Fiber for Breakfast with Gary Bolton

As BEAD moves from planning into deployment, the program is entering a new phase with important implications for broadband infrastructure and the communities it will serve. In this milestone 300th episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, is joined by Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator, to discuss BEAD’s progress, evolution and long-term impact. They’ll explore early deployment, public-private investment, recent program changes, American-made infrastructure, and efforts to address locations missed in initial awards. This conversation will also examine how broadband can enable AI, quantum computing, data centers and other emerging technologies as the industry looks toward what comes next.

With Special Guest: 

Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

Arkansas is moving from broadband planning and funding to putting infrastructure in the ground—and its approach is attracting national attention. Join the next episode of Fiber for Breakfast as Glen Howie, Director of the Arkansas Broadband Office, talks with Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, about the state’s progress and what lies ahead. Glen will share updates on BEAD deployment, Arkansas’s innovative approach to reaching hard-to-serve locations, and how broadband infrastructure is driving economic opportunity. The conversation will also explore middle-mile infrastructure, network resiliency, technology choices, and the state’s vision for delivering lasting benefits to communities.

With Special Guest: 

Glen Howie, Director of the Arkansas Broadband Office

With all 50 states now having approved BEAD Final Proposals, the program is moving from planning to execution—but the process is far from settled. Carol Mattey, former FCC official, broadband and policy expert, and principal of Mattey Consulting, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, to examine what happens when selected providers withdraw, states need to adjust awards, and new unserved locations emerge. They’ll explore NTIA’s latest changes, the flexibility states have to redirect funding and select replacement providers, and what these evolving rules mean for broadband providers, state broadband offices and communities waiting for service.

With Special Guest: 

Carol Mattey, Founding Member and Principal, Mattey Consulting

Three decades after helping shape the vision for America’s broadband future, Blair Levin, (formerly FCC Chief of Staff (’93-97) and Executive Director of the 2010 National Broadband Plan) and with over two decades of advising institutional investors about telecommunications policy, joins Fiber for Breakfast for a candid look at how far the industry has come – and how far it still has to go. Joining Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, Levin will reflect on the evolution of broadband infrastructure, the lessons learned along the way, and the forces reshaping the industry today.

From fiber expansion and the challenges of connecting every community to the emergence of AI, hyperscalers, low-earth orbit satellites (LEOs), and next-generation networks, this conversation will explore what has changed, what hasn’t, and what the industry must do next to build the connectivity America will need for the future.

What happens when major broadband grants wind down? Revati Prasad, Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, joins Gary Bolton, President & CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, to explore the future role of state broadband offices and the challenges of sustaining capacity for mapping, oversight, affordability and digital opportunity. Drawing on additional research with State Broadband Officers, Revati will also share findings from Benton’s ISP focus groups examining the practical barriers to deployment—including permitting, workforce, supply chain and state-provider coordination—and the solutions that can accelerate broadband buildout while maintaining accountability and consumer protections.

With Special Guest: 

Revati Prasad, Executive Director of the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society