Griffin Receives the 2025 Dr. Charles Kao Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing Broadband Access

The Fiber Broadband Association has named Robert Griffin, Tribal Broadband Manager for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, as the recipient of the 2025 Dr. Charles Kao Award honoring his dedication to driving innovation and connecting communities through fiber broadband. This annual award celebrates individuals, companies, or organizations whose work has made a lasting impact on broadband deployment and accessibility.

Griffin is recognized for his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to expanding high-speed connectivity across Tribal lands and underserved regions. His efforts have brought fiber to nearly 80% of the homes across the Choctaw Nation. Griffin plays a key role in shaping the future of broadband and ensuring more communities benefit from the speed, reliability, and opportunity that fiber delivers.

The Dr. Charles Kao Award is presented each year on Gimme Fiber Day, an international event held November 4^th on the birthday of Dr. Charles Kao, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist known as the “Father of Fiber Optics.” Established in 2013 by the FTTH Council Global Alliance (FCGA), Gimme Fiber Day highlights the vital role fiber plays in fostering economic opportunity, education, and social inclusion.

Griffin began his career more than two decades ago, designing, deploying, and managing technology driven solutions for Tribal nations, federal and state agencies, and telecommunications providers across the United States. Today, he serves as the Tribal Broadband Manager for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, where he leads strategies to deliver reliable, future-ready broadband infrastructure to Choctaw communities. Based in Durant, Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation is the third largest federally recognized Tribe in the U.S., representing more than 200,000 members. Griffin also serves as Co-chair of the Fiber Broadband Association's Tribal Committee, where he continues to advocate for digital inclusion across Sovereign Nations.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive this recognition,” said Griffin. “Fiber broadband has the power to transform lives and communities, and it’s been deeply rewarding to be part of that journey. I’m grateful to the Fiber Broadband Association for its leadership and continued efforts to make world-class connectivity accessible to everyone.”

“Robert has been instrumental in leading FBA’s Tribal broadband efforts, setting a national example for how vision and persistence can bridge the digital divide,” said Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Beyond the milestones he has achieved for the Choctaw Nation and Tribal broadband as a whole, his technical expertise and commitment to collaboration helps FBA secure critical support for fiber broadband, build strong partnerships, and develop sustainable broadband strategies that will serve communities for generations.”

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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