Reps Eshoo, Walden Introduce ‘Dig Once’ Broadband Deployment Bill

House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) introduced the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2015, commonly referred to as ‘dig once’ legislation. This bipartisan, commonsense legislation would mandate the inclusion of broadband conduit -- plastic pipes which house fiber-optic communications cable -- during the construction of any road receiving federal funding if there is a demonstrated need for broadband in the area within the next 15 years.

“Today our information highways are just as important as our interstate highways,” said Ranking Member Eshoo, who introduced similar legislation in 2009 and 2011. “By laying broadband conduit during construction of roads that receive federal funding, broadband providers can later install fiber-optic cable without costly excavation of newly-built roads. ‘Dig once’ is a commonsense bipartisan policy that will significantly reduce the cost of broadband deployment in our country.” According to a study by the Government Accountability Office, ‘dig once’ policies can save from 25 to 33 percent in construction costs in urban areas and approximately 16 percent in rural areas. A 2012 Executive Order implemented a ‘dig once’ policy similar to Ranking Member Eshoo’s original legislation. But the Executive Order only included a requirement for the Department of Transportation to provide guidance to states and encourage their implementation of a ‘dig once’ policy. This bill implements a more effective mechanism for adoption of ‘dig once.’