FTTH Council to Host Learning Program at New England FiberFest Exhibition
WESTFORD, Mass. – As fiber optic industry leaders gather here this week for the New England Fiberoptic Council’s FiberFest trade show, the FTTH Council Americas will host a program of presentations and panel discussions on high-bandwidth, all-fiber telecommunications networks, with a special focus on deployments in the New England region.
The full-day workshop, with networking sessions to coincide with FiberFest exhibit hours, is open to the public and will take place on Wednesday, June 13, at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center. Admission is $150 and includes a continental breakfast, a networking luncheon and a closing reception. More information, including online registration and an updated agenda, can be found on the workshop event website, where attendees can complete their online registration in advance.
In addition to the FTTH Council’s learning program, networking sessions will be scheduled to coincide with exhibit hours for the FiberFest, which typically brings in hundreds of people who have an interest in various optical technologies.
Featured speakers will include Matthew Polka, President of the American Cable Association, and Monica Webb, Executive Committee Chair of WiredWest, a municipal cooperative of 40 Massachusetts towns that is working with state and local organizations to build a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network to serve residents. The event will also include representatives from three New England telecom network operators discussing their experiences in deploying fiber to the home systems, as well sessions on FTTH market development, legislative and regulatory issues, and the newest optical access technologies and fiber deployment approaches.
The FTTH Council estimates that more than 1,000 entities across the U.S. and Canada – almost all of them small telephone companies, competitive broadband providers or public utilities – are already providing services over FTTH networks, and that the vast majority of them expect to grow their fiber footprint in the immediate future. The Council estimates that FTTH networks are now available to one-fifth of U.S. households, with more than eight million homes connected with end-to-end fiber.
Following the workshop, on June 14 and 15, the FTTH Council’s partner The Light Brigade in conducting a two-day exam preparatory course for the Certified Fiber to the Home Professionals Program (CFHP) at the Westford Regency Inn. The course is structured to certify competence in overall FTTH theory, terminology, topology, equipment and system cost estimation. More information about the program can be found on the FTTH Council’s website.
About the Fiber-to-the-Home Council Americas
Now in its eleventh year, the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council is a non-profit association consisting of companies and organizations that deliver video, Internet and/or voice services over high-bandwidth, next-generation, direct fiber optic connections – as well as companies that manufacture FTTH products and others involved in planning and building FTTH networks. The Council works to create a cohesive group to share knowledge and build industry consensus on key issues surrounding fiber to the home. Its mission is to accelerate deployment of all-fiber access networks by demonstrating how fiber-enabled applications and solutions create value for service providers and their customers, promote economic development and enhance quality of life. The Council organizes North America’s largest annual FTTH event, the FTTH Conference & Expo, which will be held September 23 – 27, 2012 in Dallas, Texas at the Hilton Anatole.
