BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
Issue link: https://bbcmag.epubxp.com/i/812274
76 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | MARCH/APRIL 2017 THE GIGABIT HIGHWAY The Fiber to the Home Council Americas is now the Fiber Broadband Association. A New Name in the Fiber Game Fiber to the home is still a great idea. But fiber networks are just as important for businesses, cellular networks, innovation and more. Given today's realities, "fiber broadband" is a better description of the endgame for broadband networks. By Heather Burnett Gold / Fiber Broadband Association T he fiber industry is dynamic, changing and evolving over the years to become the force for innovation that it is today. It's only natural that the leading trade association for the fiber industry should make some changes of its own. e Fiber to the Home Council recently changed its name to the Fiber Broadband Association. More than a name change, this shift is a clear signal – the association is ready to harness its momentum and boldly face the future of fiber. You've got questions; we've got answers. WHY NOW? Just as the internet itself evolved from simple emails and web pages to a vibrant ecosystem of applications and services across multiple industry sectors, the association's members broadened their businesses and outlooks to focus on growing to support the 21st-century economy in new technologies and intersecting industries. e association is all about its members, and we recognized that shifting member needs required a shift on the association's part. We still believe in, and will continue to advocate vigorously for, fiber to the home as the best broadband access technology for consumers, but we are expanding our focus – for example, to include fiber to the business and fiber to cellular sites. e Fiber Broadband Association has a long history of supporting the rapidly evolving ways people connect, and we've been there from the beginning. e association is excited to seize the moment to put its long- standing, successful momentum behind its members' evolving efforts to connect more people, businesses and communities. WHY 'FIBER BROADBAND ASSOCIATION'? Bringing fiber to the home was just the beginning. Our new name, the Fiber Broadband Association, brings us to where industry has evolved – the arrival of fiber not just to the home but as the critical infrastructure of the economy. e new brand reflects this vision, guiding the scope of our activities, membership base and brand promise. Fiber is at the crossroads of the innovation and delivery of broadband, and the Fiber Broadband Association is right there with it. WHAT WILL HAPPEN GOING FORWARD? e Fiber Broadband Association's mission will continue to accelerate deployment of all-fiber access networks by demonstrating how fiber-enabled applications and solutions create value for network operators and their customers, promote economic development and enhance quality of life. e association's focus and commitment remains the same: being the go-to organization that supports providers, utilities, developers and communities building the world's best broadband networks with fiber optics and getting the most value out of their networks. We will continue to educate communities, consumers and policymakers about the highest- performing broadband available, its benefits and how it's relevant to all our lives. v Heather Burnett Gold is president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, a nonprofit association whose mission is to accelerate deployment of all-fiber access networks. You can contact her at hbgold@fiberbroadband.org.