Reflections from Fiber Connect 2025: The Work Is Personal

Returning to Fiber Connect this year—my second as part of Sonar Software—felt less like attending a conference and more like continuing a conversation I care deeply about.

I’ve spent my career helping companies grow, solve, and serve. But broadband is different. It reaches into every home, business, and classroom. It’s foundational to opportunity—and in too many places, it’s still out of reach. That’s why this work matters. And it’s why gathering each year at Fiber Connect feels important in a way few industry events do.

Listening on the Ground

Over four days in Nashville, what I valued most wasn’t the size of the event or the energy of the floor—it was the conversations.

I spoke with local and regional ISPs trying to stretch every dollar of funding toward more sustainable builds. I heard from tribal leaders walking the line between infrastructure and sovereignty. I spent time with operators who are working hard to keep networks running with lean teams, aging tech, and growing pressure from their communities.

None of these stories were polished. And that’s exactly why they mattered.

We can’t design better systems or support better outcomes unless we listen closely—to the realities, not the narratives. That’s what this event allows: space to hear, understand, and commit more fully to what’s needed.

The Takeaways That Stay With Me

Fiber Connect is all about alignment. Across every discussion, a few truths echoed:

Connectivity is still uneven—and fixing it takes more than fiber
Infrastructure without local insight, operational support, and long-term planning doesn’t solve the problem. We need to approach broadband as a living system, not just a capital project.

Simplifying the ISP experience matters
Leaders told us again this year: their teams don’t need more tools—they need systems that talk to each other, remove complexity, and help them serve people better. That’s exactly the kind of feedback that shapes how we build at Sonar.

Equity isn’t a side mission—it’s the mission
It came through in session after session: digital equity isn’t about closing a gap—it’s about opening doors. To jobs, to education, to care. If we get that right, the impact stretches far beyond fiber.

A Word About Our Team

I couldn’t be more proud of how the Sonar team showed up. Some of us were on-site at booth #784 answering questions, running demos, and sharing stories. Others supported from afar, making sure our customers stayed cared for during the event. All of us were united by the same goal: to be a steady, helpful presence in an industry that doesn’t always feel simple.

And it wasn’t just about the booth. It was in the side meetings, the after-hours gatherings, the chance encounters that turned into real collaborations. These are the spaces where trust is built—and they matter just as much as the technology itself.

Celebrating Partnership with Purpose

As part of our time at Fiber Connect 2025, we were proud to co-host a special event with our trusted partner, Avalara—a collaboration that brought meaningful connection and some well-earned celebration.

Avalara has been an incredible partner in supporting the operational needs of ISPs, and it was a pleasure to showcase how aligned we are in helping providers navigate complexity with confidence. Their professionalism, expertise, and shared commitment to service excellence made this joint event a highlight of the week.

Watch a quick look at the event here:

What’s Ahead

At Sonar, we believe the real measure of progress isn’t in product launches or logos—it’s in how well we support the people who make broadband happen. That’s the general manager in the field, the support rep answering late-night tickets, the operator mapping rural installations with limited data and a big vision.

We’re not chasing trends. We’re focused on building the kind of platform that people in the industry can rely on: predictable, intuitive, and built with care.

If you’re doing the work to connect your community, you deserve a partner who takes your mission as seriously as you do. That’s who we aim to be.

Thank You

To every person we met this year—thank you. For your time, your candor, and your trust.
To the Fiber Broadband Association—thank you for holding space for this conversation again.
And to my colleagues at Sonar: your commitment continues to inspire me. This work isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. And we’re in it for the long haul.

Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep listening. And most of all—
Let’s keep building broadband that works for everyone.

—Ray