Why You Should Join FISPA

FISPA is the Federation of Internet Solution Providers of America. It is a non-profit association for Internet providers. FISPA is celebrating 20 years of operations. It has come a long way in 20 years when it began as the Florida ISP Association heading to Tallahassee to lobby.

Today it is a group of owner/operators who depend on the association for ideas, innovation, lessons and learning. As any of the podcasts from members will attest to, FISPA is the only association like it, where members open the kimono to share lessons learned as a CLEC, ISP, fiber builder, wireless operator or MSP.

I remember the FISPA/WISPA Spring Conference in Orlando in March of 2011. We were cross-pollinating memberships. One of the ideas that came out of this event resulted in FISPA to start having sessions on How to be a CLEC with actual CLEC owners leading the session (aided by a lawyer and a consultant). We walked companies through the process, the strategy, the expense, the technology, the products that could be offered and why others had gone that route.

FISPA eventually presented How-to sessions on VoIP, CLEC, data center, sales & marketing, fiber builds, e-Rate. Having attended up to 15 shows per year, these sessions were pure gold in take-aways, actionable intel, and solid real-world experience. No other show offers this type of candid education and transparency.

In some respects these shows are like EO or Vistage, where master minding takes place between CEOs and other key executives. This is where the real sharing, learning, teaching happens. You should attend to see for yourself. If you have questions, contact me or Jim Hollis, FISPA's Executive Director.

FISPA's next annual meeting, FISPA Live, is Feb. 5-7, 2018 in New Orleans.