The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced its first annual Fiber Forward AMPLIFY Awards program. The awards look at individuals, companies, and innovations that “demonstrate the ability to amplify and advance the fiber broadband industry”. The winners of the Fiber Forward AMPLIFY Awards will be presented at Fiber Connect 2024 from July 28th to the 31st in Nashville, Tennessee.
While the FBA has other award programs, such as the Star, Photon, and Gene Scott awards, the Fiber Forward Amplify Awards are more expansive in their recognition.
“The fiber broadband industry has witnessed so much outstanding work and progress as we work together to connect every American to reliable broadband service. The Fiber Forward AMPLIFY Awards expand our acknowledgment of the individuals and companies that are advancing our mission,” said Evann Freeman, Fiber Broadband Association Board Member and Conference Committee Chair, and Vice President, Government & Community Relations at EPB of Chattanooga. “These awards highlight key categories of contributions that strengthen our industry and bring us closer to closing the digital divide for good.”
“We’re capturing inspiring stories of fiber broadband progress in each quarterly issue of Fiber Forward magazine. It is exciting to expand recognition beyond the pages of our publication to this award program,” said Doug Mohney, Fiber Forward Editor in Chief, and Head of Content at Connect2 Communications. “We welcome nominations from across the fiber broadband ecosystem so that we can celebrate outstanding achievements and learn from the winning accomplishments.”
The awards categories are categorized by individuals and companies and are as follows:
- Individual Categories:
o Fiber Under Forty: Individuals born in 1985 or later that are having an impact on their companies, or the industry, far beyond their years.
o Women Changing Fiber for Good: Females making changes that will impact and improve the industry for years to come.
o Advocacy Allstars: Individuals advancing the agenda of the fiber broadband industry on the state and federal levels.
- Company Categories:
o Community Impact: Fiber broadband projects that are enabling communities and changing lives across North America.
o Product Innovation: Showcasing technology innovation and advancement that expands fiber broadband’s ability to deliver the services customers demand today and over the next decade.
o Taking Fiber Further: Teams that are working together to support community broadband fiber network expansion, including construction, planning, and integration.
o Constellation: Celebrating the companies that came together to form a coalition that helped advance fiber broadband networks across communities, states, and regions.
Finalists will be chosen for each award by FBA’s Conference Committee and an announcement will be made on June 14th. The awards will be presented at a luncheon at Fiber Connect 2024, on July 29th. Winners will be selected by fiber broadband experts from all across the industry with some of the judges being: epb’s Katie Espeseth, CTC Technology and Energy’s Joanne Hovis, OnTrac, Inc’s Joseph Jones “JJ”, Clearfield’s Kevin Morgan, and S&P Global’s John Fletcher.
Nominations can be submitted through an online form found here, and they will close on May 15th. For further information about Fiber Connect and award sponsorship opportunities, you may contact Lucy Green at [email protected].