Last month, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced its call for speakers and a new Proof of Concept (POC) program for its Fiber Connect 2022 event, scheduled to be held June 12 – 15, 2022 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN.
FBA said this year's annual event will include several pre-conference workshops, keynotes from industry leaders, policy makers, regulators and influencers "designed to provide the tools needed to successfully close the digital equity gap forever."
New programming at Fiber Connect 2022 includes sessions focused on public/private partnerships, demand drivers for fiber broadband, innovation, cybersecurity, grant writing and training.
Gary Bolton, president and CEO of FBA, commented:
“The recently passed Infrastructure Bill, along with other federal and state programs, will ensure that our industry can get every person connected and close the digital equity gap once and for all. The FBA’s goal is to ensure our members have the tools needed to fund, design, deploy and deliver fiber broadband services. Our conference team has created exciting opportunities for people to learn, network, make deals and advance the deployment of fiber broadband further.”
Per a press release, Fiber Connect 2022 sessions "will be curated to showcase the proven role fiber broadband has as a mechanism for community growth and economic development, best practices, innovative use cases and innovation that can drive the market forward. Speakers will be selected from the industry, as well as from its over 250 member companies that include incumbent, regional and rural service providers, cable operators, equipment vendors, system integrators, engineering consultants and other members of the fiber broadband ecosystem," added the statement.
New in 2022, the POC program is designed to demonstrate the benefits fiber brings to communities as they look to leverage high-capacity services once the digital divide is closed. The program is centered on services that bring both financial opportunity and social good.
Companies are encouraged to demonstrate how their products and applications can be used to deliver services to support telehealth, precision agriculture, remote learning/work, emergency and first responder services, smart grid, smart city, smart home and other applications that require the capacity fiber can deliver to have the biggest impact.
Companies interested in submitting a POC application can find additional information here: https://www.fiberbroadband.org/page/overview-of-fiber-connect-2022-poc-unlimited-capacity-creates-limitless-possibilities.
“Fiber Connect is where the industry comes together and this year we’re excited to share new insights into public/private partnerships, the creation of the Fiber Connect Deal Zone and the POC program that should serve as a roadmap to offering the types of innovative applications and services that can profoundly change communities and lives,” concluded Joseph Jones, FBA Board Member and Fiber Connect 2022 Conference Chair. “Fiber unlocks limitless possibilities and Fiber Connect 2022 is the preeminent event for our industry as it looks to showcase the societal benefits that only fiber can deliver.”
Fiber Connect 2022 welcomes Platinum Sponsors ADTRAN, Calix, DZS, Nokia, Plume and Sumitomo; Gold Sponsors 3-GIS, CommScope, Corning, Dycom, Graybar and OFS; and Silver Sponsor Clearfield. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Lucy Green at [email protected].