GFiber and the FBA focus on customer needs as the industry prepares for policy changes
Ariane Schaffer, FBA chair and the head of US Federal & State Policy at Google Fiber, reported during a recent Fiber for Breakfast webinar that the incoming administration is sure to bring policy changes, but she advised against listening to anyone who claims to know exactly what will happen.
“The only thing that is certain in 2025 is uncertainty,” she said. “We should all be ready to adapt to a changing marketplace, changing conditions—that’s good policy work.”
Schaffer reported that regulations and supply chains are two areas where policy changes will almost certainly occur.
“We can expect to see an effort in Congress and the agencies to roll back regulatory hurdles and streamline some of the processes to expedite broadband infrastructure deployment; we know that is going to happen,” she said. “We know there’ll be conversations around the supply chain and where things are getting manufactured, which will certainly be a hot topic for the administration, especially when it comes to the security of manufacturing in certain countries across the world.”
GFiber Labs
During the webinar, Schaffer also discussed the importance of meeting customer needs, a priority of GFiber Labs, which has four main areas of focus:
- Speed to the home.
- Speed in the home, enabled by appropriate WiFi technologies.
- A powered-up network that is resilient and continuously self-optimizes.
- Reimagined customer service bolstered by an on-demand digital-forward support model.
“We’re really laser-focused on our customers, trying to anticipate our customers’ needs and really prioritizing our customers having control,” said Schaffer.
Schaffer described the customers’ needs as a focus not just of GFiber, but of FBA and the industry as a whole.
“We’re really putting pressure on the device manufacturers to build for the higher speeds that FBA and our member companies are delivering,” she said. “The fiber companies aren’t always able to demonstrate to the customer the full capacity because of speed degradation over older routers, TVs, and other devices, so we’re really looking forward to relying on this high-quality internet to ensure that great quality gets to the end user.”
Advocating for fiber
Regarding the FBA, Schaffer explained that the group has three priorities this year. The first is building and strengthening the fiber community, which she believes is necessary for industry growth.
“When people come to Fiber Broadband Association meetings, they are linking with other people and other businesses,” she said. “Business really happens at FBA events.”
The second priority is advocating for fiber and finding ways to partner across industries.
“FBA has done significant, well-sourced research demonstrating the benefits of fiber, and we really want to continue to find ways to strategically partner with folks not only across our industry but across the broadband industry in general,” she said.
The third priority is expanding the FBA’s network into new areas.
“If you provide fiber service to the home, you should be a member of FBA, no question,” said Schaffer. “But so much of today’s networks are built on fiber or have significant fiber investments through their network: I’m thinking about utility and power companies, data centers, or these content delivery networks. Are these folks that can benefit from joining our community? I’d argue yes.”
The first FBA public policy summit will be held on February 26 and 27 in Washington, D.C.
For related articles, visit the Broadband Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.
Hayden Beeson
Hayden Beeson is a writer and editor with over seven years of experience in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, he was the associate editor of Architectural SSL and LEDs Magazine.