What FISPA does

FISPA, Inc. is a Florida-incorporated non-profit trade association founded in 1996 that represents independent internet service providers (ISPs) and supporting vendors in the US broadband and telecommunications industry. The organization operates as a member-driven advocacy body, providing a unified voice for smaller ISPs on regulatory, legislative, and operational matters at the federal and state levels. Governance is handled by a 9-member Board of Directors, with a single identified paid staff member (an accountant); the organization otherwise runs on a largely volunteer administrative model. Its stated mission centers on supporting the business and policy interests of independent broadband providers competing against incumbent carriers.

FISPA monetizes through a two-tier membership structure: Service Provider membership at $595 annually and Vendor membership at $1,800 annually. Beyond dues, revenue is generated through the annual FISPA Live conference (with Platinum sponsorship at $30,000 and member/non-member registration at $995/$1,250) and recurring Broadband Therapy educational webinars. The association does not develop proprietary technology products; member management, dues billing, and event registration are operated through Wild Apricot, an off-the-shelf association-management SaaS.

The association's value proposition centers on industry convening, regulatory advocacy, compliance support, and peer networking. Named corporate partners and sponsors span equipment vendors (Calix, Hexatronic, ConnectTo, Bequant, gaiia), legal counsel (Sheppard Mullin, Lerman Senter), and professional services firms (FTI Consulting, Kinetic Ventures), reflecting a deliberate mix of technology suppliers and regulatory/strategic advisors serving the independent-ISP segment.

Name

FISPA

Legal name

FISPA, Inc.

Website

https://fispa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FISPA is a Florida non-profit trade association founded in 1996 that serves independent US internet service providers and broadband vendors through tiered membership, an annual FISPA Live conference, regulatory advocacy, and recurring member-education webinars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Industry Trade Association

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber ISPs (FTTH/FTTP Retail Providers) (HDAIADAE)

Keywords

• Telecommunications trade association
• ISP membership organization
• Broadband industry events
• Competitive carrier advocacy
• Industry webinar series

Headquarters

HQ city

Matthews

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Provider Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for internet service provider companies. Includes access to member portal, education webinars, participation in email listservs, event attendance, and speaking opportunities at FISPA Live.
2. Vendor Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for technology vendors and service providers selling to ISP members. Includes listing on FISPA.org and member portal, sponsorship of one monthly webinar, and participation in email listservs.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from FISPA Live annual conference registrations - $995/pp for members and $1,250/pp for non-members. Also includes webinar and other event registration fees.
4. Sponsorship Revenue: Tiered sponsorship packages for FISPA Live events ranging from Platinum ($30,000) to various sponsorship slots (Wi-Fi Sponsorship at $2,500, Lanyard Sponsorship at $2,000). Sponsorship is available to active FISPA members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FISPA operates as a non-profit trade association providing education, advocacy, and collaboration services to independent internet service providers and their vendor partners in the US broadband market. Its sellable offerings consist of annual Service Provider Membership ($595/year) and Vendor Membership ($1,800/year), the FISPA Live annual conference, and the monthly Broadband Therapy educational webinar series.

Product overview

FISPA is a member-driven industry association for internet service providers and vendors in the telecommunications/broadband sector, not a technology product company. It does not offer a unified software platform or product suite. Its core offerings consist of two membership tiers (Service Provider at $595/year and Vendor at $1,800/year), an annual FISPA Live conference, and a recurring Broadband Therapy webinar series. The FISPA Member Portal is a membership management platform (powered by Wild Apricot), not a product offered to external customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FISPA Live: Annual flagship conference for the FISPA broadband community featuring industry leaders, keynote speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities.
• Broadband Therapy

