Fort Collins Connexion, a municipal broadband utility that was created by and for the community, has as its sole purpose to improve life and business in Fort Collins, Colorado through what it says is better, more affordable internet. Connexion offers affordably priced symmetrical multi-gig service with no long-term contracts. In addition to residential broadband, Connexion offers competitive phone and TV services. Also, Connexion has become a key source of broadband and enhanced services for local businesses.

Joining other Colorado communities like Longmont, Montrose, Boulder and Yuma County, Connexion’s emergence is the result of a Colorado State effort to enable local governments to become broadband providers. Signed into law in 2023, Colorado’s Senate Bill 23-183 repealed the restrictive Senate Bill 05-152. Previously, the 2005 law prohibited most local governments from entering the broadband market or using municipal funds for infrastructure without a local voter referendum. SB 23-183 explicitly eliminates this requirement, allowing cities, towns, and counties to deploy advanced communication services directly.

Helping to lead the service charge for Fort Collins Connexion is Josh Hales, Senior Manager of Broadband Sales. When the Broadband Pulse caught up with Hales, who has been with Connexion for four years, he said the effect is clear: incumbent cable and telcos are now responding with new broadband options.

Opening/introduction | 0:03

Fort Collins’ Connexion fiber focus | 0:24 Hales talks about how Connexion’s fiber network enables it to move quickly on many of the things residents were asking for that weren’t possible on the legacy copper network.

Broadband evolution | 2:52 Connexion’s gigabit-speed evolution is predicated on staying ahead of the competition and on using it for other applications, such as providing connectivity for a community center in Fort Collins.

Incumbent provider’s response | 4:43 Traditional providers like AT&T and others are responding with their own fiber-based broadband offerings.

Gigabit speed subscriber adoption | 7:06 By preparing its network to handle multi-gigabit speeds, Connexion noted that 33% of its newest customers are opting for them.

Voice and video services | 9:29 While Connexion continues to maintain voice and video services because they ease the complexity of switching, it continues to evaluate adoption rates.

Community services | 11:48 Connexion is leveraging its fiber network to provide services such as Wi-Fi in city parks and, potentially, smart traffic applications.

PON technology evolution | 14:09 Connexion is leveraging 25G PON to support its downtown community center Wi-Fi deployment and local businesses that require higher bandwidth.

Business services growth | 16:00 Given the competitive environment for business services, Connexion is focused not just on selling higher speeds but on reliable connectivity.

Greenfield housing developments | 20:09 By working with developers during the construction phase, Connexion is helping ensure that every new single-family home or multi-dwelling unit (MDU) is built to be sold in a fiber-ready state.

Final thoughts | 21:55 The Broadband Pulse gets Josh Hales' final thoughts about his work at Connexion.

About our guest With over a decade of experience in sales and operations, Joshua Hales is currently serving as the Senior Manager of Broadband Sales at Fort Collins Connexion, contributing to customer acquisition and operational excellence. In previous leadership roles at Comcast and Xerox, Hales honed his expertise in sales operations, project management, and team leadership. He is passionate about driving growth through innovative strategies and collaborative approaches that align with organizational goals. A key focus of Hales is enhancing customer experiences and delivering impactful results in the broadband industry.

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

Debra Freitas, CEO of Light Source Communications (LSC), has a simple view of its role as a dark fiber provider: a primary hyperscale and data-center resource on a growth path. LSC is a carrier-neutral, customer-agnostic provider focused on designing, building, and operating custom dark fiber infrastructure purpose-built to deliver capacity for GPU-dense clusters, minimal latency for real-time processing, and diversity to ensure network resilience.

The dark fiber provider’s metro rings in Phoenix, Tulsa, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Indianapolis, as well as its long-haul route linking Tulsa and St. Louis, are delivering connectivity to support hyperscalers, neoclouds, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and other High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications.

Growth is clearly a priority for LSC. In April, LSC announced its latest dark fiber route, bridging Amarillo, Texas, with Oklahoma City, Stillwater, and Tulsa, Oklahoma — the third new dark fiber build LSC has commenced this year. Construction is currently underway on dark fiber networks in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tulsa. Additionally, in June, LSC completed a 35-mile ring in Kansas City.

Broadband Pulse recently caught up with Freitas to discuss how Light Source Communications is building new fiber routes based on customer demand and how dark fiber can transform the surrounding communities where data centers are located.

