Tim Arends of Traverse City Light & Power named 2020 FTTXcellence Award recipient
Tim Arends, executive director of Traverse City Light & Power (TCL&P), Traverse City, MI, received the 2020 FTTXcellence Award during a virtual ceremony today at the Fiber Connect 2020 event. The award, sponsored by Corning and Lightwave for the past 17 years, recognizes an individual who has advanced significantly the use of optical broadband access networks in the Americas.
Arends earned a nomination for the award for his leadership of TCL&P’s fiber to the premises (FTTP) deployment, now in its first phase. Working with Fujitsu Network Communications, TCL&P expects to enable services to approximately 2,000 customers in the current deployment phase. A second phase is expected to expand the FTTP footprint across the city, which is located in Northern Michigan.
Kim Hartwell, senior vice president and chief commercial officer of Corning Optical Communications, announced the award selection. “For more than 100 years, Traverse City Light & Power has pursued a mission to continually enable a better life for all in Traverse City, MI. Now the public power utility has undertaken an aggressive fiber-to-the-premise initiative to deliver affordable, ultra-fast internet and IP phone services through a community-owned and operated broadband network,” she stated. “In addition, to delivering state-of-the-art connectivity to current residents and businesses, the fiber network is designed to attract technology companies, entrepreneurs and growth industries, putting Traverse City in the forefront of a burgeoning tech hub in Northern Michigan. TCL&P Executive Director Tim Arends is leading this effort to drive value and generate economic growth for the community.”
"I am very proud to accept this honor on behalf of Traverse City, our city commissioners, community partners, utility board leadership, and the staff of Traverse City Light & Power. Thanks to their collaboration, commitment, and 'can-do' attitude, we have rolled out TCLPfiber, our new gigabit broadband internet service and are busy making expansion plans," said Arends in his acceptance speech. "Each day—as our community grows and more businesses and homes come online— it is an affirmation that we have invested wisely...in our present and our future."
Arends was selected from among 41 nominations submitted for the 2020 FTTXcellence Award. A panel of judges from Corning, Lightwave, and the Fiber Broadband Association reviewed the nominations before selecting Arends as this year’s honoree. Arends received a Steuben glass sculpture, while a donation in his name will be made to US Ignite, a non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for communications network advancement, and for innovation in smart city services that are powered by a new generation of technologies.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.