Permitting a Key Broadband Deployment Factor: Report

"Permitting is one of the most consequential factors in broadband infrastructure deployment in this country, according to a new report from the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA). The report - "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - highlights the best practices and persistent barriers in the permitting process. According to the report, there are communities that use permitting as a strategic tool, centralizing review teams and coordinating utility needs to accelerate broadband deployments."

"But "others are bogged down by fragmented workflows, unclear standards, and costly legal disputes." Communities falling into the latter group face issues that can add millions to project costs and delay service, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas. FBA suggests that the NTIA's Environmental Screening and Tracking Tool provides a valuable blueprint for national reform, but local authorities, policies, and other factors are still proving to be large hurdles. To successfully clear these hurdles, the FBA report recommends five strategies for broadband permitting:"

Permitting processes strongly affect broadband deployment speed, cost, and access. Some communities centralize review teams and coordinate utility needs to accelerate buildouts. Other communities rely on fragmented workflows, unclear standards, and legal disputes that can add millions to project costs and delay service, especially in rural and under-resourced areas. The NTIA's Environmental Screening and Tracking Tool offers a blueprint for national reform, but local authorities, policies, and procedural hurdles remain. Five practical strategies can improve permitting outcomes: adopt model ordinances, implement digital permitting, coordinate dig-once and joint trenching, standardize pole attachment and make-ready protocols, and use escrow and mediation for disputes.

Read at Telecompetitor