WISPA Argues Support for FWA Creates BEAD Funding Surplus for States
Others say BEAD rules don’t allow it.
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2025 – Fiber has its fan club, but Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will yield monetary surpluses that states can use at their discretion.
That’s the view of WISPA – The Association for Broadband Without Boundaries, which is telling states that funding fixed wireless projects will mean more money to spend on non-deployment projects, such as broadband adoption.
Following the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s June 6 BEAD revisions – which adopted a more technology-neutral stance, shifting away from the program’s previous “fiber-first” approach – fixed wireless providers are now on equal footing with fiber.
Since the update, WISPA has promoted fixed wireless as a cost-effective option.
“The clear intention for the BEAD program from the beginning has been to drive cost-effective investments in broadband networks using every tool at your disposal; the NTIA's updated policy guidance makes even more explicit that the agency expects states to fully embrace FWA and other innovative technologies,” said WISPA Director of State Advocacy Steven Schwerbel.
In an email Tuesday to all state broadband offices, WISPA argued that using FWA technology to connect unserved areas could leave states with extra BEAD money for non-deployment priorities.
WISPA cited a study from the Vernonburg Group, a broadband consulting firm, which argued that states are legally allowed to spend leftover BEAD funds on non-deployment programs.
But others disagreed with that interpretation.
In a July 8 analysis, economists Gregory Rosston and Scott Wallsten said the new rules prevent states from spending excess funds. They argued NTIA’s policy forces states to spend all their BEAD funds on broadband buildout, even when projects aren’t cost-effective.
“By eliminating states’ ability to use leftover money, NTIA has created an incentive for them to spend as much of it as possible on connections, regardless of cost-effectiveness, as long as they meet minimal criteria,” they wrote.
Member discussion