Dr. Charles Kao Award presented ahead of Gimme Fiber Day to highlight advancements in fiber optic networks and connectivity

The Fiber Broadband Association today announced at its Regional Fiber Connect event in Columbus, OH, that it presented the 2022 Dr. Charles Kao Award to Horizon, an Ohio-based fiber-optic broadband company. The annual award recognizes individuals, organizations, and companies that leverage innovation to connect communities with fiber broadband. Horizon was selected as this year’s winner for its work in bridging the Midwest’s digital divide, delivering high-speed fiber broadband to communities across the region.

Horizon began in 1895 as a local telephone company. Today, the service provider operates 6,000+ miles of fiber to deliver high-quality connectivity to residents and businesses in Ohio, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Throughout 2022, Horizon significantly expanded its fiber footprint to bring connectivity to more communities. This included new fiber builds in three key Ohio markets to support an increased demand for highly-scalable, low latency bandwidth. It also completed an acquisition that added approximately 450 route miles of fiber to Horizon’s existing all-fiber network. As part of the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program, Horizon was commissioned to build new fiber networks that deliver symmetrical Gigabit speeds and reach nearly 2,500 underserved households in Ohio.

“Horizon takes pride in our dedication to premium customer service and our reputation for community commitment. We understand that fiber broadband is crucial to enabling Midwest communities to compete in the digital economy, and we’ll continue our efforts to reach every corner with high-speed connectivity,” said Jim Capuano, CEO at Horizon. “The Fiber Broadband Association has provided unwavering support, resources, and guidance over the years. We are honored to accept its Dr. Charles Kao Award in acknowledgement of our determination to bring high-speed internet to all.”

“The fiber industry has experienced an incredible year. With federal funding and support at an all-time high, broadband providers everywhere are eager to deploy high-quality, reliable networks that will finally close the digital equity gap in every community. Horizon is an excellent example of that work,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO at the Fiber Broadband Association. “For over 125 years, Horizon has evolved with customer needs, delivering everything from telephone, radio, cable television, and now fiber broadband. The service provider has had a banner year in terms of growth, and it is encouraging to witness its success in connecting communities across the Midwest.”

The Dr. Charles Kao Award is presented each year in association with Gimme Fiber Day—an international day on November 4^th to celebrate the birthday of the inventor of fiber optics. Gimme Fiber Day was created in 2013 by the FTTH Council Global Alliance (FCGA) to bring recognition to the social and economic benefits of FTTH.

During this year’s Gimme Fiber Day, the Fiber Broadband Association will host a day-long Twitter Chat that will feature conversations with thought leaders from across the fiber ecosystem and will showcase the amazing possibilities that fiber is connecting across North America. Horizon will be highlighted in the Twitter Chat to explore its accomplishments in bringing fiber broadband to Ohio. To join the Gimme Fiber Day Twitter Chat, follow @fiberbroadband and #gimmefiberday on Twitter throughout the day on Friday, November 4, 2022. To learn more about Horizon, visit horizonconnects.com.

About Horizon

Horizon is a facilities-based fiber-optic broadband service provider based in Ohio, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and Indiana with expanding services across the Midwest. Operating 6,000+ route miles of fiber, Horizon provides high-quality and flexible connectivity solutions to residential, small to large enterprise and wholesale carrier customers. The company’s extensive network offers high-speed Ethernet, Dedicated Internet Access, Hosted Voice and UCaaS, dark fiber, wavelength, and data center connectivity services. Horizon’s entrepreneurial heritage and long-standing commitment to remarkable customer care ensures its devotion to connecting its customers to their worlds with cutting-edge technology. For more information about Horizon’s brand promise, visit horizonconnects.com.

About the Fiber Broadband Association

The Fiber Broadband Association is the largest and only trade association that represents the complete fiber ecosystem of service providers, manufacturers, industry experts, and deployment specialists dedicated to the advancement of fiber broadband deployment and the pursuit of a world where communications are limitless, advancing quality of life and digital equity anywhere and everywhere. The Fiber Broadband Association helps providers, communities, and policy makers make informed decisions about how, where, and why to build better fiber broadband networks. Since 2001, these companies, organizations, and members have worked with communities and consumers in mind to build the critical infrastructure that provides 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, MEA, APAC, and South Africa. Learn more at fiberbroadband.org.

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