GoNetspeed’s Brooks rises to fiber connection challenge

When Chris Brooks, GoNetspeed’s Senior Director of Operations, recalls why he focuses his efforts on enabling fiber-based broadband in underserved communities, he immediately thinks about how school-age children were forced to learn remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At that time, he served as director of operations and service delivery at Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Company, a family-owned telco in New York State.

“When the pandemic started, I was working for two local small hometown telephone companies, which were overbuilding our ILEC territory with fiber,” he said. “I was able to go into homes where young students were forced to do school remotely, with children crying because they were worried that they weren't going to be able to complete their schoolwork. And that's always stuck with me, like seeing children who want an education, want to continue to grow in life, and don't have the ability because they don't have broadband internet access.

Brooks was recognized for expanding fiber broadband to rural and underserved communities by winning the Connect the Unconnected Award at this year’s Fiber Connect show. 

Presented by ISE Magazine in collaboration with Corning, the announcement was made Tuesday, May 19, at the Fiber Connect Conference and Expo at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

He was recognized for expanding fiber broadband to rural markets where service remains limited. 

Brooks has spent his career focused on bringing broadband to communities where reliable service remains limited. At GoNetspeed, he leads fiber expansion across the company’s footprint, passing more than 100,000 residences annually and nearly 300,000 since 2024. His work includes direct oversight of E-ACAM-funded fiber builds in Maine, Alabama, and Vermont, extending broadband service to thousands of homes in rural areas.

As a telecom veteran, Brooks has also made it a key priority to extend his collaborative attitude to other broadband providers. He has extended his expertise beyond GoNetspeed, volunteering to consult with more than 50 broadband providers nationwide on fiber deployment strategies that prioritize unserved residents.

Also, he is an active contributor to the New York State Telephone Association and a regular speaker on panels for the Fiber Broadband Association focused on reaching underserved communities.