We sometimes hear the term “burning soul” in connection with big goals. Big goals need burning souls — people who are passionate about the goal; good at articulating why you should be, too; and willing to put in the hard work to achieve the goal. Take ubiquitous broadband, for example.
People who read Telecompetitor tend to share this goal: to get high-speed broadband to as many people as possible in order to better peoples’ lives. Some people who share this goal are what I would consider burning souls. I had a chance to connect with some of them at an industry event in Minneapolis last week organized by optical fiber manufacturer Clearfield.
The event, billed as “Fiber to the Future,” brought together people from network operators, government, media, and the supply chain. Here are a few of the things we heard from the burning souls in attendance.
Ubiquitous broadband: Fiber-to-the-community
“This is not about internet access; it’s about the future prosperity of this country,” said Bob Thompson, CEO of Underline, a network operator focused on deploying what he calls “fiber-to-the-community.”
Underline initially positioned itself as an open-access operator, and it still is. But fiber-to-the-community takes the concept further. Rather than simply connecting every home and business in a community to fiber, Underline also wants to bring fiber to every distribution point on the community’s water treatment and power grid systems.
The plan is to put sensors at these points and put those systems on Layer 2 networks that are separate from what Thompson called “the dirty web.” The goal is to make the power and water utilities more efficient, proactive, and secure.
“We factor all that in so you can distribute the cost of the sensors across the whole network,” Thompson said. “We can all make plenty of money serving residences and schools. We have to invest in water and utilities. Our business model produces the biggest opportunity.”
According to Thompson, there are 700 water main breaks in the U.S. every day. Each year, he said, we spill about two trillion gallons — or about 20% — of already purified water into the dirt.
Tech neutrality, broadly defined
Gary Bolton, president of the Fiber Broadband Association, offered an equally passionate take on the importance of ubiquitous high-speed broadband.
“It’s about improving quality of life for generations to come,” he said.
Bolton raised an important point: As regulators tout the concept of tech neutrality, they should be sure to look at the big picture.
“The only reason [a technology] should be equal [to fiber] is if you get the same economic opportunity,” he said.
When Bolton made that comment, I immediately thought of Thompson’s fiber-to-the-community, including the vision for smart and secure water and power. It certainly would be difficult — perhaps impossible — to rely on satellite broadband to achieve that vision.
Clearfield’s rural vision
Some of the Clearfield executives who were on hand for the Fiber to the Future event grew up in rural areas or small towns. Several of them, including CEO Cheri Beranek, argued about the importance of getting high-speed broadband to these areas.
When Beranek founded Clearfield, her goal was to enable broadband and the lifestyle that it can support, she said.
“Rural America is the foundation of this country,” she argued.
Johnny Hill, Clearfield chief operating officer, noted the importance of high-speed broadband to Tribal areas, which lag behind other areas in fiber availability. He was clearly passionate about a Clearfield program that certifies fiber optic technicians in Tribal communities at no charge.
As Hill explained, “It’s about introducing people to living wages and a career they can be proud of.”
