Elizabeth Coyne

February 8, 2026, marked 30 years since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major overhaul of U.S. communications law since 1934. Designed to deregulate the industry and open markets to competition, the legislation aimed to break up entrenched monopolies and lower costs for consumers. For MetTel, the anniversary is more than just symbolic. The company’s origins are directly tied to the law’s creation.

The demand for fiber optic supply is reaching a fever pitch as hyperscalers scramble to keep pace with predicted demand for AI and data center capacity. Amazon has announced a multi-billion-dollar deal to expand fiber supply manufacturing in North Carolina. This is on top of its existing $10 billion investment in North Carolina to expand cloud computing infrastructure announced in 2025. Amazon is not the only hyperscaler working to ensure its fiber supply.

AI dominated Fiber Connect 2026 in Orlando, but broadband did make it into a few discussions, especially those focused on what's become of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Money has started to roll out, which is a good thing, but now smaller broadband operators are facing operational reality, according to Adrian Fitzgerald.

AI was the topic thread that ran through most of the conversations and presentations at Fiber Connect in Orlando. It seems that AI has finally given purpose to years of fiber investment. Huzzah! But Craig Thomas, CEO of Broadband Forum, said the industry should approach that idea with caution because AI is not the be-all, end-all savior of the fiber industry. “I think it is part of a jigsaw,” Thomas said. “But it doesn’t stand alone.

Sustainability in telecom is often discussed in abstract targets and distant timeframes. But for Openreach, the company building one of the largest full‑fiber networks in Europe, the challenge is far more immediate and tangible. “We install millions of these devices every year,” said Trevor Linney, network technology director at Openreach, referring to the optical network terminals installed inside customers’ homes.

A U.S. government shutdown threatening to begin at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 1, 2025, will impact the telecommunications industry in a way that is not immediately obvious but still measurable due to the furlough of nearly 90 percent of Federal Communications Commission staff. The FCC already has a shutdown plan in place. Unveiled in March, the plan calls for the Commission to furlough 88 percent of its employees, with just 171 of the agency’s staff of 1,476 remaining to carry out critical functions.