Fiber Broadband Association Awards Hawaiian Telcom and Adtran’s Ashley Brown for Contributions to Fiber Broadband Industry

Star and Photon Awards presented at Fiber Connect 2025 to honor exemplary leadership, volunteerism, and advocacy in advancing fiber broadband

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today at Fiber Connect 2025, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced the winners of its prestigious Star and Photon Awards. These awards, presented annually at Fiber Connect, recognize individuals and organizations that have made exceptional contributions to advancing the fiber broadband industry. The 2025 Star Award was presented to Hawaiian Telcom and the 2025 Photon Award was presented to Ashley Brown, Senior Director, Field and Partner Marketing Americas at Adtran.

“Each year we honor those who go above and beyond in their service to the fiber broadband community, and the Star and Photon Awards are among the highest recognitions,” said Ariane Schaffer, Chair of the FBA Board of Directors and Head of Federal and State Policy at GFiber. “Both Hawaiian Telcom and Ashley embody the spirit of innovation, leadership, and service that drives our industry forward. We’re proud to celebrate their lasting impact.”

2025 Star Award Winner: Hawaiian Telcom

The Star Award is given to a person, community, or company that has made extraordinary efforts in advancing Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) and fiber broadband adoption. In January, Hawaiian Telcom announced Hawaii will be the first fully fiber enabled state in the nation by the end of 2026 thanks to the company’s transformative $1.7 billion network investment and the support of government representatives. Hawaiian Telcom’s fiber network is designed to meet the rapidly evolving technology needs of families and businesses across the state, ensuring Hawaii remains at the forefront of broadband innovation.

To date, Hawaiian Telcom has covered more than 60% of the state with FTTP, offering residential symmetrical speeds up to 3 Gbps. Instead of focusing on areas with the most ROI before tackling rural areas, Hawaiian Telcom took a different approach and delivered broadband where it was needed the most. Its work has helped remove barriers to broadband deployment, expand equitable access, and shape policies that prioritize long-term infrastructure investment.

2025 Photon Award Winner: Ashley Brown, Senior Director, Field and Partner Marketing Americas, Adtran

The Photon Award honors an FBA member who has shown an exceptional level of volunteer commitment and service to the Association and the broader broadband community. Brown is a dedicated leader within the Fiber Broadband Association, serving as an active board member and the current Vice Chair. She has made significant contributions through her involvement in multiple committees, including a key role in the Women in Fiber Committee and consistent participation in the Conference Committee. Over the past three years, Brown served as a frequent speaker and moderator at nearly every Regional Fiber Connect event, exemplifying her commitment to engaging with the industry so we can collectively advance fiber broadband deployments across North America. A longtime advocate for the power of fiber to transform lives, Brown continues to be a catalyst for collaboration, education, and broadband expansion.

The Star and Photon Awards were presented on Monday, June 2, during the Awards Luncheon at Fiber Connect 2025. To learn more about Fiber Connect 2025, visit the conference website here or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated on the latest industry news. View the 2024 Fiber Broadband Association Award Winners here.

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 policy makers 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.