Broadband providers urge review of federal permitting to speed rural builds
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Summary
NTCA representative Brian Ford told the subcommittee that HR 5,419 would help identify common federal permitting failures that delay broadband projects—sometimes more than a year—and allow targeted reforms to speed access to federal lands for rural networks.
Brian Ford, vice president for federal regulatory affairs at NTCA, told the Committee that his members—about 850 small community-based providers—face lengthy delays and costs when obtaining access to federal lands to install broadband infrastructure.
"Delays of well over a year or more are common," Ford said. He said the bill, HR 5,419, would require Interior and USDA to undertake a review of internal permitting processes, identify common failure points and recommend targeted reforms to improve interagency coordination and timeliness.
Representative Kane told the panel that patchworked federal ownership in states like Idaho—BLM, Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation and wetlands—often forces providers to spend months determining which agency is lead on an application. Ford said the report would surface those frictions and could reduce wasted construction seasons and idle crews.
Outcome: Witnesses endorsed the bill as a necessary step to reduce permit-related delays; no formal votes were taken.