World’s largest fiber broadband event to deliver content that’s ‘Light Years Ahead’

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced the Fiber Connect 2026 Call for Speakers is now open. Fiber Connect, the largest fiber broadband event in the world, will be held May 17-20, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida.

The Fiber Connect 2026 program will articulate how fiber broadband positions communities “Light Years Ahead” in terms of access to beneficial digital applications and services. Sessions will showcase the future fiber enables, underscoring the long-term impact of fiber broadband for people, families, businesses, industries, communities, and the country, while also sharing best practices for building and expanding fiber infrastructure.

FBA expects attendance at Fiber Connect 2026 to surpass last year’s record of more than 5,000 attendees. Professionals from across the fiber broadband ecosystem attend the event each year, including network operators, service providers, state broadband offices, policy makers, technology innovators, and more.

“The strength of our industry comes from the people and communities driving it forward,” said Evann Freeman, FBA Conference Committee Chair, FBA Board Member, and EPB Vice President of Government & Community Relations. “Fiber Connect is the place to showcase those voices, and we encourage speakers to apply who can share their FTTH experiences, along with stories about how fiber is delivering real benefits today while opening the door to a future that keeps us light years ahead.”

FBA is seeking industry experts to share insights, experience, and best practices at Fiber Connect 2026. Speaker submissions are open for breakout sessions as well as the four thematic programs- Artificial Intelligence, Precision Agriculture, Streaming, and the Marketing and Customer Experience Pre-Conference Workshop. These sessions will be panel-based and focused on key issues driving the fiber broadband industry forward. Submissions should be non-commercial in nature and focus on what the individual speaker can share with the audience. The Call for Speakers is not soliciting topic abstracts or panel proposals.

Individuals interested in participating should submit their qualifications via the Speaker Submission Portal by 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 31, 2025. More information on the speaker submission process can be found on the FBA website here. The topics for submission include:

Pre-Conference Workshop (Sunday, May 17)

• Marketing and Customer Experience: focused on marketing metrics, branding, growth strategies, and customer loyalty.

Breakout Sessions (Monday, May 18 – Tuesday, May 19)

• Deployment Best Practices: Tackle issues, opportunities, and challenges associated with the deployment of fiber broadband; how operators will take fiber further to unserved markets; best practices and/or lessons learned.
• Outside Plant Considerations: Discuss the realities of deploying fiber broadband to places it has not been deployed before and examine the technologies and systems available.
• Service Provider Ecosystem: Building Teams That Move Business Forward: Focus on improving the service providers’ experience and reduce silos and challenges.
• Data Center: Dive into fiber broadband’s role as more than just an enabler of AI, but the infrastructure that will determine AI’s success.
• Open Access: Explore the Open Access landscape and its evolution: what an open access network is, what it means to ISPs, what models are available, what current and future markets looks like, and what is required to move the market forward.
• Fiber Economics: Examine the financial considerations and opportunities operators need to consider when deploying fiber broadband services in either greenfield or existing network environments in both rural and urban environments.
• Local Considerations: Share best practices for working with local agencies on the permitting, ROW, and locates process.
• Tribal Broadband: Discuss sustainable paths forward to connect tribal communities with fiber broadband in accordance with individual nations’ laws and customs.
• Network Expansion: Address the operational issues, opportunities, and challenges of managing growing networks and services.
• Marketing: Innovative approaches to captivate your audience, build trust, and drive sustainable growth, as well as practical insights, trends for the year ahead, and tools needed to thrive in a competitive landscape.
• MDU: Provide a detailed roadmap for evaluating existing infrastructure, designing an optimal fiber network, selecting the right technology and equipment, and ensuring compliance with local regulations.
• Middle Mile: Discuss the deployment of middle mile networks to support network operator fiber broadband expansion to serve rural communities.

All Fiber Connect 2026 speaking submissions will be reviewed by the FBA Conference Committee with the following considerations: expertise on subject matter, involvement with FBA, and relevant speaker experience. Submissions promoting or focused on specific company products or solutions will not be considered. For questions about submissions, contact Program Director Richard Williams at rwilliams@fiberbroadband.org.

To learn more about Fiber Connect 2026, visit fiberbroadband.org/event/fiber-connect-2026 or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Lucy Green at lgreen@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 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.

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