Engaged by the Fiber Broadband Association, strategy consulting firm Cartesian conducted a study to explore the costs associated with deploying all-fiber networks to all homes across the entire United States. Below are the key findings from the study:

• In the next 10 years, consistent with current deployment rates, we have the potential to increase the number of American homes passed cost-effectively by all-fiber networks from 40% to 90%. The projected cost to achieve this objective is approximately $70B. (Passing 80% of U.S. households with fiber will cost approximately $50B.)
• Because of extensive and cost-effective all-fiber deployments over the past decade, the total cost to pass 90% of American homes is much lower than estimated a decade ago. 
• Targeted and efficiently distributed government support — along with builds by municipalities, innovative private groups, and public-private partnerships — helped to expand all-fiber networks in rural areas in the last ten years; continued government support and innovative deployment models can further propel all-fiber deployments in the next decade to ensure virtually all people and businesses across the country have access to future-proof networks.