Fiber Broadband Association Reports Historic Fiber Deployment Highs

Annual study reveals U.S. nears 100 million FTTH passing milestone

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced its annual Fiber Deployment Survey, performed by RVA LLC Market Research & Consulting (RVA), revealed that 2025 set an all-time record for fiber broadband growth. Fiber broadband deployments reached 11.8 million U.S. homes passed in 2025 alone, totaling 98.3 million FTTH passings when including homes with more than one passing. Canada hit a total of 14.5 million fiber passings - nearly 75% of Canadian households.

According to the survey results, the U.S. is well on its way to fiber availability goals, with fiber broadband now passing over 60% of U.S. households and on track to overtake cable and all other technologies as the dominant U.S. delivery platform as early as 2028. Even after this massive progress, 60 million potential first-time fiber passings remain, and 84% of potential second and third passings remain untapped, creating opportunity for overbuilding and competitive fiber deployments.

Beyond actual passings, the survey data indicates that average take rates climbed to 46.5% for primary passings, and when a secondary provider enters a fiber market, total FTTH take rate jumps to about 61%, demonstrating that fiber-to-fiber competition actually grows adoption.

“We’re at a major inflection point in the U.S. broadband market. Competition among fiber providers has intensified, and the data shows that customer experience is now a top defining factor separating market leaders from the rest,” said Mike Render, Founder and CEO at RVA. “Consumers consistently rate fiber highest across every performance category and that preference is accelerating adoption. Fiber speed, latency, and jitter advantages are also seen in speed tests taken during surveys. As more providers enter the market and expand their networks, we expect this momentum to continue and further solidify fiber as the premier broadband technology in the United States.”

Beyond consumer broadband, emerging markets will continue to keep fiber demand strong for years. These emerging segments, including data centers, tower and small cells, grid and energy infrastructure, inside-home fiber, quantum, AI, and fiber sensing, are early in market maturity and offer long-term growth potential beyond traditional FTTH. Consequently, investment in fiber broadband continues. Despite challenges with RDOF and BEAD, government investment is still significantly boosting FTTH passings and construction. Additionally, a change in federal tax law will restore 100% bonus depreciation in 2026, likely fueling a 5-15% FTTH Capex increase.

“This year’s survey reinforces what we’re seeing across the industry: fiber has become the clear technology of choice for both network operators and consumers. Deployment is accelerating, investment remains strong, and fiber now reaches more U.S. households than ever before,” said Deborah Kish, Vice President of Research and Workforce Development at FBA. “At the same time, new markets are expanding the role fiber plays in our digital economy. These trends point to sustained long-term growth and underscore the importance of continued fiber deployment to meet future demand.”

Render will present the survey findings on Fiber for Breakfast on December 17 (Register Here). Also, subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated on FBA research and market surveys.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is the voice of fiber, helping providers, policy makers, and communities make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. FBA is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists. Since 2001, FBA and its members have worked to advance fiber broadband deployment to accelerate innovation and increase quality of life by enabling every community to leverage 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, MENA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.