A device and method for dynamically tuning a long-period grating of an optical fiber is disclosed. The grating is made tunable by using a controlled strain imposed on the fiber adjacent the grating, wherein the strain comprises an electromechanical force, magnetostrictive force, magnetic force, or a thermally-induced force. An improved optical communication system comprising a dynamically gain-equalized amplifier device, a wavelength feedback device, and the tunable long-period grating device is also disclosed. In the communications system, the grating device is reconfigured to have a desired broadband filtering frequency, thus equalizing the amplifier gain, in response to feedback from the wavelength detector.