Here’s a timeline for the interview:

Opening/Introduction | 0:00

LSC’s dark fiber | 0:39 Freitas addresses its role as a dark fiber resource for the hyperscale and data center space.

Prioritizing fiber builds | 3:03 LSC is building out new fiber routes based on customer demands.

Regulatory/permitting challenges | 4:50 LSC is taking a proactive approach to getting ahead on permitting by engaging regional vice presidents and right-of-way specialists in each market it serves.

Competitive differentiation | 7:36 Freitas notes that it can stand out from other wholesale providers by focusing on supplying dark fiber to hyperscaler data center providers.

Enterprise service opportunities | 8:42 While they are slower to adopt, LSC sees the potential to extend dark fiber to local governments and educational institutions.

Smart city potential | 10:03 A city could use LSC’s dark fiber for a private fiber backbone.

Workforce issues | 10:17 LSC has created a deep staff of experienced technicians and network planners to ensure it can complete projects on time and on budget.

Working with ISPs |12:42 LSC notes the potential to provide ISPs with a fiber backbone that would enable them to connect to major data centers and technology hubs.

Network maintenance and co-location services | 13:53 How its managed network service capabilities ease the strain for its customers.

Final thoughts/closing | 15:52

About our guest Debra Freitas, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, has led Light Source Communications (LSC) since 2014, overseeing business development, strategic planning, and customer relationships for the dark fiber network owner-operator. A recognized leader in the technology sector, Debra was named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500 and has received multiple honors from the TITAN Women in Business Awards, including Platinum recognition for Outstanding Chief Executive Officer and Gold for Outstanding Female in Digital Transformation. She was also recognized by the TITAN Business Awards in 2025 for her leadership and impact in digital transformation. She earned a Bronze Stevie® Award for Best Female CEO of the Year that same year, when LSC was additionally named a Silver Stevie® Company of the Year. A University of Michigan alumna, Debra is an active member of the Arizona Technology Council, Women’s Tech Forum, and iMasons. She lives in Michigan with her husband and three children, where they enjoy traveling and supporting Michigan football.

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the third and final episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show-daily podcast, we're chronicling the last day and wrap-up of the Fiber Connect 2026 trade show.

Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:

0:00 Opening/Introduction

0:13 | New market research Fiber Broadband Association research highlights the requirements for fiber broadband in precision agriculture.

1:30 | Fidium’s Fiber Drive Sarah Davis, Vice President of Marketing Development at Fidium, discussed its community-centric approach to expanding its fiber network presence.

2:27 | Quantum and AI We noted that our colleague Matt Vincent, Editor-in-Chief of Data Center Frontier, covered Fiber Connect’s focus on quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

4:07 | Keynote Dr. Michio Kaku gave a speech on the connection between fiber and quantum computing technology.

4:38 | Final panel The Infinity and Beyond AI Quantum and Telecom panel featured speakers from Gigapower, Cisco and Emtelle.

5:14 | Wrap up and Closing

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the second episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show daily podcast, we're tracking key trends during the show.

Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:

0:00 Opening/Introduction

0:50 Florida’s broadband promise Leo Garcia, Director of the Florida Commerce Office of Broadband, opened the second day of Fiber Connect, highlighting Florida’s progress in connecting underserved and unserved communities.

1:16 Editor’s panels Our colleague Matt Vincent, editor of Data Center Frontier, hosted “A Data Center Without Connectivity is an Expensive Warehouse” with DC BLOX CTO Jeff Wabik.

1:36 FBA’s Fiber Feud FBA’s Fiber Feud finalists then competed for the championship title, and the Guardians of Connectivity Team proved that instant communication and quick response are advantages both on the broadband network and in game-show teamwork.

2:15 Broadband Forum’s QoE effort Craig Thomas, CEO of the Broadband Forum, on developing standard mechanisms to ensure Quality of Experience in broadband.

3:01 MCNC’s Tracy Doaks, president and CEO of MCNC During our conversation, we discussed how broadband is essential for telehealth and for connecting research institutions to data centers in rural areas.

4:06 Fiber Broadband Association’s (FBA) annual awards program This year’s winners were celebrated at the 25th Anniversary Awards Gala on Tuesday evening at Fiber Connect 2026.

