Fiberside Chat: In Fiber Buildouts, the Devil is in the Details

 

With the development of technology like 5G and fiber networks, society is moving at breakneck speed toward faster and more efficient ways of life. But what is it costing us?

Tom Counts, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of 3-GIS, has noticed in recent months a strange and puzzling trend in the world of fiber – one that has given him cause for concern. As he revealed to host Tyler Kern in this episode, more companies are trying to cash in on the hidden opportunities found in fiber network buildouts. But, in the rush to do so, they’re cutting corners and making mistakes.

“I think it’s a perfect example of, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know,’” Counts said. “People are getting into the engineering side that, while they’re well-intended and may understand the electric market, the municipal market, the co-operative market, I can’t confidently say that they understand the fiber telecommunications market.”

So, what can fiber companies, or what Counts calls the “fiber consortium,” do about this?

“We’ve got to do a better job educating our users on what we need to be providing to our field crew, what we need to be providing to our cities for permitting, what we need to be providing to every single person involved in the design and construction to make sure it’s good and efficient,” Counts mused.

Subscribe to the Fiberside Chat podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for the latest interviews and other thought leadership content from the world of fiber networks.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

storytelling
The Secret to Brand Loyalty: Why Storytelling Is the Best Way to Be Heard in a Crowded Market
July 16, 2025

In today’s fast-evolving digital marketplace, attention is scarce, and trust even more so. In an era of remote work, AI-driven marketing, and constant digital noise, storytelling has emerged as one of the most powerful tools to cut through the clutter. In fact, research shows that people who used storytelling techniques to remember information recalled seven…

Read More
hospitality career development
Leaders Driving Hospitality Career Development Must Embrace Tech, Inclusion, and Risk
July 16, 2025

The hospitality industry is under mounting pressure to modernize to meet guest expectations for seamless, tech-driven experiences and also develop leaders who can drive that transformation. According to Rackspace Technology, only 28% of travel and hospitality companies qualify as “AI leaders”— those aligning strategy, compliance, and training with real-world deployment. Another 28% remain in…

Read More
HR compliance
Seeing What Others Miss: The Art of Problem Solving in HR Compliance
July 16, 2025

In this episode of Professional Quotient: Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham sits down with Andrea Kilburn, the HR EEO and Affirmative Action Compliance Manager at EssilorLuxottica. Andrea has built her career on problem-solving, advocacy, and the power of precise thinking. Andrea shares her unique path from mortgage underwriting to HR compliance, and…

Read More
Ham Radio
Icom’s Germany Trip Highlights the Power of Portability at Friedrichshafen’s Ham Radio Showcase
July 15, 2025

In an era where digital communication happens at the speed of light, it’s easy to overlook the enduring charm and ingenuity of amateur radio. Yet, events like the Ham Radio fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, remind us that radio isn’t just a relic—it’s a thriving, inventive community built on experimentation and exploration. One striking example is…

Read More