Fiber Broadband Association Reports Record Membership Growth

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced that it has added 40 net new member companies so far this year, reflecting continued momentum behind fiber broadband infrastructure investment and deployment across North America.

The association said its membership has more than tripled over the past five and a half years and now represents more than 8,000 broadband professionals. Overall membership grew 16% year-over-year, with expansion occurring across both network operators and fiber solution providers.

FBA leaders pointed to increasing demand for scalable, high-capacity broadband networks driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum networking, cloud computing, and other data-intensive applications. The organization continues to position itself as a central hub for industry collaboration, workforce development, education, and deployment best practices.

“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.

Vassil continues, “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.”

According to the association, more than 1,900 delegates from member companies are actively participating in FBA committees, working groups, and standards-related initiatives focused on deployment strategies, operations, workforce development, and business innovation.

FBA also reported growing adoption of its All Fiber Certification program, which recognizes operators deploying fiber optic infrastructure across at least 90% of their networks. Maryland Broadband Cooperative was recently named the latest organization to achieve the certification.

Regional engagement remains a key part of the association’s strategy. Over the past year, FBA hosted workshops, member mingles, and meetups in six cities across North America, bringing together operators, contractors, manufacturers, and ecosystem partners to discuss deployment opportunities and market trends.

The association plans to expand those efforts during the second half of 2026 with 15 additional events scheduled in markets including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, the New York metropolitan area, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and Vancouver.

FBA also continues expanding collaboration beyond traditional broadband stakeholders through its Alliance Partner Program, which is designed to support cross-sector initiatives that advance high-performance connectivity focused on healthcare, education, agriculture, digital equity, and smart infrastructure.

Current alliance partners include the American Telemedicine Association, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, The Broadband Council, Community Broadband Action Network, Connected Nation, Open Compute Project, and the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition.

In addition, the association continues to work with industry and community organizations nationwide to support broadband adoption and digital inclusion initiatives.

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

Source: Fiber Broadband Association (FBA)

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