“Build it and they will come!” Exclusive interview FTTH Council President Roshene McCool
“Recently, I spoke to Chris Holden, one of the FTTH Council’s founders and its first president, about the early days. Initially, the Council focused on education, helping customers understand what fibre to the home is. I think that job is now finished. People understand that a fibre-optic connection means faster broadband to their homes and workplaces. The case has been made, so now, the Council focuses on coverage and adoption."
“The current goal is ubiquitous fibre across Europe. Our positive engagement with EU institutions and investors has a meaningful impact on the development of a regulatory and investment environment that supports fibre deployment in Europe. Our committees look at policy, regulation, and investment, as well as the more technical areas of deployment. I think that's where our role lies today: creating the required environment, speaking as an industry, and sharing best practices. Europe is, of course, a patchwork of nations. Every single nation has its own definition of ‘ubiquitous fibre’. Some define specific technical solutions, such as FTTH, others describe a minimum level of bandwidth. I don't think it's the Council's job make such decisions on governments’ behalf. However, I do think we need to continue explaining why ubiquitous fibre is the more sustainable, secure, and reliable option."