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Where Policy Meets Innovation in Broadband
Advocating for Broadband Providers: Policy, Innovation, and the Future of Wireless ISPs.
Speaker: David Zumwalt, President & CEO
Since June 2022, David Zumwalt has served as President & CEO of WISPA. Prior to joining WISPA, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Broadband VI, a major Internet Service Provider in the US Virgin Islands, where his role included full P&L responsibility and had a primary mission to prepare the company to scale. In 2021, Broadband VI sought and won $84.5 million in FCC Connect USVI funding to supplement its private investment in Territory-wide network expansion and was subsequently acquired by a unit of publicly traded Liberty Latin America late last year.
He then led Broadband VI’s post-acquisition transition efforts. Previously, he served as the CEO/Executive Director of the University of the Virgin Islands Research & Technology Park (RTPark), an instrumentality of the USVI government formed to establish and grow a vibrant knowledge-based sector in the Territory’s economy. He led policy, workforce investment, infrastructure and market outreach initiatives and guided RTPark to become a rare example of a sustainable three-way partnership with private sector, governmental and university stakeholders.
Earlier, he founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Dallas, TX-based CNet, Inc., a leading provider of radio frequency (RF) engineering and operational support system software and services to the worldwide wireless communications industry, securing significant customer relationships in 40 countries. Over the course of his career, he has served on the Boards of, and as a transitional chief executive in, several venture capital and private equity-backed businesses, working closely with management teams, stakeholders, capital partners and governmental/regulatory counterparts.
His portfolio spans private sector, public sector and academic initiatives. He has engaged with accelerators, incubators and private equity partnerships to mentor emerging companies in markets including simulation/gaming, logistics, internet content, search, and network services. A graduate of Rice University, he has been named a Fellow of the Radio Club of America in recognition of his wireless industry contributions and is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas.
About WISPA:
WISPA—Broadband Without Boundaries promotes the development and unification of the WISP industry, representing small entrepreneurs who provide broadband to underserved areas. Our mission is to support WISPs through advocacy, regulatory engagement, and educational events. We aim to foster public policy that encourages investment and deployment of reliable broadband to all Americans.
