DAY 2 4 WISPAMERICA I MARCH 6 - 9, 2023 www.bekabusinessmedia.com (Continued from page 1) its non-tech neutral approach to rolling out BEAD. “States play a big part in that roll out,” Wendy said. “And, as a consequence, we have developed a robust and growing state advocacy program to better advocate our positions where the BEAD money will get decided and spent. This will be an active landscape for the next couple of years.” Another avenue where WISPA received some support has been the U.S. Senate. Seven Republican members wrote a letter to the NTIA asking it to alter its definition of “reliable broadband.” Wendy pointed out that oversight is an important function of Congress, and BEAD is a massive program, making it a “legitimate concern about taxpayer waste and needless overbuilding,” which will occur if the NTIA continues on its current path. “We hope the NTIA hears this, but their silence is deafening,” Wendy said. “The agency has ignored Congress’ intent in prioritizing fiber as the main way BEAD deployments will roll-out in the states. They are going against time-tested approaches – the promotion of open choice – to ensure that all Americans have access to reliable broadband. They are going against small businesses – the first responders who are there and can finish the job of getting all online. They are going against small communities – those who will be left in the digital desert because of the NTIA’s untenable policy direction.” Wendy added, “We are encouraged by the Senators’ support. Importantly, their message resonates on both sides of the aisle. … Republicans and Democrats want to see every Americans on the internet as quickly and with the best use of government funding as possible. “Congress determined that the optimum way to achieve that is via a flexible, tech-neutral approach, which can be rapidly, efficiently applied by the states. That important principle holds true for Republicans and Democrats,” Wendy said. With the NTIA’s BEAD program, it issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to allow companies to apply for the funds. Determination of the funding allocation is supposed to be determined by need. “When the new FCC maps came out last November, it showed that 98 percent of all locations in America were covered by some form of broadband, as defined by the FCC,” Wendy said. “This is a success story, pure and simple. It is a testament to private investment. “The growth of access has become near ubiquitous precisely because of what government hasn’t done – that is, heavily regulate internet access like a 1934-era common carrier service,” Wendy continued. “This allowed a flood of private dollars – e.g., broadband provider CAPEX expenditures annually exceed $75 billion, and cumulatively have amounted to $2 trillion since 1996 – which has exploded access and choice. “Federal support to close the remaining gap should once-and-for-all eradicate the so-called digital divide,” he said. “Only those who choose not to use it will be offline.” Wendy said that access and affordability will not be a factor and WISPs have played a key role in all of this. “For nearly a generation, they’ve gone into areas that lacked broadband, or were forgotten by legacy providers – because they had low infrastructure and regulatory hurdles – and have served those areas with vital choice,” Wendy explained. “Using the right tool for the job, they continue to serve those communities with reliable, evolutionary broadband.” m Almvoy Inc., a Canadian-based manufacturer of steel infrastructure products, is expanding its U.S. service footprint, and it introduces its latest pre-engineered solutions designed specifically for WISPs at WISPAMERICA. The company will roll out several pole-mounting solutions, rooftop applications, and customdesigned innovations for WISP Antenna mounting. Almvoy Light Duty Micro Poles are designed perfectly for urban or rural on-premise deployment with limited real estate. These poles were designed for point-to-point and minimal-loading applications demanded by WISP installers. Almvoy offers a variety of non-penetrating rooftop ballast mounts for various antenna types. All products are pre-engineered and can be customized per project needs. “As modern supply chains continue to challenge deployment timelines and budgets, the need to simplify the process and standardize material is crucial in meeting critical timelines. Our philosophy is to streamline a customized process to best meet our customer ’s requirements. We are looking forward to continued growth in serving the WISP and broadband demands throughout United States and Canada.” Said Almvoy Inc.’s President Dominic Blago. Almvoy, based out of Cambridge, Ontario, serves national markets throughout North America. It specializes the manufacturing of high-quality steel infrastructure products including mounts, platforms, poles,and custom fabrications. m To learn more, visit booth 122 or go to www.almvoy.com. Receive Benefits of Partnering with DISH You can protect, retain, and grow your current customer base, with DISH. Dish offers an array of TV solutions for new and existing customers creating an additional revenue stream. Did you know: • 81 percent of 55-plus households in the United States have a Live TV Service • 74 percent TV households have a Live Pay-TV Service m Learn more about the benefits DISH can offer you at booth 418 Bruce Christian Senior Editor bruce@bekabusinessmedia.com Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Managing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Rob Schubel Digital Manager rob@bekabusinessmedia.com Jennifer Vilaboy Production Manager jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com (480) 503-0770 Anthony Graffeo Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com (203) 304-8547 Michael Burns National Account Executive michael@bekabusinessmedia.com (262) 993-9116 Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2023 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media is prohibited. RWS and the RWS logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media Almvoy Introduces Product Solutions
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=