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Senators and industry press permitting reform to speed fiber build‑out for AI
Summary
Witnesses and senators at a Commerce Committee hearing said permitting delays—not lack of private investment—are the principal bottleneck to deploying fiber required for AI applications, urging passage of several permitting bills and regulatory fixes.
Chair Fisher opened the Senate Commerce Committee hearing by framing the session as an inquiry into how artificial intelligence and telecommunications infrastructure interact and why networks must be "prepared for AI." Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of US Telecom, told senators that fiber broadband is central to that readiness and criticized permitting timelines.
"Without permitting reform to speed up fiber network deployment, Not just AI, but our whole innovation economy is at risk of being put on ice," Spalter said. He urged Congress to "Pass the Close the Gap Act, the Rail Act, and the Accelerating Broadband Permits Act so we can get our shovels and our fiber network in the ground and connect more of your communities to make sure that they too are gonna be part of our AI future." (Jonathan Spalter)
Witnesses and senators repeatedly returned to practical fixes: allowing "deemed granted" status for previously analyzed federal‑land projects, categorical exclusions for low‑impact broadband work, and aligned state/local permitting rules for small facilities such as fiber huts. Bob Everson of Cisco and Commissioner Dan Watermeyer of the Nebraska Public Service Commission said permitting delays affect both greenfield construction and routine upgrades, sometimes stretching months to years.
The witnesses said permitting reform must be paired with funding and program design changes so that accelerated approvals do not leave networks unsupported over the long term. Spalter recommended coupling permitting reform with a modernized Universal Service Fund and expedited guidance on BEAD non‑deployment funds to ensure projects are both deliverable and durable.
