Christopher Lu

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today released the following statement in response to the FCC’s draft Network and Services Modernization Order, which would streamline copper retirement and reduce regulatory barriers that slow investment in modern fiber networks: “The FCC is recognizing what consumers and providers already know — copper networks can no longer meet the demands of today’s digital economy. By simplifying outdated rules and enabling faster technology transitions, the FCC has the opportunity to clear the way for greater investment in fiber infrastructure that delivers faster speeds, stronger reliability, and long-term economic growth. This is an important step forward in the Build America agenda and we applaud Chairman Carr for his leadership.” - Gary Bolton, President and CEO, Fiber Broadband Association

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2026 is going to be a turning point year for fiber broadband, and many providers may not be prepared for what's coming. I just released a new white paper that breaks down the biggest consumer shifts shaping next year, including: ✔️ Why speed no longer wins the deal ✔️ The collapse of "local provider" as a differentiator ✔️ How fixed wireless is reshaping customer expectations ✔️ Why clarity, not capacity, will determine who grows and who stalls If you work in broadband, marketing, or customer experience, this paper will help you rethink your strategy before the competition tightens. Comment "Send it" below and I'll share the white paper with you.

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𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 — 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿? As 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗗 funding moves from planning to execution, the broadband industry is entering a critical new phase. With most state final proposals now approved by NTIA and subgrant awards underway, shovels are finally getting ready to hit the ground. But as construction ramps up, one reality is becoming clear: success under 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗗 requires far more than building networks—it demands long-term compliance, monitoring, and operational discipline. Drawing on his experience as former Deputy Director of the Indiana Broadband Office, 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 consultant 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘆 highlights a challenge he’s seeing nationwide. Many ISPs are eager and ready to build, yet have not fully prepared for the federal reporting, compliance, and monitoring requirements that will extend four to ten years beyond construction. New 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗗 requirements—including 30-day certifications, letters of credit or performance bonds, NEPA milestones, and a 10-year federal interest period—are non-negotiable and must be addressed early to avoid payment holds or funding delays. The states seeing the smoothest 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗗 rollouts are those where ISPs and broadband offices align on requirements well before grant agreements are executed. The message is clear: don’t wait. Understanding post-award obligations now—before construction begins—can be the difference between a successful project and costly setbacks. At 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, we help providers navigate this complexity so they can focus on what matters most: delivering reliable broadband to the communities that need it. #BEAD #BroadbandInfrastructure #RuralBroadband #BroadbandCompliance #FederalGrants #NTIA #MytraConsulting #BroadbandLeadership #Connectivity #InfrastructureInvestment

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Reliable broadband is essential infrastructure for work, social, health, and other needs. We are a proud partner of MOBroadband, a site dedicated to helping Missourians connect to broadband. The site includes information for two primary audiences: Broadband Planners and Missourians. For Planners, the site includes broadband maps, funding opportunities, and resources to help bring broadband to your community. For Missourians, the site includes asset maps and resources near you plus broadband news and blogs. Explore https://mobroadband.org/ to access resources for broadband in Missouri!

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To address the persistent issues around fiber broadband permitting, FBA provides five actionable recommendations: adopting statewide permitting templates, implementing digital permit tracking systems, organizing “Dig Once” excavation policies, standardizing pole attachment processes, and leveraging escrow and mediation to resolve disputes. Each strategy not only targets a specific challenge but collectively lays the foundation for a permitting framework that is consistent, transparent, and scalable. Link to the Whitepaper https://lnkd.in/e_Mey46Q

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Texas is only spending $1.2B out of $3.3B originally allocated to BEAD. Locations by tech: Fiber 51%, Wireless 22%, LEO 27%

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Telecom project management isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s fast-paced, high-pressure, and full of moving parts. Timelines shift, vendors delay, clients pivot—and through it all, success depends on one thing: the team. No one brings a telecom project across the finish line alone. It takes: 🔥 Passionate leadership that sees the big picture and motivates through the chaos 🤝 Vendors who adapt and collaborate 📋 Project managers who juggle priorities, people, and problems 👥 Stakeholders who stay engaged and solution-focused But even with the best team, persistence is everything. You follow up again. Rework the plan again. Keep going when it would be easier to stop. In telecom, momentum is earned—one solved issue, one resolved ticket, one win at a time. To every leader, teammate, and partner who stays in the trenches and pushes forward: this is what it takes—and this is why we succeed. #TelecomProjectManagement #LeadershipInTech #Persistence #Teamwork #PMlife #TelecomLeadership #ProjectSuccess #TechIndustry

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One of the harder parts of engineering telecom infrastructure isn’t the math — it’s deciding what actually matters when information is incomplete. Drawings are rarely perfect. Site history is often fragmented. Timelines don’t always allow for ideal investigation. Experience shows up in knowing where to dig deeper, where to be conservative, and where assumptions introduce risk. That balance comes up a lot in the work we do at Teletek Structures Inc. , across projects in Canada and the U.S. …and sometimes that starts with drawings like this.

