Fiber Broadband Association Achieves Record Membership and Engagement as Fiber Investment Accelerates

Association accelerates industry momentum amid rising demand for AI-ready broadband infrastructure

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At Fiber Connect 2026, the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced record membership, adding 40 net new member companies in 2026 to date as momentum behind fiber broadband infrastructure continues to accelerate across North America.

Over the past five and a half years, FBA membership has more than tripled, now representing a community of more than 8,000 broadband professionals. Membership increased 16% year-over-year, with balanced growth across both network operators and fiber solution providers, reinforcing the Association’s role as the industry’s leading collaborative forum for the fiber broadband ecosystem.

As artificial intelligence, quantum networking, cloud computing, and other data-intensive technologies reshape global connectivity requirements, broadband providers, infrastructure leaders, and technology innovators are increasing investment in scalable, future-ready fiber networks. FBA continues to serve as a central platform for industry collaboration, workforce development, education, and best-practice advancement to support this next wave of digital infrastructure transformation.

“Fiber has become the critical infrastructure enabling the next generation of economic growth and innovation,” said Jennifer Vassil, Vice President of Membership at Fiber Broadband Association. “Our members are driving that transformation through collaboration, technical leadership, and a shared commitment to expanding high-performance connectivity. The continued growth of our Association reflects both the strength of the fiber industry and the increasing importance of fiber in powering AI, cloud applications, smart infrastructure, healthcare, education, and beyond.”

Member participation and technical engagement continue to expand across the Association’s initiatives. Today, more than 1,900 delegates from member companies actively contribute to FBA committees, working groups, and standards-related activities focused on deployment strategies, operational excellence, workforce development, and business innovation.

FBA also continues to see growing adoption of its All Fiber Certification program, which recognizes network operators deploying fiber optic infrastructure across at least 90% of their networks. Maryland Broadband Cooperative recently became the latest organization to achieve this milestone.

Beyond national initiatives, FBA continues to strengthen regional industry engagement through its Fiber Connect Workshops, Member Mingles, and Meetups. Over the past year, the Association hosted events in six cities across North America, creating opportunities for operators, manufacturers, contractors, and ecosystem partners to collaborate on market opportunities and deployment strategies. In the second half of 2026, FBA plans to host 15 additional Member Mingles and Meetups in major markets including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, the New York metro area, the Washington, D.C. metro area, and Vancouver.

FBA’s expanding influence also extends beyond traditional broadband stakeholders through its recently launched Alliance Partner Program, designed to deepen collaboration with organizations both inside and adjacent to the broadband industry. The program supports cross-sector initiatives that advance high-performance connectivity for critical applications in healthcare, education, agriculture, digital equity, and smart infrastructure.

Current Alliance Partners include the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, The Broadband Council, Community Broadband Action Network (CBAN), Connected Nation, Open Compute Project, and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB).

In addition, FBA continues to collaborate with a broad network of industry associations and community organizations, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and AARP Older Adults Technology Services/Senior Planet, to support digital inclusion, broadband adoption, and community engagement initiatives nationwide.

Additional strategic partners include the Alaska Telecom Association, Broadband Communications Association of Pennsylvania, Federation of Internet Solution Providers of the Americas, Fiber Network Alliance, Georgia Rural Telephone & Broadband Association, INDATEL, Iowa Communications Alliance, Louisiana Cable & Telecommunications Association, National Association of Tower Erectors, National Tribal Telecommunications Association, Pennsylvania Telephone Association, Power & Communications Contractors Association, SCTE, Texas Rural Broadband Association, and the Wireless Infrastructure Association.

Learn more about FBA membership here or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated.

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.