Today at its Colorado Regional Meeting and in conjunction with world Gimme Fiber Day, the Fiber Broadband Association awarded Colman Keane, the Executive Director of Fort Collins’ city-run broadband network, Connexion, the inaugural Dr. Charles Kao Award for Community Broadband.
Colman Keane is an expert on building out fiber optics networks – from the initial business planning and technical architecture to software implementation. Previously, he was the Director of Fiber Technology at EPB, a non-profit agency of the City of Chattanooga, where he helped the city become the world’s first designated “gig city” for its municipal broadband network built on fiber optic cable. He has a degree in Business Administration from East Tennessee State University, is a Certified Public Accountant, and has earned 6 Sigma Black Belt Certification.
The Fiber Broadband Association created the Dr. Charles Kao Award for Community Broadband to honor Dr. Kao and celebrate the lasting impact he continues to make on the fiber industry. Dr. Charles Kao, regarded by many as the “Father of Fiber Optics,” revolutionized the transmission of data and laid the foundation for fiber connectivity around the world. The award recognizes individuals, organizations, or companies that honor Dr. Kao’s innovation and connect communities with fiber optic technology.
The Fiber Broadband Association presents this award in conjunction with world Gimme Fiber Day — an international day to celebrate Dr. Charles Kao and fiber-to-the-home on his birthdate of November 4. The award will be presented annually in the month of November to commemorate this.
Deploying fiber broadband improves the quality of life for those living in gigabit communities and Fort Collins, under Keane’s leadership, is a great example of this. Research from the Fiber Broadband Association shows that access to high-speed broadband can reduce unemployment rates. Likewise, an all-fiber experience provides access to an array of economic and social opportunities, from 5G to e-commerce.
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About the Fiber Broadband Association
The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association in the Americas dedicated to the pursuit of all- fiber-optic network infrastructure to the home, to the business and to everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better broadband networks with fiber optics while working with its members to lead the organization forward, collaborate with industry allies and propel the deployment of fiber networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build a better broadband future here and around the world. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.
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