WISPA Says Reconciliation Bill Good on Taxes, Not So on Spectrum

The following statement may be attributed to WISPA – The Association for Broadband Without Boundaries:

Washington, DC, July 3, 2025 – Today the U.S. House took up and passed the Senate’s reconciliation package, which President Trump is expected to sign shortly.  As we noted with the Senate bill, the package has some good aspects to it – namely, its extension of numerous favorable tax provisions for individuals and businesses.  To this end, many owners of small ISPs pay taxes on the revenue they earn at their individual rates.  The reconciliation bill provides these operators much-needed tax relief – such as making permanent the 199A qualified pass-through deduction – so they can keep more of what they earn and reinvest that in their businesses and communities they serve.

Good as these tax provisions are, however, they stand the great likelihood of being offset by the package’s stance on spectrum.  More specifically, in its quest to generate revenues to pay for the legislation, it potentially puts CBRS and 6 GHz spectrum on the auction block at the FCC.

The vast majority of WISPA members employ CBRS and/or 6 GHz services to deliver broadband to their rural and under-resourced communities.  As one WISP in Arkansas notes in a recent WISPA survey, “If it was not for CBRS, we would not be able to provide service to the majority of our rural customer base.”  Another WISP states its recent 6 GHz deployment was integral to getting 47 MDUs quickly online, delivering fast and affordable broadband to over 500 units in an income-constrained area of Cleveland, OH.  WISPs throughout America are doing similar good work with these bands for their communities.  Millions of Americans in the toughest reaches of our country are living better lives as a result.

WISPA appreciates the tax savings created by the legislation.  These will be put to good use by WISPs to bridge the digital divide.  But they will be of little accord if the underlying stock of spectrum upon which their operations depend is depleted, disrupted, or outright sold to others at auction.  Not only will this undermine the reasonable expectations of the underlying private investment, but it will also strike at the very heart of those businesses that have so successfully worked to eradicate the digital divide.  

Balancing the budget must not come at such a cost.  We turn our attention now to the FCC where we will urge the agency to find other solutions to meet the legislation’s revenue requirements.

WISPA – Broadband Without Boundaries
WISPA’s members provide fixed wireless and fiber connectivity and include equipment suppliers, support services, and other industry partners and stakeholders. Our members provide broadband access to millions of residential and business customers in rural, urban, and Tribal areas across America.

Contact
Mike Wendy
WISPA
202-763-5257
mwendy@wispa.org