Insights: Fiber Connect 2024

Momentum, momentum, momentum! What a show it was. 

The Biarri Networks team gathered some incredible insights during Fiber Connect and we want to share what we learned with you! Below, you’ll find insights from the entire Biarri Networks conference team. 

BEAD and Connecting the Last Mile 

The industry converged to discuss the latest and greatest in our field. The overarching topic was how to navigate the BEAD funding and ensure that the non-served and underserved aren't left behind. With that came the discussion of cheaper alternatives to connect the last mile in a Fiber network.  

These alternatives consisted of Passive Optical Networks (PON) and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), both alternatives provide a cheaper approach than a traditional FTTH network, but also reduce the overall capacity a customer can be provided and are prone to service fluctuations due to customers sharing network access points.  

PON provides the highest service of these alternatives with highly scalable shared networks capping at 50gb with 100gb in the works.  

FWA has been used to secure BEAD funding in the more rural parts of the US as it is the cheapest alternative for providing the baseline of 100mb, which is the minimum service requirement. Currently in the US, the FWA service limits are around 300mb, but in parts of Asia 500mb – 1gb technologies have been deployed showing very large potential for this technology to become more viable as network speeds increase. 

With this, we may see the industry adopting more alternative network architectures to serve underserved areas more cost-effectively and access BEAD allocations. 

Accelerating Fiber in America – Presented by Eric Lia, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Verizon. 

 During this session, Lia highlighted that broadband is not just about high-speed Internet; its primary purpose is to level the playing field in education, employment, health care, and community development. He noted that in the United States, there are 8.8 million unserved locations, and 15% of households with school-aged children lack high-speed internet access at home. 

Lia also highlights the challenges of building networks in rural areas, particularly the low population density, rugged terrain, and large service areas. He stresses that leveraging existing infrastructure, such as utilizing poles, is crucial for constructing cost-effective networks. As the costs of rural network deployments continue to rise, he calls for more innovations in fiber technology, including the development of smaller, more efficient hubs and cables. 

 He concluded the presentation by urging all stakeholders to collaborate and support one another to ensure that people in unserved areas are not left behind in the digital age and have equal access to opportunities in education, health, economic prosperity, and growth. 

Opening Sessions & Middle Mile Networks  

The first topic of note was the increasing number of ISPs that are foregoing BEAD funding due to the regulations set forth by both the state and federal governments.  Many of the line items on both the state and federal level leave room for a lot of ambiguity.  This has led to a decrease in ISPs that will jump through the hoops in interpreting the requirements.  To follow up this statement, Senator Blackburn said Capitol Hill was voting on passing an extension on the Farm Bill.  This bill was originally structured for agriculture improvement.  However, since 2002 the bill was amended to include provisions for addressing rural broadband development through fixed wireless or FTTH.  Presenting this ats the event was a great way to spread information to ISP’s that there are other avenues of funding outside of the BEAD funding. 

Gary Bolton, the president and CEO of the FBA emphasized the difficulties of permitting.  Going on to further explain, this is the number one issue that companies face when researching new areas of build.  Most permitting agencies don’t have the capacity to handle the number of permits flooding their offices when ISPs enter their area.  This leads to long review times that affect project timelines which can affect project funding based on commitment dates.  He went on to state that the FBA is holding a meeting in DC with government officials to relay the difficulties the industry faces when attempting to connect the digital divide.  The hope is to see decreased requirements and wait periods for fiber deployment permits.  Another note of interest was the point he made regarding inflation.  Explaining how the funding behind BEAD did not consider inflation affecting the labor and material costs of FTTH deployments.  This reflected on and bolstered Marsha Blackburn’s prior statement that more ISPs are searching for other avenues of funding other than BEAD.   

In conclusion, attending the sessions shed light on a topic we know very well.  You can design a project perfectly, but you need to permit it correctly and in a timely manner to get to construction.  The company submitting the permit isn’t always the issue, it can also be the permitting entity reviewing the permit.  Hearing from other ISPs about the difficulties they are facing with applying for grant funding or understanding areas of interest to build in are huge hurdles. We have the right solutions to help those ISPs achieve their goals, regardless of where they are in the process. Whether you're planning or planning to build, we've got you covered.  

Fiber Connect 2024 was a great way to network with people in the industry, hear their problems, and hopefully provide a Biarri Networks solution.