Recently, I was in Manhattan KS to attend a regional Advocacy Comment Tour held by the SBA Office of Advocacy in Manhattan, KS. The Office of Advocacy is a designated office within the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that advocates for the interests of small businesses, such as Nex-Tech, before the federal government. The tour was meant to gather comments and concerns from small businesses and stakeholders regarding any proposed regulations and other potential federal actions that may impact small businesses. 

After the meeting, I met with  Assistant Chief Counsel, David Mullis. David works on Internet, telecom, and broadband matters for the office. The next day, David visited Nex-Tech offices in Hays and Victoria. He came to get a feel for how Nex-Tech serves customers and communities, as well as hear our perspective on government policies that Nex-Tech would like to see improved upon. SBA Advocacy attorneys work with federal regulators to ensure small business concerns are heard in the regulatory process.

Our Director of Customer Engagement, Dustin Schlaefli, and our NOC Engineer, Marie Stephens, were available to speak to him during the tour. Talking points included the diversity of Nex-Tech’s work, the vast expanse of Nex-Tech’s service footprint, and the challenges of servicing small rural communities, broadband labels, broadband maps, etc. Nex-Tech will continue to work with government stakeholders to better serve our customers and our communities.

More about the Office of Advocacy
The Office of Advocacy is the independent voice for small businesses and entities within the federal government and serves as the watchdog of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which requires agencies to consider alternative ways to reduce the economic impact of their regulations on small entities. The office advances the views and concerns of small businesses before Congress, the White House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policymakers. By conducting small business outreach, commenting on the federal regulatory process, and helping agencies develop less burdensome regulations, they amplify the voice of small business owners in the regulatory space.