Our Initiatives

WISPA represents WISPs and the underlying ecosystem that enables them to deploy hybrid broadband solutions to millions of Americans across the country. WISPs are regulated at the Federal level, and, to a growing extent, at state and local levels, too. This means that for WISPs to thrive, they need to cogently advocate industry positions before various legislators and agency policymakers, both federally and in the states. To this end, WISPA’s advocacy focuses on encouraging officials to, where needed, write laws and enact rules that support the survival and success of the rapidly evolving WISP industry. More specially, WISPA’s legislative and regulatory priorities have four primary objectives:

• Balanced spectrum approaches, ensure that small and rural providers have a fair shot at accessing airwaves that are critical building blocks for fast, reliable broadband.
• Targeted subsidy programs that expedite broadband deployment to unserved locations in a technology-neutral and cost-effective manner.
• Fast and fair access to infrastructure for broadband deployments no matter the location, whether Federal, state, municipal, or private.
• Keeping small businesses competitive by ensuring regulatory burdens are appropriately calibrated for those who have the least ability to shoulder them.

If you’d like to know more about WISPA’s policy work, please contact Louis Peraertz, VP of Policy, lperaertz@wispa.org; Matt Mandel, VP of Government Affairs, Grassroots and PAC, mmandel@wispa.org; and Steve Schwerbel, State Advocacy Manager, sschwerbel@wispa.org.