> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# WISPA Argues Support for FWA Creates BEAD Funding Surplus for States
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/wispa-argues-support-for-fwa-creates-bead-funding-surplus-for-states/
- Published: 2025-07-31T17:13:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-11T05:48:48.000Z
- Description: Others say BEAD rules don’t allow it.
- Author: Patricia Blume
- Tags: BEAD, WISPA, Steven Schwerbel, FWA, The Vernonburg Group, Gregory Rosston, Scott Wallsten, #with-siderail

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 ](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ntia-rewrites-rules-for-bead-forcing-states-to-rebid-broadband-projects/)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.

[![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/97/29976d9d-89ea-4c77-8c0b-0e8a0eafed35/content/images/2025/07/BB-live-events--1680-x-600-px---1---2-.png)](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/welcome) 

[***There's a whole community behind your FREE membership...**](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/welcome)

[There's a whole community behind your FREE membership... ](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/welcome) 

[Since the update,](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/wispa-urges-ntia-to-stop-states-unfair-bead-requirements/) 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](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/carr-to-comcast-show-me-the-contracts/) 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](https://www.vernonburggroup.com/our-team?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com), 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.](https://www.policyband.com/p/dc-memo-tpi-analysts-say-lutnicks?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com)

In [a July 8 analysis](https://techpolicyinstitute.org/publications/broadband/digital-divide/new-bead-rules-enable-efficient-spending-but-make-it-pointless-to-try/?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com), 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.