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The #Aurora, #Colorado build is a critical component of BAM Broadband’s broader expansion in the #Denver Metro area, the ISP says.

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Before fiber became the backbone of modern communications, AT&T built a nationwide microwave relay system called Long Lines. Thousands of towers. Concrete bunkers. Relay stations scattered across mountains, farmland, deserts, and isolated ridges all over the country. Some looked less like telecom infrastructure and more like Cold War military installations. And honestly? In a way, they were. A lot of telecom history makes more sense when you realize the United States has effectively been fighting a hundred-year war against distance. Not metaphorically. Physically. The government, private industry, engineers, construction crews, railroads, utilities, and entire generations of workers have spent the last century trying to answer the same basic question: “How do we move information farther, faster, and more reliably?” First it was telegraph lines. Then copper. Then coax. Then microwave relay systems like Long Lines. Now fiber, hyperscale data centers, AI compute clusters, and edge networks. The technology changes. But the fight stays strangely similar. You still run into mountains. Rivers. Permitting delays. Power shortages. Weather. Right-of-way conflicts. Construction access problems. And the stubborn physical reality that infrastructure has to exist somewhere in the real world. The Long Lines crews dealt with all of it: hauling material into remote areas, building access roads, pouring concrete in terrible conditions, climbing towers in ice and wind, and trying to maintain precise line-of-sight microwave paths across enormous distances. This wasn’t abstract “tech.” It was dirt-under-your-fingernails infrastructure. And honestly, that’s one reason telecom still fascinates me. Underneath all the software layers and investor presentations, communications networks are still fundamentally a construction story. One generation builds farther than the last one couldu. Then the next generation inherits the route and tries again. For anybody interested in the Long Lines system itself, I’ll link the article. #telecom #fiber #engineering #infrastructure #history #construction

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Rural and tribal connectivity is accelerating in Oklahoma. Nokia is proud to partner with Centranet to deliver lightning-fast broadband—and this All Access with Andy Garcia video shows the real community impact, featuring David Eckard, Head of Strategy for Fixed Networks, where David reminds us about the advantages of fiber broadband. Know more: https://lnkd.in/envhtBh8

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Policyband Headlines ▪️AT&T Added 283,000 Fiber and 221,000 Fixed Wireless Subs in Q425 ▪️Carr in New Battle with Newsom over California Lifeline Fraud ▪️NTCA Calls on FCC to Reject Nexstar-TEGNA Merger ▪️Charter Unveils Super Bowl Ad to Air in 60 Markets ▪️Socket Fiber Grows in Missouri with Purchase of Fastwyre ▪️Mackinac Center: Data Centers Need Nuclear Power ▪️Governor: West Virginia National Guard Staying in D.C. through 2026 https://lnkd.in/e3ZSdA_c

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It's one thing to execute the work, and another to report the results in a timely manner using the required formats. Does your construction partner have the experience to help you check this box and ensure you receive your milestone payment?

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T-Mobile and NATE just signed a major agreement that directly impacts tower contractors and crews on the ground. Highlights: * Site-specific and regional pricing replaces the one-size-fits-all matrix * 6% rate increase until new RFPs are finalized by end of year * "Scope to Quote" tool launches by Sept 1 to define job-specific SOWs * 30-day pay terms with 50% upfront billing at job start * Relief from Avetta, Ariba, and PaymodeX fees for small businesses * Crackdown on 1099/undocumented labor—reporting and enforcement tools coming * Limits on tiered subs and a move away from "Super GC" and turf vendor models These changes didn’t come easy—NATE pushed hard to get them. This is a win for the people building the network. Now let’s hold them to it. #TowerTechs #WirelessContractors #NATE #TMobile #BuildAmerica #TelecomConstruction #FairPay #TowerSafety

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Texas Fiber Design Group supports teams with fast redline cleanup, plan/profile updates, utility conflict revisions, and construction print updates so projects can keep moving without losing clarity in the field. Clean prints matter because crews need drawings they can actually build from. Quick updates. Clear prints. Better field flow. #OSPFiber #OSPDesign #FiberConstruction #TelecomConstruction #ConstructionPrints #Redlines #PermitSupport #UtilityCoordination #FiberOptic #TexasFiberDesignGroup

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When people talk about network design, they often mention OSP and ISP… but they aren’t the same thing. OSP (Outside Plant) is all the infrastructure that happens before the network reaches your building. Think underground fibre routes, aerial lines, handholes, and outdoor equipment. It’s the part that connects communities, sites, and miles of terrain. ISP (Inside Plant) is everything that happens after the network enters your building. Structured cabling, equipment rooms, terminations, and in-building coverage systems like DAS. OSP gets the network to you. ISP gets the network working for you. We can help you with both. Speak directly with an engineer by contacting us on our website. https://lnkd.in/gF9rnN46

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