BROADBAND COMMUNITIES AWARDS 2026

This award recognizes a specific, high-impact deployment delivering measurable results since January of 2025. We are looking for the "gold standard" of projects—one that demonstrates seamless collaboration, technical excellence, and a profound impact on the end-users.

Open to any ISP or service provider who identifies the end consumer as their customer. We are looking for the organization that demonstrates outstanding customer service, innovative product packaging, and imaginative partnerships that have significantly moved the needle for the communities they serve.

This award recognizes a current industry leader whose career-long (or recent) contributions have fundamentally changed the trajectory of the broadband industry. This individual must be currently active in the sector (not retired) and demonstrate a clear vision for the future of connectivity.

This is open to operators and public-sector organizations that can demonstrate a project that brings a community together and delivers a measurable improvement—whether through creating employment, launching social-based initiatives, or utilizing technology for the greater good.

This award honors the "boots on the ground." It is open to the construction firms, engineering teams, and contractors who have demonstrated excellence in the physical build-out of networks, emphasizing safety, speed to market, and innovative building techniques.

Open to all ISPs and telecom service providers. This award recognizes the organization that provides the best all-round journey for its users, emphasizing ease of use, transparency, and the enhancement of trust in an increasingly digital world.

This award recognizes solutions providers (vendors, integrators, and consultants) who have excelled in delivering connectivity and smart technology to the multifamily sector. The judges will look for partners who have helped property owners solve complex connectivity challenges and enhance the resident experience.

Open to property developers, owners, and managers who have developed or renovated a residential or mixed-use property with a "technology-first" mindset. This award honors properties that use connectivity to enhance the lives of residents and the efficiency of operations.

Open to ISPs, communities, and municipalities serving rural markets. The judges will prioritize innovative initiatives and creative deployment strategies designed to overcome the unique geographical and economic hurdles of bringing high-speed internet to rural locations.

Open to any startup organization founded in the last 5 years with fewer than 50 employees and revenue of less than $1M per annum. Candidates must serve the telecom, community, or multifamily sectors. The winner will be determined by a live pitch during the BBC Summit.

This award is open to vendors, systems integrators, and network designers who have demonstrated outstanding performance in partnering with a service provider or community to bring a complex technical project to life through superior hardware, software, or design.

This will be awarded to the organization or initiative deemed to have done the most to provide modern, high-quality telecommunications services to tribal lands, respecting sovereignty while bridging the digital gap.

Open to suppliers and service providers who have created an innovative wireless solution to provide broadband to a location not easily served by a fixed solution. Solutions can include all types of wireless, including FA and satellite.

This award recognizes an initiative or series of programs specifically addressing the industry-wide labor shortage. We are looking for organizations that are successfully training, recruiting, and retaining the skilled professionals needed to build the next generation of American networks.