Why Can’t Fiber Customers Bring Their Own Equipment? A Technical Discussion

I’m hoping this question can be considered from an architectural and product perspective rather than just a support standpoint. Historically, with DOCSIS, customers could provide their own approved equipment because authentication and provisioning were handled at the network level, not tied to a specific managed gateway. With EPON fiber, the model appears fundamentally different, but it is not entirely clear why that difference requires eliminating customer owned equipment entirely rather than simply authenticating an alternate device in the same way the current gateway is authenticated.

If the network can securely identify, provision, and manage an ISP supplied gateway, it seems technically plausible that another standards compliant endpoint could be authenticated and provisioned under defined requirements. Many technically inclined customers operate advanced routing, security, and segmentation setups that depend on full control of the edge device. For them, the question is not convenience. It is architectural necessity. Understanding whether BYOD is prevented by a hard technical constraint such as control plane integration, provisioning model, or management requirements, or by product design, would provide valuable clarity.

More broadly, is customer owned equipment on fiber something that has been evaluated as part of long term platform design? The technically engaged segment of the customer base continues to grow, and supporting controlled interoperability could reduce friction, improve satisfaction, and align with how other access technologies have historically evolved. Any high level architectural context or product direction from engineering would be greatly appreciated.