WISPA Testifies Before Full House Agriculture Committee on Rural Broadband

Washington, DC, June 21, 2023 – WISPA’s President and CEO, David Zumwalt, commended the House Agriculture Committee and the USDA for their work in closing the rural digital divide, and offered numerous suggestions on how the 2023 Farm Bill may more effectively narrow the broadband gap, in testimony today before the full Committee.

WISPA represents the wireless internet service provider (WISP) industry. WISPs serve nine million Americans, mostly in unserved, under-resourced, and Tribal territories, deploying a variety of technologies, including fiber as well as licensed, shared, and unlicensed wireless spectrum, to deliver reliable broadband to their customers.

In framing his written testimony, Zumwalt asked the Committee “How do we most quickly provide the level of connectivity that rural communities need in ways that leave nobody behind…and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent in the most efficient and productive ways possible?”

Answering that, Zumwalt asserted that the success of the USDA’s broadband programs hinges primarily on fostering tech-neutrality.

“Placing a thumb on the scale to benefit one type of technology, or one kind of provider, does no favors for Americans who are in desperate need of broadband access,” Zumwalt noted. “It simply favors certain parties and likely increases the time unserved communities must wait for connectivity, at the financial and societal expense of the American public.”

Minimizing artificial, wasteful barriers – which limit solutions and participants – will help USDA’s programs find greater, lasting success. “If rigid requirements, such as symmetrical speeds, are locked in statute, it precludes [the USDA] from having the flexibility to consider projects that address other key priorities,” Zumwalt stated. “For these programs to be successful and cost-effective, as many broadband providers as possible should be encouraged to participate,” he added.

During the testimony, Zumwalt offered numerous recommendations for the broadband provisions of the 2023 Farm Bill, including:

Cost-effectiveness should be the primary criterion for determining which projects are funded, ensuring that limited taxpayer resources are allocated and targeted to connecting as many rural Americans as possible.
The USDA should modernize its criteria for rural broadband development grants and loans so that the limited available funding is allocated to projects that truly deliver broadband coverage rapidly to the most Americans for the lowest possible cost.
Public resources should be directed to areas where no service is available to avoid chilling private investment and marketplace distortion.
And, priority should be given to ISP’s currently serving their communities in “underserved” locales, giving them the first opportunity to upgrade their service, which can most likely be done for less dollars, stretching limited taxpayer resources further.

Zumwalt concluded his testimony by noting “Every community, regardless of size, location, or geography, deserves reliable broadband service, [and this] means diversity in approaches, modes of deployment, and paying attention to the needs of each community.” To get there, legislators, policymakers and industry must work together to use “every tool available to ensure the rapid deployment of networks so that no community is left behind.”

A copy of David Zumwalt’s testimony can be found here.

About WISPA – Broadband Without Boundaries
WISPA’s approximately 1000 members provide fixed broadband 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