At this week's Fiber Connect 2022 (June 12-15) conference and exhibition in Nashville, Tenn., the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced the recipients of its annual 'Photon' and 'Star' awards.
This year FBA presented its Photon Award to Stan Fendley, Corning’s director of legislative and regulatory policy. The association's Star Award went to Sunbridge, a 24,000-acre master-planned community in central Florida built by Tavistock Development Company, which will provide up to 10 Gbps symmetrical FTTH services to an anticipated 10,000 residents over the next 10 years.
The awards are presented each year at the Fiber Broadband Association’s Fiber Connect event to celebrate outstanding contributions to the fiber industry.
As stated by a press release, the Photon Award honors a FBA member who, through volunteer contribution, has demonstrated a high level of dedication to the organization and has contributed greatly to the industry. Stan Fendley has served as the director of legislative and regulatory policy for Corning for the past 22 years. During this time, he has been dedicated and instrumental in the founding and development of the Fiber Broadband Association and was first recognized with the Star Award in 2002.
Since then, Stan has been a strategic leader in the Fiber Broadband Association, serving on the front line of the Association’s advocacy and public policy initiatives and working with Capitol Hill, key federal agencies, and the White House. He also helped create the Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA) in 2017. His work continues to help close the digital divide and deliver future-proof broadband to every household in North America.
Meanwhile, the FBA’s Star Award recognizes a person, community, or company that has gone above and beyond what is expected in the advancement of fiber to the home (FTTH) technology and services. When traditional incumbent service providers did not offer high-speed broadband options in the Central Florida region surrounding Sunbridge community, Tavistock Development Company decided to provide 10G symmetrical FTTH services all on its own.
Tavistock will provide up to 10 Gbps symmetrical FTTH services to an anticipated 10,000 residents over the next 10 years to support the large-scale development plans for residents and businesses and their increased demand for OTT streaming, telehealth, remote education, and work-from-home scenarios.
“The Fiber Broadband Association is proud to recognize the people, communities, and companies going above and beyond to build the nation’s next generation of broadband infrastructure,” said Gary Bolton, president and CEO at Fiber Broadband Association. “Congratulations to this year’s Photon and Star Award winners. They both recognize the power and necessity of high-speed, low-latency connectivity and their efforts are advancing the delivery of fiber broadband and unlocking unlimited possibilities across North America.”