Corning on fiber momentum: We’ve ‘never seen anything like this’

The current state of the broadband market is unlike anything seen over the past two decades, with operator enthusiasm high and money pouring in from all sides, according to Corning’s Director of Fiber-To-The-Home Market Development Joe Jensen. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jensen pointed to the pandemic as a catalyst for much of the current activity, noting it validated the idea that broadband is critical infrastructure and helped spur higher fiber take rates among consumers. Yet telecommunications still face a number of challenges, among these figuring out how to get a cut of all the new funding and finding the labor force to get their projects done. Though there’s a glut of money available to fuel broadband builds, navigating all the different programs is hard. The main issue is “understanding the right fund to use and how to apply,” Jensen said. Competition over limited labor resources is another ongoing problem, as is access to reliable coverage data. Jensen stated the latter is “frustrating our customers as they go to apply for funding.” For operators looking to connect rural and remote areas with fiber, gaining access to middle mile transport is also proving to be difficult. Yet despite the difficulties, Jensen said there is still a lot of positive momentum.