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Board backs broadband permit reforms; vice chair clarifies 45-day timeline as calendar days
Summary
The Board approved a consent item to streamline broadband permitting and pilot a liaison program. County leaders and broadband companies praised the effort; vice chair Tara Lawson Reimer clarified that a 45-day target means 45 calendar days.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 13 approved a consent item aimed at speeding broadband permitting, including a pilot liaison program to help internet providers navigate county approvals.
Vice Chair Tara Lawson Reimer emphasized a clarity change: when the board-approved language says "45 days," staff and proponents mean 45 calendar days, not business days. "That was just for the record. It says 45 days, clarifying it means 45 calendar days," Lawson Reimer told the board.
Representatives of Cox Communications and AT&T spoke in support of the measure during the consent-calendar public comment period. Alberto Velasquez, government affairs manager for Cox Communications, said federal grant programs will soon require short construction timetables and that permitting certainty helps companies decide where to apply. "Very shortly, federal funds, some through the B program, will become available to compete for grants to build in underserved and unserved areas in our region," Velasquez said. He added that Cox is currently averaging 60 days for new permits and called a 45-day ceiling “a good improvement.”
Victor Avino of Falcon Strategies, speaking for AT&T, thanked the board and county staff and said the county’s permit cadence already is competitive. "I hear ... that the county is averaging 43 days," Avino said, and he urged continuing collaboration on the proposed pilot and liaison.
A few public commenters criticized the use of county funds or cautioned about deployment risks; one caller cited a proposed $200,000 allocation in public comment as a concern. County staff said the consent item directs work on a pilot program, procedural documentation, and outreach with stakeholders; the board approved the consent calendar, including the broadband item, unanimously.
County officials said the reforms are intended to reduce the time and administrative burden for providers seeking to expand service in unincorporated areas and to make county permitting timelines more predictable for federal grant applications.
