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Setting the Course for the Future of CalWa

January 1, 2014

by Robert Jystad…

We have never been afraid to be cutting edge at CalWa and to think outside the box about what the original concept of the State Wireless Association Program.  We were the first to come up with annual sponsors, the first with an advisory board, and the first to hire an executive director.

Now are looking at ways to continue that innovation. What is nice is that state wireless associations around the country share that fearlessness.  For example, the New York State Wireless Association developed a remarkable trade show, which required a lot of effort.

We need to improve our coordination with PCIA – the Wireless Infrastructure Association and their efforts to put together a clearinghouse of information for education purposes. We need to spend more time focusing on how we as an association educate public officials and the public at large.  We have done some cool things along those lines. Our relationship with AGL Media Group is critically important to that.

We put together a video for educating the public and public officials on the importance of wireless infrastructure, “You Can’t Have One Without the Other,” which was supposed to be the first in a series. What is nice is the carriers are now noting the importance of wireless infrastructure to wireless handsets in their commercials. But we need to enhance that with a YouTube channel that would include videos and short clips about the wireless industry and how it works.

We are excited about FirstNet and what it will mean to the wireless infrastructure industry and first responder communications. We can assist in educating people about that effort. We want to get more aggressive about our public relations.  More people need to know about the wireless association.  Along the lines of our relationship with the Joint Venture Silicon Valley, we want to expand our outreach outside of infrastructure providers and carriers and start talking to device manufacturers and content providers and see if we can grow interest in the wireless association.

There is a lot that we want to do. The long-term vision of the California Wireless Association is to become a bona fide trade association. Eventually, we want to have a presence in San Francisco, a presence in Sacramento and be involved in the discussions about legislation and regulation that are necessary to facilitate the deployment of wireless infrastructure and any other interests of our membership.  While we are take steps in that direction, it is a three- to five-year plan.

The presence of the wireless industry in California is very important.  The irony that wireless deployment in California is as so challenging in terms of zoning is something that needs to be faced and addressed.

One of the most important things that we are going to work on in the coming year is encouraging more involvement by our membership in the running of the association.  There has been a small handful of people that made the California Wireless Association what it is.  The membership has been great about participating in our events, but we need more active involvement at the committee level, more direction from our advisory board and involvement from significant decision makers.

I am replacing Jon Dohm, who has been the president for all of CalWa’s seven years. There are not enough good things I can say about his leadership and his skills running the association. I learned a lot watching him.  We flourished under his leadership. We have some ideas about new initiatives, but at the end of my tenure, if we still have in place what John put in place, it will be a success.

This is an excerpt of an interview with Robert Jystad who recently became president of the California Wireless Association.  Jystad is managing partner of the Channel Law Group and represents wireless carriers and tower companies on land use, leasing and regulatory matters.  He has appeared before planning commissions, city councils and county boards in dozens of jurisdictions throughout California and has made appearances at the FCC, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Ninth Circuit and every federal district court in California and the California Supreme Court.

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