We hear from a lot of WISP owners who are researching or in the process of shifting to a FISP model in their business. Like any big move in business (and in life!), there are a lot of questions that come with it. We’re fortunate to work with WISPs from around the globe who are at various stages of the process.
No matter where a WISP owner is doing business in the world or how big or small the project, we find that we field many of the same questions time and again. We’ve compiled the 26 most common questions and put the info into a new (and free!) PDF download titled WISP To FISP, A To Z: The Top 26 Questions We Receive From WISPs. You can access this resource by clicking here. We also want to share some of the questions included in the guide here on the blog – here are five of them!
Note: This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge, based on our experience in the field. Treat this information like a Wikipedia page – consider it a good resource but always double check whenever it comes to legal issues, insurance issues, permit issues, costs, and whatnot.
While this is often the first question we’re asked, you really need to answer all the other questions on the list to come up with your answer because there are so many variables in these projects. Not the answer you’re going for, we know, but work through the rest of the questions on this list and we’re confident you will find yourself much closer to an answer on this one!
Let’s lay out some of the merits of each option:
Active E (Active Ethernet) – Pros:
Active E – Cons:
GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network):
In addition, with GPON, you must consider Centralized or Distributive Split:
Centralized: More traditional approach.
Distributive: Less flexible.
Let’s lay out some of the merits of each option:
Aerial – Pros:
Aerial – Cons:
Buried – Pros:
Buried – Cons:
Often the answer is YES! We’ll list a few resources for you to bookmark and keep an eye on, but as a rule of thumb many of the funds that come available for projects like this are somewhat state-specific so you will want to create Google Alerts for the following terms:
FTTH grants your state
FTTH funding your state
broadband grants your state
broadband funding your state
Not sure how to set up a Google Alert? This quick video will walk you through the steps!
We’re GIS consultants which means we work with many companies, many different ways. Our services are well defined yet flexible so that you can involve us in your project as much – or as little – as you need/want to. Overall, most companies invest in a Feasibility Study that we prepare taking into account all of the info that we gather from you about your goals and your budget combined with the real-time data associated with the potential project area. Our team goes through the Feasibility Study with you so you are clear on how to interpret the data and you understand what your next steps can be.
As you can see, there are not many easy or cut and dry answers to any of this! If you’re interested in seeing the other 21 common questions we receive from WISPs? Grab your free copy of WISP To FISP, A To Z: The Top 26 Questions We Receive From WISPs by clicking here. We hope you find this guide helpful in your continued project research!