ,” Fiber Broadband Association Board Chair and President at On Trac, Inc. “Our conference committee has curated a wealth of new content that will be presented by the thought leaders responsible for investing, deploying, and operating the fiber broadband networks that will connect every community and eliminate the digital divide.”

General sessions and keynotes will be presented on Monday and Tuesday of the event, covering some of the most important issues the fiber broadband industry is currently facing. The thought leaders that will present these sessions include the following:

• Federal, Policy & Regulatory executives from U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Treasury, USDA Rural Development, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs at the Department of the Interior
• State Broadband and Legislature representatives from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, ConnectLA, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Kansas Department of Commerce, and Missouri House of Representatives
• Executives from operators and local service providers, including Accord, Centranet, epb, Lumos Networks, New Lisbon Holdings, and Ting Internet
• Industry experts from Broadband Money, Mattey Consulting, MyTRA Consulting, NATE, Needham & Company, Pew Charitable Trusts, and RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting
• Technology providers, including Adtran, AFL, Calix, DZS, Nokia, and Plume

Fiber Connect 2023 will host five Pre-Conference Workshops on Sunday, August 20, to explore emerging topics impacting the industry or topics that are new to Fiber Connect, including Fiber Broadband Toolkit, The Ecology of Fiber Broadband, Tower Talks, and Community Broadband. A total of 42 Breakout Sessions, which focus on market drivers and opportunities, will be divided into seven tracks. New content this year includes tracks focused on marketing tactics, fiber financials, in-home experience, 5G and fiber, supply chain & manufacturing, and a track curated by Cablefax and ACA Connects designed to discuss the role of fiber broadband in cable operators’ future plans.

Proof of Concept demonstrations will return to Fiber Connect 2023, as well as the FBA OpTIC Path™ Train the Trainer program. To view the full Fiber Connect 2023 agenda, visit the event website at fiberconnect.fiberbroadband.org.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

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