Stephen Sharbaugh

In a meeting with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Rural Wireless Association discussed the important role of fixed and mobile wireless solutions in the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. RWA stressed how factors such as serving difficult terrain, speed of deployment, lower construction costs, and future-proofing networks through network virtualization are all strong reasons to include funding for wireless networks.

The Rural Wireless Association noted that the Universal Service Fund is unsustainable as currently constructed. When the 1996 Telecommunications Act was signed into law, voice telecommunications ruled the day and was the primary service supported by the USF. Circumstances have since changed. An explosion of innovation pushed consumers to use more data and demand higher speeds and lower latency.

The Rural Wireless Association submitted comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regarding the agency's implementation of several broadband infrastructure programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Recommendations include: