Permitting Success: Closing the Digital Divide Through Local Broadband Permitting

The historic levels of funding made available through the bipartisan Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program will generate historic levels of construction—and this will put enormous pressure on local governments.

Local governments are generally responsible for approving the construction of infrastructure within municipal boundaries. They do this through their local permitting processes, which typically involve reviewing permit applications, inspecting permitted work, and coordinating municipal activity. These processes take time and resources, and not every government is equipped for the coming wave of construction. This is especially true in rural areas, where municipal resources are lowest and BEAD activity will be highest.

This paper is intended to help local governments and internet service providers (ISP) develop permitting processes that will maximize the impact of BEAD and all future investments in broadband. The paper’s findings were identified during a national summit on local permitting processes, which was attended by representatives from local, state, and federal governments, ISPs, civil society organizations, philanthropies, and other key stakeholders. By developing effective and efficient permitting processes, ISPs and local governments can help ensure that every community in America receives the full benefits of modern connectivity.