Products and services

• Service Provider Membership Annual membership tier for independent internet service providers (CLECs and small/mid-sized ISPs) priced at $595/year, providing access to the FISPA member portal, Broadband Therapy webinars, email listservs, FISPA Live conference participation, and speaking opportunities.
• Vendor Membership Annual membership tier for technology vendors and service providers selling products, services, or equipment to FISPA ISP members, priced at $1,800/year, including directory listings on FISPA.org and the member portal, one monthly webinar sponsorship, and access to FISPA Live sponsorship opportunities.
• FISPA Live Conference Annual flagship in-person conference for the FISPA broadband community, featuring keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, networking, and up to 25 exhibitor booths, with member and non-member registration pricing.
• Broadband Therapy Webinar Series Monthly educational webinar series covering fiber construction, competitive pricing, M&A, MDUs, leadership, regulatory shifts, and broadband industry trends, available to FISPA members and select open registrations.
• FISPA Member Portal Wild Apricot-powered digital membership platform enabling account management, event registration, profile updates, invoice payment, and access to member resources and directory.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• gaiiaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 January 2026gaiia is a FISPA vendor member that launched Nokia integrations (Altiplano, AMS, Corteca) for fiber network operations. FISPA featured gaiia in a member spotlight news article, highlighting the innovation happening across the FISPA vendor community. This represents mutual benefit - gaiia gains visibility with FISPA's ISP members while FISPA showcases vendor innovation to its membership base.
• ConnectTominorGTM or Marketing PartnerConnectTo hosted a 45-minute educational webinar for FISPA members on integrating telecom services (Class 4/5 Switches, LCR, STIR/SHAKEN, IPTV, Billing, WebRTC). This webinar was member-only registration, providing ConnectTo access to FISPA's ISP member audience.
• HexatronicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHexatronic (hosting company identified as 'Hexatronic Webinar') provided a webinar on network design and deployment support for ISPs. Brad Turney (Network Design Engineer) and Daniel Masters (Product Specialist) presented on engineering support, on-site training, and fiber system design/layout.
• CalixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalix experts (Jess Parsons, Sr. Director, and Susan Higgins, Sr. Marketing Manager) hosted a webinar on Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) strategies. Topics included secure personalized connectivity, property-wide managed Wi-Fi deployment, and marketing to property decision-makers.
• BequantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBequant co-hosted a Broadband Therapy episode with Cajun Broadband on closing latency gaps in the home network. Sheldon Lucien from Bequant and Jimmy Lewis from Cajun Broadband presented on QoE for low-latency performance and per-IP visibility. Bequant provides networking optimization solutions for ISPs.
• Sheppard MullinminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm Sheppard Mullin attorneys (Ryan Roberts and Lillia Damalouji) participated in a B.E.A.D. policy webinar alongside FTI Consulting's John Whitcomb. They answered live BEAD-related questions from FISPA members, providing regulatory compliance guidance.
• FTI ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerJohn Whitcomb from FTI Consulting participated in the B.E.A.D.: Understanding Policy Shifts webinar to answer questions about broadband policy shifts. FTI Consulting provides consulting services to the broadband industry on regulatory matters.
• Lerman SenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSteve Coran from DC-based law firm Lerman Senter hosted a Broadband Therapy episode on what the Trump Administration means for broadband - covering funding priorities, regulatory changes, compliance, deployment, and long-term strategy. Part II was presented live at FISPA Live 2026.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• CompTIA: A major technology industry trade association offering education, certification, and advocacy across IT vendors and channel partners. Thematically comparable as a membership-and-events organization serving the broader technology ecosystem FISPA's vendor members participate in.

Direct peers

• ACA Connects - America's Communications Association: A trade association representing smaller broadband, cable, and telecommunications providers in the US. Highly comparable to FISPA's mission of advancing independent-operator interests before regulators and partners.
• NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association: US association representing rural broadband providers and small telecom operators through regulatory advocacy, education, and networking events. Comparable to FISPA in serving smaller independent communications providers across the country.
• CCA (Competitive Carriers Association): Association advocating for competitive communications carriers including wireless, wireline, and broadband providers. Comparable in serving a similar independent-operator member base with a focus on competitive-carrier policy issues.
• Fiber Broadband Association (FBA): Trade association dedicated to fiber broadband deployment with member education, advocacy, and an annual Fiber Connect conference. Directly comparable to FISPA; the data shows FBA members already receive 25% off FISPA Live registration, signaling membership overlap.
• WISPA - Wireless Internet Service Providers Association: A US trade association serving fixed wireless and broadband ISPs through advocacy, education, and annual conferences. Closely comparable to FISPA as both recruit independent ISP and vendor members from the same competitive broadband segment.

Broad incumbents

• CTIA - The Wireless Association: The large US wireless industry trade association representing mobile carriers and equipment makers. Comparable association-function with education and advocacy, but operates at much larger scale and serves mobile rather than independent ISP members.
• INCOMPAS: A broader competitive-communications trade association covering streaming, broadband, and technology providers. Overlaps with FISPA on independent broadband advocacy but covers a wider industry portfolio.
• Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA): Industry association representing global information and communications technology manufacturers and suppliers. Broader incumbent with vendor-side overlap to FISPA but a wider telecom/ICT remit.

Regional players

• SCTE (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers): A US-based professional organization focused on cable telecommunications engineering, standards, and training. Adjacent to FISPA in serving broadband operators but weighted toward cable technical workforce rather than ISP advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fispalive
• Facebookfacebook.com/fispa-1091309230901288
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fispa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FISPA