Arlington, Va. – Mike Romano, executive vice president of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, today testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on the need to accelerate and make more efficient permitting procedures in the deployment of rural communications networks to benefit millions of Americans still in need of better broadband connectivity.
In the hearing, “Breaking Barriers: Streamlining Permitting to Expedite Broadband Deployment,” Romano testified, “NTCA members have made extensive strides in deploying broadband in rural America. This gives them substantial experience and perspective on permitting and approvals related to federal lands, highways of all kinds, and railroad crossings, among others. At the same time, they have more to do to upgrade their remaining customers, and they are actively engaged in expanding to reach unserved locations in other areas. This gives them a substantial interest in finding ways to improve and expedite permitting procedures where possible.”
In his testimony, Romano shared examples of rural broadband deployment projects in which permitting or other approval processes led to significant delays or increases in cost. “What must not be missed, however, is that this is just the current state,” Romano said. “Certainly, broadband deployment has accelerated over the past several years, but we are just on the precipice of even more massive investments as initiatives like the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (or BEAD) program come online. These expanded efforts will lead to much greater demand for permits and approvals that threaten to exacerbate existing backlogs and could undermine a shared national objective of universal connectivity.” Romano therefore encouraged Congress to help address such concerns by moving forward with streamlining measures like those being considered in the hearing, and to take several other steps that would help in planning proactively for the wave of broadband deployments to come.
Romano’s full testimony can be viewed on the committee’s website.