Education and Certifications

The Fiber Broadband Association offers four types of professional certifications:

FBA OpTIC Path^TM: Optical Telecom Installer Certification

The FBA OpTIC Path course consists of 144 hours of instructor led and hands-on practices to equip future fiber technicians with the skills and knowledge required to install, splice, test and maintain “Fiber to the Home” (FTTH) and Fiber to the Building (FTTB) systems. The FBA is developing content for the course and will then partner with Community and Technical Colleges and Veteran programs to teach the course.  Graduates of the classroom portion of the certification may have an opportunity as an apprentice for OJT with a local service provider or contractor. 

With today’s high speed fiber optic networks providing the bandwidth required for working remotely, distance learning and medical monitoring, it is the role of the professional fiber optic technician to provide the quality workmanship required for these networks.  This course provides future technicians with the knowledge and skills required while potentially opening the door for a professional career with organizations such as telecommunications service providers, Internet service providers and contractors.

The course is designed using a building block format so that novices to the technology can easily follow the course.  Integrated skills training follows the classroom knowledge chapters.  By the completion of the course the technicians will be able to install, test, and troubleshoot components to completed systems, including at subscriber's FTTH locations.

Optical fibers are the communications backbone which telephone, cable television, utilities, cellular and internet service providers all use as their dominant transmission medium. 

Our Fiber Optic Technician course, Fiber Broadband Association, OpTIC Path Technician; Optical Telecom Installer Certification program is a program that will be offered at various vocational schools and community colleges around the country.  We are creating this course to fill a skills gaps to help accelerate fiber deployments across North America! 

If you are a service provider or contractor looking for fiber optic technicians, a local community or technical college or part of a veteran program interested in offering the program, contact Deborah Kish by clicking here.

Fiber Service Provider Certification

The Fiber Service Provider Certification recognizes operators for their commitment to ensuring customers receive the fastest, most reliable broadband services—connectivity delivered over "future-proof" fiber networks. If you are a network operator member of the Fiber Broadband Association and have marketed 90% or more fiber networks to households, you are eligible! Learn more and apply now, or see who's certified.

Certified Fiber to the Home Professional [CFHP]

Certification as a CFHP indicates a professional level of technical competence in fiber to the home technologies. Certification consists of demonstrating knowledge and familiarity with FTTH architecture, network design, deployment technology and operational skills.  Click on the title above to learn more about the CFHP program and courses offered by Light Brigade.  Fiber Broadband Members will receive 15% off all Light Brigade courses.  

Fiber-to-the-x Outside Plant Design [FTTx-OSP Design]

Certification consists of demonstrating knowledge and familiarity with FTTH Passive Optical Network (PON) and Active Ethernet (AE) architectures, Outside Plant design, and deployment technologies. Click on the title above to learn more about the FTTx-OSP program and courses offered by Light Brigade.  Fiber Broadband Members will receive 15% off all Light Brigade courses. 

Glossary of Terms: Fiber Optic and FTTx Technologies

This document is a list of glossary terms, definitions and acronym guide used in the Light Brigade Certified Fiber to the Home Professional (CFHP) course.

Fiber Guide

A comprehensive and branded explainer on the fiber industry, the importance of fiber, and its implications for 5G. This launch presents an exciting opportunity to position FBA as a thought leader in fiber and in the telecommunications industry more broadly. The Fiber Guide also can serve as a resource for FBA members and their customers, further demonstrating how FBA adds value for its membership.