Fiber Providers Can Win on Trust, Experts Find
With increased competition in the fiber market, experts examined how local and regional providers can maintain an edge.
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2026 – A new whitepaper from the Fiber Broadband Association highlights how fiber reliability can shape stronger customer experiences and long-term loyalty.
“The top thing that people said was important about a product was trust,” Michael Render, CEO and founder of RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting, noted during a webinar Wednesday, highlighting the paper’s findings.
In an environment where consumers can easily switch providers for a better deal, as Katherine Songster, communications director at Harry Integrated Marketing, observed, it’s how brands differentiate themselves “that really determines that trajectory and that long-term customer relationship and the ability to reduce churn.”
The Fiber Broadband Association’s new whitepaper, “Beyond Price and Speed: Creating Customer Loyalty Through Exceptional Broadband Experiences,” argues that customer experience is where brands prove their promise.
For local and regional brands, this presents a distinct opportunity against national competitors, panelists said.
The panel discussed how to design thoughtful experiences, build reliable listening mechanisms, empower frontline teams, and leverage surveys and customer stories to strengthen loyalty and reduce churn.
“The smaller brands that can actually have somebody out in the field, boots on the ground, I think that goes a long way with customers,” Kimberly Bitty, manager of social, digital, and traditional media at EPB, a municipal fiber provider in Chattanooga, Tennessee, pointed out.
“Today’s consumers expect communications providers to provide a better level of service than they receive from other brands,” the paper said.
During the webinar, trust was highlighted as the top factor for consumers when considering all products broadband providers might have.
Member discussion