FBA OpTIC Path program now available through Central Maine Community College

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) today announced that FBA’s Optical Telecom Installer Certification (OpTIC Path™) program is now available for Maine residents through Central Maine Community College (CMCC). The course will train the skilled fiber technicians needed to expand local networks and connect Maine communities to high-performance fiber broadband services. The OpTIC Path program also delivers important opportunities to graduates, enabling them to enter a professional industry with long-term value.

Like many states, Maine is gaining layers of federal and private funding to build or improve broadband infrastructure and close the digital divide. This includes $128 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) - Capital Projects Fund, $260.7 million from the ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds, $42.45 billion from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, and an additional $30 million grant from the Broadband Infrastructure Program. However, the existing broadband technician workforce shortage has to be addressed in order to leverage any funding appropriately and build networks within deadlines.

CMCC will offer the OpTIC Path program in partnership with the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce, which offers short-term training through Maine's community colleges to upskill and strengthen Maine's workforce. The fiber optic training course is three weeks long, and upon completing the 120-hour course, graduates will be certified fiber optic technicians ready to start work.

Read the full press release here.

FBA