Senators Barrasso and Lujan Lead Bipartisan Letter to Expand High-Speed Internet Access in Rural Communities

US Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) led their Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the Secretaries of the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce about the need to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities. Internet providers are required to obtain permits from the federal government when installing telecommunications infrastructure on federal lands or for projects using federal funding. Right now, they face extensive delays in the permitting process. In their letter, the senators encourage the Biden administration to streamline the permitting process, close the digital divide and expand high-speed internet in rural areas across the country. The Senators request the following information:

• What are your plans for modernizing the environmental review and permitting process to expedite the approval of applications for broadband projects on federal land?
• Do your respective agencies have sufficient staff and resources to meet current statutory and regulatory requirements to process permit applications and meet the expected increase in permit applications for broadband projects in a timely manner?
• Do your respective agencies require additional appropriations or new statutory authority to expedite permitting approval?
• What is the escalation process for resolving potential permitting bottlenecks and conflicts?
• How are you leveraging [the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council] to address conflicts, improve communication, and accelerate information sharing amongst agencies?
• What actions are the Council and the respective agencies taking to reduce permit approval times to close the digital divide as quickly as possible?
• In August, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and BIA announced an agreement to coordinate responsibilities in ensuring compliance with environmental, historic preservation, and cultural resources requirements related to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. Is there a similar agreement between NTIA, the Federal Communication Commission, and the federal land management agencies under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of the Interior (DOI)?
• How many outstanding broadband infrastructure projects are awaiting permit approvals on federal lands?
• What is the average time for agencies in your department to approve such permits?
• What is the average interval between a USDA ReConnect award announcement and the final disbursement of funds to the applicant?
• What is the average interval between an NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program award announcement and the final disbursement of funds to the applicant?
• What amount of time do you expect between a NTIA Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) award and final disbursement of funds to subgrantees?

Senators signing on to the letter include Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mike Braun (R-IN), Jacky Rosen (R-NV), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Catherine Cortez-Masto (R-NV), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).