Fiber for Breakfast with Gary Bolton

As fiber networks mature, the challenge is no longer just deployment – it’s maximizing value, differentiation, and long-term scalability. In this episode, Darren Farnan, General Manager of United Fiber joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association to explore how providers can deliver ARPU growth through deeper residential and commercial service adoption, while enhancing customer satisfaction. Darren will share how United Fiber is competing and winning in an increasingly crowded market by leaning into local advantage, transparent pricing, and superior customer experience. Finally, they’ll dive into the role of XGS-PON and multi-gig upgrades in future-proofing networks and enabling new revenue opportunities in the next era of fiber broadband.

With Special Guest:

Darren Farnen, General Manager, United Fiber

Artificial intelligence is transforming telecom networks—from how they are designed and operated to how service providers optimize performance, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience. As AI adoption accelerates, what changes should network operators be preparing for, and where will AI have the greatest impact? On this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, sits down with Roger Entner, Founder and Analyst at Recon Analytics, to discuss how AI is reshaping telecom, the opportunities and challenges ahead, and why robust fiber infrastructure is essential to powering the AI-driven networks of the future.

With Special Guest:

Roger Entner, Analyst and Founder, Recon Analytics

The E-Rate program has connected virtually every school and library in America to broadband, growing classroom internet access from just 14% in 1996 to near-universal today. But for the first time in the program's nearly 30-year history, the FCC is asking whether E-Rate should be terminated. On this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, welcomes Joey Wender, Executive Director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, to discuss what's at stake for anchor institutions and the fiber networks that serve them. Together, they explore the FCC's top-to-bottom E-Rate proceeding and the Save Our E-Rate campaign, the pending Universal Service Fund litigation, how BEAD and E-Rate complement one another, and how schools, libraries, and providers can make their voices heard before the comment window closes.

With Special Guest:

Joey Wender, Executive Director, SHLB Coalition

As fiber deployments accelerate nationwide, one major challenge continues to delay projects and increase costs: right-of-way and permitting issues. Too often, broadband providers, municipalities, and contractors face unnecessary expenses and setbacks simply because they lack the expertise to navigate complex regulatory and infrastructure hurdles. On this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Dave Thomas, CEO, Eagle 1 Resources joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of FBA to discuss how industry experts can help teams strategically overcome right-of-way obstacles, avoid costly mistakes, and keep fiber builds on track.

With Special Guest:

Dave Thomas, CEO, Eagle 1 Resources, LLC

The BEAD program represents a once-in-a-generation investment, but it also creates a major oversight challenge for state broadband offices. How can states ensure every project meets specifications without stretching staff or exhausting limited budgets?

On this episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Colin Reilly, Vice President of Data Strategy & Technical Services at Connected Nation, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, to discuss a smarter approach. Using a proprietary risk-modeling framework powered by machine learning and statistical sampling, Connected Nation helps transform grant monitoring from a reactive burden into a proactive strategy.

By identifying high-risk projects early and using milestone-based checkpoints, states and subgrantees can collaborate more effectively, avoid end-of-project surprises, and maximize the impact of BEAD investments while accelerating efforts to close the digital divide.

With Special Guest:

Colin Reilly, VP, Data Strategy & Technical Services, Connected Nation