4:48 ISE’s Connect the Unconnected Award Presented by Lightwave’s colleagues at ISE Magazine in collaboration with Corning, the award was presented to Chris Brooks, Senior Director of Operations at GoNetspeed.

6:29 Closing

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the first episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show daily podcast, we're tracking key trends during the show.

Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:

0.00 Opening

0:47 Editor’s panels Our colleague Hayden Beeson, editor of ISE, and I moderated panels during the first day of the show: Common Construction Roadblocks and How to Avoid Them and Edge Compute and Digital Transformation Across Sectors.

1:33 Broadband Forum activities The Broadband Forum hosted four BASe workshops focused on the latest key industry topics.

1:50 Broadband Forum CEO Lightwave spoke with Craig Thomas, CEO of the Broadband Forum, about wholesale fiber broadband and quality-of-experience (QoE) visibility across different networks.

3:08 FBA research FBA’s Technology Committee developed a white paper, Upgrading MSO Networks to Fiber to the Home (FTTH): A Technical Perspective, examining deployment models, technology options, and operational considerations for Multiple System Operators (MSOs) evaluating long-term network upgrades.

4:40 Workforce development How the FBAs' on-demand platform delivers scalable education to support the workforce needs of fiber infrastructure deployment.

5:32 New fiber broadband products During the event, we’re seeing new customer premises equipment, MoCA gear and PON from Adtran, Calix, Clearfield, Harmonic, InCoax, and Vecima.

7:20 Fiber Broadband 2026 Coverage page Lightwave will have a coverage page of the Fiber Connect 2026 event on our site at www.lightwaveonline.com.

7:43 Closing Tune in each day during Fiber Connect 2026 for more insights into the fiber broadband industry's key trade show.

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

If you want a broad look at the evolution of today’s optical networking industry, look no further than Lawrence Gasman, president of CIR.

In this latest episode, the Broadband Pulse sat down with Gasman, who has been conducting forecasts on enterprise computing, telecommunications, optical components since the late 1970s when he founded the firm. One of his latest pursuits has been quantum technology.

During our time together, we talked about his view of the OFC trade show, co-packaged optics, quantum computing, data center powering issues, optical M&A and, of course, AI.

Key moments in this episode

0:00 Opening

0:24 Introduction of our guest

0:30 CIR background Lawrence Gasman, president of CIR Research, provides an introduction about the evolution of the research company.

3:36 OFC 2026 Gasman shares his thoughts about the optical industry’s premier trade show.”

6:39 Co-packaged optics potential Gasman sounds off on the role and commercial potential of co-packaged optics for data centers and other environments.

10:05 Community data center battles How optical innovations can alleviate power issues and the political issues surrounding data centers.

16:28 The M&A Factor Successful M&A is not about technology, but rather effective management skills.

18:38 Quantum technology Addressing the connection between quantum computers and quantum networks. 24:03 Final thoughts/closing Gasman shares his final thoughts on where the optical industry is headed.

About our guest Lawrence Gasman is President of CIR, the technology forecasting and market analysis firm he founded in 1978. For more than four decades, CIR has provided authoritative guidance and market forecasts covering enterprise computing, telecommunications, optical components, and—more recently—quantum technology. In 2025, CIR expanded its coverage of emerging technologies by acquiring the publications division of Inside Quantum Technology, further strengthening its position as a trusted source of market intelligence in advanced technologies. CIR’s research is known for going beyond industry hype to explain how new technologies create real business opportunities. Its reports analyze how innovations generate new revenue streams, simplify complex processes, and deliver measurable value to organizations. CIR studies also include detailed profiles of leading suppliers, analysis of key legislation and public policy developments, and coverage of important investment and funding trends shaping the technology landscape.

Lawrence Gasman has been widely quoted in leading industry publications and has written numerous articles and four books on technology markets and technology policy. He is a frequent speaker at major industry events, including the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) and conferences organized by Inside Quantum Technology. He has also helped organize IQT conference programs and has presented in webinars hosted by Lightwaveonline and other industry organizations. In addition to his work as an analyst and author, Gasman has testified before the U.S. Congress and has advised the White House on technology and industry policy issues. Gasman holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Manchester and advanced degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London Business School. He lives near Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Cynthia, a university professor. He travels widely and has delivered talks and consulting engagements across North America, Europe, and Asia.

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com/podcasts and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked with Matt Langman, SVP and general manager of infrastructure solutions at Phononic.

About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com/podcasts and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.