FFB Episode 251 - Reviewing the Dramatic Changes to Our Lives from the Internet… and Fiber
As we look ahead to the next chapter of connectivity, it’s worth pausing to consider how far we’ve come. In this week’s Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, sits down with Mike Render, CEO of RVA LLC, to explore two decades of industry evolution — how internet performance, user expectations, and daily life have been transformed. Drawing on original FBA/RVA data, they uncover the trends in the 2025 Consumer Study that shaped today’s connected world and highlight the critical role fiber has played in driving progress.
With Special Guest:
Mike Render, CEO of RVA LLC
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FFB Episode 250 – All Broadband Is Not Created Equal: The Practical Divide Between Marketing Claims, Speed Tests and Delivered Speeds
Today, many technologies can advertise 100/20 “broadband,” but few providers deliver those speeds consistently. Consumers are sold “up to” speeds – yet speed test data shows that while fiber consistently delivers as promised, other technologies fall short most of the time. On today’s Fiber for Breakfast, Jonathan Chambers, co-CEO, Conexon talks with Gary Bolton, FBA’s President & CEO about how the industry must move beyond theoretical definitions to accountability based on actual, verifiable performance. The question is simple: are customers really getting what they paid for?
With Special Guest:
Jonathan Chambers, co-CEO, Conexon
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FFB Episode 249 – Dell’Oro Group 5-Year Broadband Access & Home Networking Forecast
The broadband industry is at a turning point. Dell’Oro Group’s newly released 5-Year Forecast projects that the global Broadband Access Equipment market will climb steadily through 2029, with revenues peaking in 2028. Behind the numbers are powerful forces reshaping the industry: fiber expansion, DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades, and the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi 7 and fixed wireless.
This week on Fiber for Breakfast, Jeff Heynen, Vice President of Broadband Access and Home Networking at Dell’Oro Group, joins Gary Bolton, FBA President & CEO, for a must-hear discussion on what’s coming next. They dig into the technologies and strategies including:
The next wave of PON and DOCSIS investment and its competitive implications.
How Fixed Wireless and Wi-Fi 7 are set to transform home connectivity.
Why providers must pivot from “homes passed” to customized services, automation, and AI-driven platforms.
This isn’t just a forecast—it’s a roadmap for where broadband is headed. Whether you’re a network operator, vendor, or investor, this conversation will help you understand how to future-proof your strategy, and what customers will demand next.
With Special Guest:
Jeff Heynen, Vice President of Broadband Access and Home Networking at Dell’Oro Group
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FFB Episode 248 - How Speed Test Measurements are Designed to Improve End User Experiences
Data demand isn’t slowing down—and networks can only stretch so far. As service providers race to keep up, the challenge is no longer just building connections, but ensuring they can stand the test of time.
This week on Fiber for Breakfast, Bryan Darr, Vice President of Government Affairs at Ookla, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, to explore how state broadband offices can stay ahead of the curve.
While fiber remains the backbone of new deployments, the updated BEAD program suggests a bigger role for alternative technologies than many state plans first envisioned. That shift makes ongoing performance monitoring more critical than ever. It’s not enough to declare a network complete—offices must track reliability and capacity for years to come.
Why? Because oversubscription and insufficient backhaul can undermine even the most ambitious projects. And as Darr and Bolton will discuss, some technologies make it easier to add capacity when demand inevitably spikes.
Don’t miss this timely conversation about planning, performance, and the real-world strategies to keep broadband strong for the long haul.
With Special Guest:
Bryan Darr, Vice President of Government Affairs at Ookla
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Fiber For Breakfast Episode 247 - The Future of Agriculture Grows on Fiber
Grand Farm is a collaborative network of growers, startups, corporations, researchers, educators, investors, and government partners working together to solve agricultural challenges through applied technology. Based in North Dakota, with projects and partnerships across the country, Grand Farm supports real-world testing and validation of technologies like autonomous equipment, IoT sensors, and AI-driven tools that rely on strong broadband infrastructure.
In this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Dr. William Aderholdt, Executive Director of Grand Farm, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of FBA to discuss how fiber broadband is accelerating innovation in agriculture. The conversation will focus on how connectivity enables everything from field-level data collection to the adoption of advanced tools across rural communities, helping bridge the gap between AgTech solutions and the growers who need them.
With Special Guest:
Dr. William Aderholdt, Executive Director of Grand Farm
The Fiber Broadband Association provides advocacy, education and resources to companies, organizations and communities who want to deploy the best networks through fiber to the home, fiber to the business and fiber everywhere. Get Association updates and Fiber for Breakfast The Fiber Broadband Association's weekly 30-minute live video discussion hosted by our President and CEO, Gary Bolton, and featuring industry thought leaders on current topics that explore fiber as the critical infrastructure for 21st century communications as well as other connectivity and workplace issues presented during these challenging times.
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