Smart Community Experience Showcases Fiber’s Role in Powering Local Communities at Fiber Connect 2026

Immersive installation in Fiber Alley brings together interactive digital city, industry experts, and real-world applications of fiber-enabled innovation

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced its Smart Community experience at Fiber Connect 2026, an immersive, multi-dimensional installation located in Fiber Alley that demonstrates how fiber broadband powers every facet of modern community life and economic growth.

At the center of the experience is an interactive Smart Community environment —a dynamic, digital city that illustrates how fiber connectivity enables critical sectors including healthcare, education, public safety, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, and wireless infrastructure. Through intuitive, touch-enabled exploration, attendees can engage with real-world use cases that show how fiber supports advanced services, drives efficiency, and strengthens long-term regional competitiveness.

Complementing the installation, the Smart Community Theater will feature a series of expert-led sessions, case studies, and discussions that bring these concepts to life. Together, the interactive environment and theater programming provide a comprehensive look at how fiber moves beyond connectivity to become the foundation for innovation and economic development.

“Fiber Connect 2026 is focused on what comes next after fiber is deployed—what it enables for entire communities,” said Jessica Koch, FBA Conference Chair and Controller at Consolidated Business Services. “The Smart Community experience in Fiber Alley brings that vision to life, combining interactive storytelling with insights from service providers, industry leaders, and innovators who are building smarter, more connected communities.”

A thriving smart community drives economic growth by attracting new businesses, enabling advanced services, and improving the overall quality of life for residents. At the core of this transformation is fiber delivering the high-capacity, low-latency connectivity required to support intelligent infrastructure, digital services and a competitive local economy.

The Smart Community Theater highlights the interconnected roles of service providers, anchor institutions, technology innovators, and community leaders in building resilient, future-ready environments. Attendees will gain practical insights into deployment strategies, partnership models, and the measurable economic benefits of fiber-enabled services across sectors.

The Smart Community Theater will run Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19, during Expo Hall hours and feature sessions:

• Developing Anchor Institutions
• Public Safety Services and Fiber
• Community Economics and Fiber Broadband
• MDUs & Campus Environments
• Connected Communities, Connected Care
• Emerging Smart City Technologies

Fiber Connect 2026 will be held May 17-20, in Orlando, Florida. To learn more about the event and register, visit fiberconnect.fiberbroadband.org or subscribe to FBA’s Fiber Forward Weekly newsletter here to stay updated.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is the voice of fiber, helping providers, policy makers, and communities make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. FBA is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists. Since 2001, FBA and its members have worked to advance fiber broadband deployment to accelerate innovation and increase quality of life by enabling every community to leverage the economic and societal benefits that only fiber can deliver. The Fiber Broadband Association is part of the Fibre Council Global Alliance, which is a platform of six global FTTH Councils in North America, LATAM, Europe, MENA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.