4 WISPAPALOOZA SHOW I OCTOBER 9 – 12, 2023 www.bekabusinessmedia.com DAY 2 L Z OO 2023 (Continued from page 1) Having all potential remedies available could ensure quicker and more cost-effective deployment of broadband to close the digital divide, Wendy suggested. “Fiber is great,” he said. “So are other alternatives. States should have the flexibility to make that call to ensure BEAD, and other similar programs, work for the unserved.” He related that the first two states that have begun to release their plans for setting an “Extremely High Cost Per Location Threshold” (EHCPLT) say they will use data gathered from the grant applications they receive to inform the EHCPLT. “This means that it will be vital for our members to participate aggressively in submitting proposals where they bid unlicensed-fixed wireless access (uFWA) in order to give states hard numbers on the kind of impact uFWA can have (in terms of both time and cost to deploy). That data will help states better understand how to set an EHCPLT that allows our members to get funding,” Wendy explained. He added telling WISPs’ stories and conducting site tours can be “especially powerful” in showing state broadband officers (SBO) how much the technology has evolved into a powerful tool for closing the digital divide. “Actively reaching out to invite your SBO to see a site you are serving, and getting to know you and your company, can make an incredible difference in how they perceive FWA,” Wendy said. Meetings with SBOs is an opportunity to emphasize the need to get the BEAD job done in the quickest, most cost-effective, and reliable manner, he emphasized. “WISPAPALOOZA speaks to all of that – the diversity of choices out there,” Wendy said. “Licensed, like CBRS. Unlicensed, with 850 megahertz of standard power outdoor 6 GHz coming online next year, and mmWave, including the 60 GHz band – there are so many reliable choices for states to choose from, truly allowing them to pick and choose the right tool for the job.” In the meantime, WISPA continues its advocacy on behalf of its members on the BEAD program in a manner that Wendy called “very similar” to the approach it has taken on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband deployment programs. “The vast majority of our more than 650 broadband internet service provider members (broadband ISP members) have built their broadband networks with their own savings and have not used federal or state broadband deployment funds,” Wendy said. “Therefore, first, WISPA is trying to ensure that BEAD, and other federal or state funding programs will not result in government supported broadband networks that compete with WISPA broadband ISP members. “This concept is also referred to as ‘overbuilding,’ and our members abhor it because in most cases they were the first broadband companies to bring broadband to their unserved communities.” Secondly, WISPA is working to change government deployment programs to make it easier for broadband ISP members to apply. Since 2015, a growing percentage of WISPA members have applied for federal broadband deployment funding, and during the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund reverse auction, more than 30 WISPA broadband ISP members “were determined to be winning bidders of support to certain geographic areas,” Wendy shared. In the past year, WISPA has invested in and grown its resources for its state advocacy program, which it announced at WISPAPALOOZA 2022. The result, “Currently, WISPA has a volunteer coordinator in many states,” Wendy said. “The best way for WISPA members to help themselves to defend against BEAD overbuilding or apply for BEAD funding, is to start communicating with their volunteer state coordinator. “If you are interested in contacting your state’s coordinator, or becoming a coordinator where we don’t have one yet, please contact Steven Schwerbel (sschwerbel@wispa.org) or Keefe John, WISPA’s State Coordinator Committee Chair.,” he said. m Acentury Launches Laser-welded RF Jumpers As the use of site colocations, carrier aggregations, number of frequency bands and power in 5G network increases, so does the risk of PIM. To protect against this risk, Acentury launched RF jumpers that are manufactured using a sophisticated laser welding technique to connect Radiocomm RF cables to connectors. The technique uses a microscopic process to ensure the solder is applied on the precise areas required and ensures the high heat doesn’t affect the other structures or materials of the cable (e.g., the dielectric). The picture below shows the structure of a laserwelded RF jumper. Two rubber O-rings provide sealing between the cable and the connector and between the RF connector base and the RF connector body. The specially designed retainer ring ensures the tight connection between the RF connector and the cable outer conductor. The RF connector body part is available in N, 4.3-10, or 7/16 DIN types. Compared to the traditional soldering method, the laser welding technique creates better sealing and higher durability. It is also more environmentally friendly since it is a leadfree process. The result is a ‘green’ RF jumper with more stable PIM performance against vibration and moisture in the field. As an example, a Radiocomm RF jumper with N connectors and RMPT14R ¼” Flexible Coaxial Cable has an excellent PIM rating of ≤ -162 dBc @ +43 dBm x 2 (with a typical value of -165 dBc). Radiocomm laser-welded RF jumpers can be equipped with quick-plug connectors which allow the user to easily ‘pushto-connect’ a male connector to a female RF port instead of using a torque wrench. This push-to-connect process saves the user a lot of time when there are many RF jumpers to be connected. It is also much more convenient when the installation space is tight. The quick-plug connector is available for DIN Male, 4.3-10 Male and N Male connectors. m For more information, contact info@acentury. co, visit our website at www.acentury.co or stop by booth 207.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=