New membership program tightens bond between industry’s leading broadband association and the state broadband offices working to close the digital divide

Today, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced a new membership program for State Broadband Offices. Open to all state and territory broadband offices, this program includes access to FBA research, events, and the OpTIC Path™ fiber optic technician training program, as well as networking and social events. This new program codifies FBA’s ongoing work with State Broadband Offices now as members, creating a stronger connection throughout the entire fiber broadband ecosystem.

"States now have a leading role in broadband development,” said Mitch Carmichael, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. "The West Virginia Office of Broadband has set a rapid pace as one of the first states in the nation to secure BEAD funding. The FBA's new state membership program will provide resources for broadband deployment, workforce development, and digital equity to support West Virginia’s comprehensive broadband development initiative.”

Sally Doty, Director of the Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM), said, “I so appreciate FBA acknowledging the difficult work of state broadband offices and taking this step to provide additional support and resources as we all work toward universal access to connectivity.”

Over the past three years, FBA has worked closely with the State Broadband Offices to share information, provide access to new research and resources, speak at regional conferences, and work collaboratively to address the challenges and opportunities created by the NTIA’s BEAD funding that will reshape how America connects. In addition, FBA has been involved in advisory committee roles with State Broadband Offices as they work through workforce development challenges across the industry.

“Creating connections between industry and state broadband offices is critical and we believe FBA is the ideal place for these two groups to network, plan, and collaborate to advance our industry and the communities we serve,” said Jennifer Vassil, Director of Membership, Fiber Broadband Association. “With NTIA having announced BEAD Initial Proposal Funding Volumes 1-2 for 33 states and territories, creating this membership program fosters a path for deeper collaboration, better communications, and the sharing of information.”

“We believe OpTIC Path stands out as the sole training curriculum available today that comprehensively covers both the construction phase and ongoing operations,” said Todd Jackson, Director of Workforce Development at FBA. “This comprehensive approach will help states meet their workforce development goals as it prepares students to excel as fiber technicians, regardless of their chosen occupation or career trajectory.”

FBA’s State Broadband Office membership program will provide all state office staff with full access to membership benefits. They can engage with FBA’s community of broadband network operators and industry suppliers to learn from each other, network, exchange ideas, and openly discuss common challenges. Together, this membership ecosystem is building better, faster, future-proof fiber broadband networks.

To learn more about Fiber Broadband Association Membership email membership@fiberbroadband.org. To learn more about OpTIC Path, visit the FBA OpTIC Path website here. Subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated on all FBA news.

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 policymakers 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240808031290/en/